• News from ODE
• Ohio Critical Links Project
• School Funding Issues
• State Board of Education
• Innovative Public School Programs
• Post-Election Conference
• State News
• SBE School Funding Report
• Pupil Activities Applications Law
• Arts in Ohio’s Schools

News from the Ohio Department of Education

Ohio Critical Links Project

The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) are sponsoring with support from the Ohio Arts Council the Ohio Critical Links Project, a 2-year project that supports teachers conducting classroom research on the impact of arts education on learners. Ten teachers in Ohio are participating in this "action research" project, which will expand the research areas identified in the 2002 publication, Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development. Participants use the seven-step Critical Links Inquiry Process to investigate and share research findings on teaching and learning in the arts. The project's goal is to create a network of theatre educator learning communities and a Web-based index of best teaching practices based on the classroom research of the participating teachers. The teachers involved in the Ohio Critical Links Project meet periodically during the course of their research to share their progress in sessions led by Critical Links creators Dr. Pamela Paulson and Cheryll Ostrom.

In year two of the project, during the 2008-09 school year, the trained teacher-facilitators will form their own learning communities composed of educators within their school or district. The teacher-facilitators will counsel the new participating educators on how to conduct classroom action research, lead their learning community meetings, and work collaboratively with Dr. Paulson, Ms. Ostrom, and the EdTA staff to collect, organize, and disseminate the data gathered from the inquiry work.

For more information >

Ohio Voters Approve 61 Percent of School Funding Issues

According to the Ohio Department of Education, voters approved 61 percent of school funding issues on the November 4, 2008. This information is up to date as of November 6, 2008, but some changes may be made in the official tally. There were 236 issues on the ballot; 198 school districts had one issue on the ballot and 19 districts had two issues on the ballot; 144 were approved (61.02 percent) and 92 failed (38.98 percent). In November 2007 54 percent of school issues were approved. To see a historical summary of school funding election results visit the ODE website.

State Board of Education

The State Board of Education consists of 19 members. Eleven members are elected through nonpartisan elections to terms of 4 years and can serve two terms. Eight members are appointed by the governor to terms of four years that are also limited to two terms. Seven seats on the State Board of Education were contested on November 4, 2008, and new members were elected to six of the contested seats. Three of the current Board members were term limited and could not run again; one incumbent decided not to run; and one incumbent decided to run for the Ohio House. One member who had been appointed to fill an unexpired term in 2010 was defeated, and one incumbent running for a second term was defeated. One appointed member, Rob Hovis, was elected. Governor Strickland will appoint four members to the State Board of Education to 4-year terms that begin on January 1, 2009 and end on December 31, 2012.

The following are the newly elected members of the State Board of Education: District 1 - Ann Jacobs; District 5 - Robin C. Hovis; District 6 - Kristen McKinley; District 7 - Tammy A. O'Brien; District 9 - Michael Collins; District 10 -Jeffrey Hardin; and District 11 - Mary Rose Oakar.

Innovative Public School Programs Recognized

The Coalition for Public Education, Barbara Shaner chair, recognized four innovative and successful public school programs during the annual Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference. A news conference was held on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 to present the Recognition of Success in Public Schools awards to the schools. The following programs were recognized for their innovation, alignment to state standards, and involvement of students, educators, parents, and communities:

Rocky River City Schools

Implementing Field Work into Life Science/Biology Courses: “The Rocky River Mainstream River Study.”

• Biology teacher and project developer Ann Brokaw, Special teacher Megan Rose, students Will Kmetz, Izabella Buczkowski, and Megan Shaughnessy
  Based on sound science, this field study is utilized to empower students in their local, regional, and global environmental roles. Students participate in the field program/study in area metro parks and areas near the school to take an active role in their environment.

South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools (two programs combined for the award):

Expanding Global Language Opportunities and AVID (Advanced Via Individual Determination). District representatives and staff Veronica Motley, Bill Zelei, Kimberly Monachino, Audrey Walker, Dawn Hines, Hui-Ling Halderman, Andrea Walker, Dawn Hines, Theresa Lockhart.

• Students from the Global Language Opportunities program: Zach Chaikin, Beth Fry, and Frederick Knight.
  Expanding Global Language Opportunities is a district Chinese program that not only helps students learn another language, but to study and realize how learning a language such as Mandarin Chinese offers them a variety of different and interesting 21st century global opportunities.
• Students from AVID: Lamar Burns, Kierra Butts, and Ilan Volgershteyn
  AVID (Advanced Via Individual Determination) is an accelerated academic program that prepares students in grades 5-12 for a rigorous course of study by providing a strong, relevant writing and reading curriculum, assistance with study skills, organization and time management, and tutoring.

Toledo Public Schools

MicroSociety at Birmingham School

• Principal Barb Guthrie and teachers Angie Dalton, Kevin Dalton and Lynn Smith.
  The only one of its kind on Ohio, Birmingham runs its campus as a micro society, a research-based educational program that transforms classrooms by providing a real world context for academic learning. Students collaborate with parents, business volunteers and school staff members to create functioning small communities.
  At Birmingham, traditional academic subjects are studied during the school day, then applied “on the job” during MicroTime. Students assume management and employee responsibilities in a variety of business ventures, public agencies and non-profits where they apply technology, critically think through authentic crises, prepare and analyze budgets, resolve ethical issues and develop cultural sensitivities. Students elect a legislature to create laws, develop a court system to administer them and patrol the halls as Peacekeepers. The MicroSociety program facilitates the development of a unified, results-driven environment.

Warren County Career Center

Learning Lab Preschool Learning Lab. Preschool Director Kendra Murphy, Krista Lewis, a parent and teacher at Learning Lab Preschool, Early Childhood Education program students Kassie Schlake and Megan Deckard, Superintendent Maggie Hess

• Learning Lab Preschool is a public preschool for children 3-5 years of age that is affiliated with the Warren County Career Center Early Childhood Program. Students in the WCCC Early Childhood program learn in the classroom and then put what they learn into practice in the Learning Lab Preschool down the hall. They write individual lessons, even a whole day of program for the preschool then watch and participate as degreed teachers implement the lessons with children in the Learning Lab Preschool. Students graduate from WCCC with valuable hands on experience from working directly with children in the Learning Lab. The Learning Lab Preschool provides an inclusive environment serving typical developing children and children with special needs. This allows children to broaden their positive interactive experience which enhances their learning and development.

The Coalition for Public Education is a statewide alliance of education, parent, and civic organizations interested in improving public education for Ohio's children, and increasing accountability to taxpayers. Chair Barbara Shaner is with the Ohio Association of School Business Officials. Vice Chairs: Pat Frost-Brooks is with the Ohio Education Association, Rick Lewis is with the Ohio School Boards Association, Sue Taylor is with the Ohio Federation of Teachers and Debbie Tidwell is with the Ohio PTA; Treasurer Michelle Francis is with the Ohio School Boards Association.

Member organizations include Ohio PTA, League of Women Voters of Ohio, Ohio Association of School Business Officials, Ohio School Boards Association, Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Cleveland Teachers Union, Akron Education Association, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, Columbus Education Association, Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Toledo Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, Ohio Retired Teachers Association.

Impact Ohio Post-Election Conference

The 13th biennial “Impact Ohio Post-Election Conference” sponsored by The Success Group Ltd. was held on November 6, 2008 at the Columbus Convention Center. The conference provided legislative and political leaders, representatives from the media, and over 700 attendees an opportunity to learn more about the results of the November 4 election, and what might happen in the lame duck session of the Ohio General Assembly, the 128th Ohio General Assembly, and the 2010-2011 budget.

Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted and President of the Ohio Senate Bill Harris led off the conference. Speaker Husted highlighted the accomplishments of the Ohio House, including tax reform, support for technology and STEM, and the Third Frontier Initiative. He said that he was encouraged by the number of bills that have been jointly sponsored by Republicans and Democrats in the House. He also stated his intent to work with the new House leadership and focus on completing legislation already approved by the Ohio Senate during the last weeks of the 127th General Assembly.

President Harris expressed his intent to work with the Democratic controlled Ohio House next year on a job stimulus package, implementation of higher education’s 10-year strategic plan, continued support for the school facilities program, reform of primary and secondary education, development of a Medicaid computer system, and other priorities. He stated outright that the Senate would not support any effort to increase taxes, or place limitations on school choice for families in Ohio. During the lame duck session the Senate may clarify prevailing wage law in order to limit its expansion.

Members of a panel discussion on the Ohio budget used the terms “tumultuous” and “austere” to describe the national and state economies and the next biennial budget for Ohio. The panel included Senate Finance Chairman John Carey; Office of Budget and Management Director Pari Sabety; Representative Jay Hottinger, who is currently chair of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee; Senator Eric Kearney; and Representative Mike Skindell. All agreed that the next few years will be fiscally challenging. Pari Sabety reviewed the steps already taken by the Strickland administration to pass one of the lowest growth budgets in years, and keep it in balance. She noted that Ohio has also been able to maintain a high bond rating because it has lowered its debt load.

When panel members were asked what options were available to create additional revenue for the state, the responses were “grow the economy,” invest in the Third Frontier, and support higher education. Pari Sabety stated that this economic crisis differed from past recessions, because of the impact on the credit markets, and that the full effect of this economic crisis has not been felt yet. According to Sabety, in order to recover Ohio must remain true to its core priorities and make transformative decisions to address problems that have developed over the years. When asked about using the Rainy Day Fund, Sabety responded that determining the right time to use the funds was all important, because state economies, including Ohio's, generally lag behind a national recovery.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown was the keynote luncheon speaker, and spoke about the upcoming lame duck session of Congress. He will be working to pass an economic stimulus package already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, and hopes that President Bush will support this effort. This package will provide funds to support infrastructure projects, Medicaid, and the SCHIP program. Senator Brown also highlighted the accomplishments of some of the innovative industries and research centers that are based in Ohio.

A panel discussion about the election results was held in the afternoon with panel members Representative Kevin DeWine, Deputy Chair of the Republican Party; Curt Steiner, Government Affairs OSU; Representative Chris Redfern, Chair of the Democratic Party; and Denny Eckart, President, North Shore Associates, LLC.

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State News

Report on Funding Reform

At the SBE Meeting, November 11, 2008, the SBE School Funding Subcommittee, chaired by Virgil Brown, Jr., presented a draft document called “An Integrated Approach to School Funding Reform in Ohio” (version 5.3). Virgil Brown informed the State Board that the subcommittee had been working on this project for several months, but that this work is “not school funding for all time” and does not include recommendations about tax policies and other issues that are beyond the SBE’s authority. Work needs to continue on several school funding issues.

Barb Mattei-Smith, Associate Director for Funding and Fiscal Services, presented an overview of the report’s recommendations, which were developed based on the board’s vision document and support the goals of teaching students 21st century knowledge and skills, effectively delivering support for a high-quality education, and providing sufficient resources that are effectively managed. The report is organized under three headings: Sufficient Funding to Meet Student Needs, Predictability and Stability, and Efficiency and Accountability. The estimated cost of the proposed changes in Ohio’s school funding system is an additional $982.9 million for a total of $7,438,859,124, based on a model for FY2008.

Sufficient Funding to Meet Student Needs

The following components are included under this heading:

• Base cost of $5,803. The subcommittee determined a base cost using a “best buy” method, which is based on an analysis of the expenditures of 65 “gap aid” districts. These districts were selected because they are low spending districts, but are rated either effective or excellent and meet at least 19 state performance indicators. “Gap aid” districts are school districts that have limited discretionary funds.
• Building Blocks. $56.33 per pupil was added to the base cost to support intervention, professional development, and data-based decision making.
• Additional Building Blocks. $73 per pupil was added to the base cost to support school improvement, support for a 21st century curriculum, and data management support. These are new building blocks.
• Supplemental Funding. Additional funds to meet the needs of certain students were included through weighted formulas and other formula changes. Included in this category are students in special education programs, economically disadvantaged students (new identification and tiered base weights), students in gifted education programs (new weights), students with limited English proficiency (new), preschool special education programs (updated salary schedule), and students in all-day Kindergarten programs (expanded PBA).
• Equity Funding. The parity aid target mills was increased to 9.5 mills.
• Guarantees and protection mechanisms. Transitional aid should be set at 95 percent of the prior year’s level.

The subcommittee did not include recommendations for preschool education for nondisabled students, because the School Readiness Solutions Implementation Group has developed those recommendations.

Predictability and Stability

Improve Funding Certainty. To improve the predictability and stability of the school funding system school districts must know their budgets before the year begins.

State Allocations. The report recommends that the state allocation to a school district be based on the October average daily membership (ADM) from the prior year unless the ADM measured in October of the current year grows by more than 2 percent. Guarantees must also have definite ending dates.

Local Contribution. Several recommendations are proposed regarding the local contribution, which includes inside mills, the charge-off in the school funding formula, and local property taxes and income taxes for schools.

First, additional inside mills would be authorized up to one percent of true value, which is the stated allowance in the constitution. A cap would be placed on the number of operating mills that could be placed on the ballot at one time, but a cap would not be placed on the total revenue that can be raised. Regional strategies to generate revenue would be promoted, such as single or multicounty sales taxes or regional property tax, and school districts would also be allowed to levy impact fees. A circuit-breaker feature to cap an individual’s property tax liability based on personal income could also be developed as a fairer way to target assistance to those who need help paying increased property taxes.

According to the report, the subcommittee avoided ideas that would require amending the constitution.

Shared Funding System. The subcommittee also recommended continuing the use of the foundation type school funding formula, although more work is needed to evaluate how the local contribution, known as the charge-off is determined, and how to achieve a balance between tax effort and capacity. The subcommittee believes that the school funding mechanism should act in “harmony” with other laws, so that unintended consequences, such as phantom revenue and gap aid districts, are not created.

Defining the State Contribution. The subcommittee recommends earmarking 70 percent of the Commercial Activity Tax for education and exploring strategies that earmark revenue sources for education to ensure that education is a priority in the state budget.

Efficiency and Accountability

The subcommittee believes that all school districts should strive for continuous improvement and align academic improvement with financial forecasting. Foundation funds should be included in the consolidated improvement planning system (CCIP), just as Poverty-Based Assistance has been included, and the CCIP should also be linked to the 5-year forecasts. Better measures should also be developed to link building-level needs and expenditures, and meaningful rewards and consequences should be developed based on the knowledge gained from the Ohio Improvement Process.

Board member Jennifer Stewart suggested that more information be included about how the per pupil funds for the additional building blocks were determined. The subcommittee agreed to make some corrections, add some sentences proposed by Ann Womer Benjamin and the items suggested by Jennifer Stewart, and present the report to the full board in December 2008 for approval.

For information about the School Funding Subcommittee visit the ODE website.

New Requirement for Pupil Activities Applications from ODE

Governor Ted Strickland signed House Bill 190 into law on Wednesday, November 14. This bill goes into effect immediately. All Pupil Activity applications received by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) after 11/18/08 require both a current BCII and FBI fingerprint results. Updated applications reflecting this law will be available for download on the ODE website.

Series on the Arts in Ohio’s Schools

A series on arts education in Ohio’s schools by Sandra M. Klepach and Michael C. Butz was featured in The News-Herald on November 9-11, 2008.

The first article, “Art Ties in Everything,” describes the status of arts education in several school districts in Northern Ohio and how the stability of school district budgets determine student access to arts education.

The article on Monday, November 10, 2008 called “Scores Show Arts Boost Academics” highlights the effects of arts education on overall student achievement. According to Edie Mellen, chair of Euclid High School’s art department, “You cut out the arts, you’re cutting out creativity. My goodness, what is this world going to be then—if you don't know how to enjoy anything or be imaginative?”

The third article, “Economics Painting Future,” describes the role of the arts in the economic development and future of Ohio’s economy. According to reports prepared by Americans for the Arts, Ohio’s economy is strengthened by the 17,000 plus arts-related businesses.

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