To:     LWVO
From:   Joan Platz
Education Update for May 22, 2006

1)  126th General Assembly: 
The Ohio House and Senate will hold sessions and committee meetings this week.  Lawmakers are working on several controversial issues, including an effort to replace the proposed Tax Expenditure Limitation (TEL) constitutional amendment certified for the November 7, 2006 ballot, with a new law that would limit the growth in state spending. The proposed TEL constitutional amendment limits growth in spending by the state and local entities, including school districts.  The new proposed TEL legislation may be added to SB321 (Carey) - the Tobacco Settlement Budget, which has already passed the Senate, and is now being heard in the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Calvert.  Proponents of the proposed TEL legislation are also considering ways to remove the proposed TEL constitutional amendment from the November 2006 ballot.

Last week the Ohio Senate approved HCR40 (Schneider) - which designates the week of May 14, 2006 as "Co-op Education Week" in Ohio.

2)  Impact of the Proposed TEL Law on Education: 
Proponents of limiting the growth in state spending are now proposing that Ohio lawmakers approve legislation rather than ask voters to approve a Tax Expenditure Limitations (TEL) constitutional amendment on the November 7, 2006 ballot. The proposed TEL legislation would limit state spending to 3.5 percent or the combination of any increase in the consumer price index plus population.  John R. Corlett, Senior Fellow and Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for The Center for community Solutions, released on May 19, 2006 an analysis of the effects of the proposed TEL legislation on education and other state spending categories, and reports the following:

"A statutory TEL would have a disproportionate impact on funding for education at both the primary and secondary level as well as higher education. This is because they represent such a large share of overall state only GRF spending and because their individual budgets are overwhelmingly made up of GRF funds. If the TEL limit were to stay in place it's likely that these entities could see their funding drop over time unless additional funding was to come from non-general revenue funds. The fact that education costs rise at rate much faster
than the TEL formula allows would only aggravate the situation. The end result is likely to be an increase in local taxes and fees, as state education funding shrinks or fails to keep pace with rising costs."

For more information on the effects of the TEL statute please visit The Center for Community Solutions web site
http://www.communitysolutions.com

3)  109th Congress: 
The U.S. House of Representatives adopted H.Con. Res. 376, the FY07 budget resolution, on May 18, 2006.  The resolution includes "non-binding" language in support of increasing funding for health, education, and labor programs by $7.2 billion more than the budget recommended by President Bush.  The resolution also includes $873 billion in discretionary spending, but still cuts funding for education by $5 billion, about 7 percent, including $2.2 billion from the U.S. Department of Education.  The resolution also includes a "reserve fund" for health research, education for students from low income families and students with disabilities, vocational education, and after school care.  The Senate approved its version of the FY07 budget (S. Con. Res. 83) in March 2006, and so now a conference committee may be selected to work out the differences between the two resolutions.  However, hearings on the appropriations measures are already underway in the House, and so each chamber may decide to work out the spending differences during the debate on the appropriations egislation.  For more information about H.Con. Res. 376 please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.con.res.00376:>H. Con. Res. 376

The House also approved this past week FY07 appropriations for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, HR 5386 (Taylor).  The Department of Interior is funded at $9.65 billion, $211 million below last year and $40 million above the request. The bill includes $124.4 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, including $14,097,000 for support of arts education and public outreach activities through the Challenge America program, for program support, and for administration.  The bill also includes $126,049,000 for the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The bill was amended to increase appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities by $5 million, which will be offset by a corresponding reduction in other programs.  For more information please visit:
http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=610

Work on appropriations legislation for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education are expected to begin in June 2006.

4)  Hearings on NCLB Held Last Week: 
The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon, held on May 18, 2006 the first of several hearings on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  The NCLB was signed into law on January 8, 2002, and is scheduled for reauthorization next year.  These hearings will set the stage for any proposed changes in the law.

The testimony on May 18, 2006 was provided by teachers and principals on the topic, "How Innovative Educators Are Integrating Subject Matter to Improve Student Achievement."  Many parents, teachers, and administrators have complained that the law's focus on math and reading has narrowed the curriculum for many students.  However, chairman McKeon disagreed with those assertions.  In a press release Representative McKeon stated, "I disagree with those claims," McKeon said.  "Math and reading comprise the foundation for any sort of academic success, regardless of subject matter.  But more importantly, there are scores of men and women across the country using innovative methods to teach reading and math while also maintaining a rich curriculum in other areas.  The impressive efforts of those men and women were showcased today."

Additional hearings are now being planned on topics such as adequate yearly progress, growth models for assessing student progress, graduation rates, school choice, parent involvement, the impact of teacher quality standards, and the role of academic assessments.  For more information please visit the House Committee on Education and the Workforce web site at http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press109/second/05may/nclbhearings051106.htm

5)  Two States Add Growth Models to NCLB: 
The U.S. Department of Education, Margaret Spellings Secretary of Education, announced on May 17, 2006 that Tennessee and North Carolina were approved to use a growth model assessment system for the 2005-2006 school year to show adequate yearly progress required by the No Child Left Behind Act. These states will be able to measure individual student achievement each year, and schools will receive credit for student improvement. Several states are currently participating in a growth model pilot program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, and may request to add a growth model to their assessment system during the 2007-2008 school year.  For information about the growth models, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's web site at http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/05/05172006a.html

6)  How Public are Ohio's Community Schools?: 
The Coalition for Public Education released information on May 19, 2006 about a study conducted by the Braddock Organization (Columbus) on four of the largest charter school operators in Ohio: the  National Heritage Academies, the Leona Group, Summit Academy Management, and White Hat Management.  The purpose of the study was to examine the public accountability of these charter schools in two areas, public records and public meetings.

The report found that the charter school operators refused to provide public records about the contracts with their teachers when requested, and furthermore responded that the teachers teaching in their schools were not public employees, even though they contribute to the State Teachers Retirement System, a public pension system. According to these operators, the teachers actually work for the private operators, and therefore are not public school teachers.

Charter schools are also required by law to have an independent board of directors to oversee the operation of their schools.  Researchers from the Braddock Organization requested the minutes from the 2005 meetings of the boards of directors representing the charter schools operated by the four management companies, and found the following:

"The Leona Group - The Leona Group's chain of charter schools includes 6 in Ohio that enroll 1,027 students. Contrary to the requirement that each charter school be run independently, one superboard controls operations for all of Leona's charter schools in Ohio. This superboard conducted business jointly for all of Leona's charters in one session, including the 6 currently open for business and 3 more that are in the planning stages."

"Summit Academy Management - Summit Academy Management's chain of charter schools includes 19 in Ohio that enroll 2,250 students. Contrary to the requirement that each charter school be run independently, one superboard also controlled operations for all Ohio charters run by Summit Academy Management. Unlike Leona's joint session for all charters, Summit's superboard appears to have convened and adjourned each charter's business, holding several meetings in succession on the same day."

"National Heritage Academies - National Heritage Academies' chain of charter schools includes 9 in Ohio that enroll 3,510 students. Contrary to the requirement that each charter school be run independently, National Heritage charter board members overlap, with the same group of people conducting business for multiple National Heritage charter schools. Several board members appear to be interchangeable, serving on multiple boards for short stints throughout the year."

"White Hat Management - White Hat Management's chain of charter schools includes 34 in Ohio that enroll 16,000 students. White Hat runs one superboard and several smaller groups of people who serve on the boards of multiple White Hat charter schools. More than half of White Hat's charter school board members serve on the boards of multiple schools. Three members serve on 18 different White Hat charter school boards, one member serves on 17 different White Hat charter school boards, one serves on 10 different boards, and three serve on 9 different White Hat charter school boards. Eighteen members serve on 2, 3 or 4 different White Hat charter school boards."

For more information about the report, please contact Tom Mooney, Coalition for Public Education Chairman at 614-257-4195.

7) This Week at the Statehouse:

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2006
The  House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Calvert, will meet on Monday, May 22, 2006 at 9:30 AM in room 313. The committee will hear testimony on SB 321 (Carey) - the Tobacco Budget.  An amendment may be added to SB 321 regarding the TEL legislation.

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2006
The Senate Education committee, chaired by Senator Padgett, will meet on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 9:00 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will hear testimony on HB115 (Setzer) - Educational Regional Service System; HB422 (Hughes) - School Safety Plans; and SB 311 (Gardner) - the Ohio Core Curriculum.

The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Setzer, will meet on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 3:30 PM in room 116.  The committee will hear testimony on HB565 (Setzer) - The Ohio Core Curriculum.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2006
The House Rules and Reference Committee, chaired by Representative Husted, will meet on Wednesday, May 24, 2006 after session in room 313.  The committee will hear testimony on HJR13 (DeWine) - Redistricting proposal on the November ballot.

THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2006
The Higher Education Funding Study Council, chaired by Representative Shawn Webster, will meet on Thursday, May 25, 2006 at 9:00 AM in the Vern Riffe Center, 77 S. High St., 12th Floor Conference Room.

8)  ACT Report on High School Graduation Requirements:
The ACT, Richard L. Ferguson CEO, released the results of a study on May 8, 2006 called "Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different?." This report urges all high school students to complete a curriculum that prepares them for college, even if they intend to pursue other careers.  The study looked at the knowledge and skills employers identified for various occupations, such as electrician, construction worker, plumber, etc., and found that the math and literacy skills students needed for those occupations were comparable to those students needed to go on to college.  The ACT recommends that all high school students experience a common academic program, and that schools educate all students to meet the same standards.  Information about the report is available at http://www.act.org/news/releases/2006/05-08-06.html
http://www.act.org/path/policy/alert/workready.html

9) State of America's Children Released: 
The Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman president, released in May 2006 its annual report on the well-being of children in the United States called "The State of America's Children 2005." (The Greenbook) According to the report, "Almost 37 million people living in America were poor in 2004, 13 million of them children. Real incomes are
falling and poverty in the United States is more prevalent now than in the late 1960s and early 1970s, having escalated rapidly since 2000."

The report includes chapters on Family Income & Jobs, Child Health, Early Childhood, Education, Child Welfare, and Youth Development. Chapter 4 is dedicated to "Education, The Path Out of Poverty." This chapter explores a variety of education topics including the No Child Left Behind Act, rigorous curriculum, inequities among schools, the re-segregation of schools, discipline policies and the increase in the criminalization of school discipline incidents, dropouts and grade retention.  The following recommendations were made:

*Schools must do far more to ensure that all children have the resources they need for success, including advanced curricula, high quality teachers, a safe and modern school environment and facility, increased parent involvement, and health services.

*A strong accountability system must be developed that 1)  holds federal and state governments accountable to ensure equity and adequacy of educational resources for all children; 2)  does not use a single test to make high stakes decisions about schools or students;  3) uses multiple forms of assessment to measure student achievement;  4) collects and uses data accurately; 5)  ensures that all students have access to a high quality education program and are not tracked in lower level courses; 6) ensures that the No Child Left Behind Act is implemented uniformly by all states; 7)  permits states to consider individual student improvement in determining Adequate Yearly Progress; and 8) holds state officials accountable for the results of disaggregated data, just as schools and districts are held accountable.

*A comprehensive national vision should be developed that moves all children's needs to the top of our national agenda, including a solid foundation for young children, after school programs, affordable child care options, health and nutrition care, and provide flexibility for parents.

The report is available at
http://www.childrensdefense.org/publications/greenbook/

10)  More on Charter Schools: 
A New York Times May 10, 2006 editorial, "Reining In Charter Schools", suggests that experience is proving that charter schools are not "the magical solution" to improve student performance.  The editorial points out that well-trained teachers, orderly schools, and monitoring student progress gets results.  States should abandon the charter school policy, which gives public money to basically private schools, and then looks the other way.  The article is available from the New York Times archives at a cost. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50D16F73D5A0C738DDDAC0894DE404482

11) Bills Introduced the Week of May 15 - 19, 2006:
HB590 (Hartnett) Specifies that Educational Choice scholarships may be used at chartered nonpublic schools that perform comparably to or better than public schools in continuous improvement.