Over the course of the next two months our Governor will be taking the conversation about how to improve Ohio’s schools to towns around the state, directly soliciting feedback from educators and community members about his vision for reforming the state’s public education system. And you have the opportunity to watch this dialogue in action.

During November and December, Gov. Ted Strickland (D) plans to host six forums around the state to discuss school funding with teachers, students, parents, and members of the business community.  These forums will be available for viewing on local PBS affiliates, as well as online and viewing parties will be organized around the state.

Throughout the summer Gov. Strickland held meetings around the state to discuss principles of education reform.  Now he wants to talk about how to fund that kind of reform.  Be sure to tune in to find out what fellow Ohio residents are saying about the best way to improve our schools and serve our children.

Here is the full list of forums:

Thursday, November 20th

FRANKLIN COUNTY
WHAT:              Governor’s Conversation on Education

WHEN:               4:30-6:00 PM

WHERE:            WOSU Studio at COSI

333 W. Broad St.

Columbus, OH 43215

Thursday, December 11th

CUYAHOGA COUNTY
WHAT:              Governor’s Conversation on Education

WHEN:               4:30-6:00 PM

WHERE:            WCPN Studio

1375 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44115

Friday, December 12th

LUCAS COUNTY

WHAT:               Governor’s Conversation on Education

WHEN:                4:30-6:00 PM

WHERE:             WGTE Public Media

1270 S. Detroit Ave.

Toledo, OH 43614
Thursday, December 18th

RICHLAND COUNTY
WHAT:              Governor’s Conversation on Education

WHEN:               4:30-6:00 PM

WHERE:            Ohio State University Mansfield Campus

Ovalwood Hall, Founders Auditorium

1680 University Dr.

Mansfield, OH 44906

Friday, December 19th

HAMILTON COUNTY
WHAT:               Governor’s Conversation on Education

WHEN:                4:30-6:00 PM

WHERE:             CET Studio

1223 Central Parkway

Cincinnati, OH 45214

Saturday, December 20th

ATHENS COUNTY
WHAT:                Governor’s Conversation on Education

WHEN:                2:30-4:00 PM

WHERE:             WOUB Center for Public Media
5^th Floor Television Studio A

9 S. College St.

Athens, OH 45701

Click here to read more and find watch parties in your area.

Scott Stephens

Plain Dealer Columnist

Gov. Ted Strickland begins a summer tour this week that will take him to 12 regions of the state in seven weeks. The purpose: To get feedback and build support for the education reform plan he laid out in his State of the State address earlier this year.

The 12 regional town hall meetings are invitation-only events. Those left out can catch the 90-minute shows streamed live on the Web and on local public broadcasting stations.

The governor’s office is also encouraging educators and other interested people to hold “watch parties” in which folks gather at someone’s house to view the events.

The tour kicks off today in Columbus before winding over to Akron on Wednesday. There Strickland will host a forum beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Akron North High School.

A forum in Cleveland is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Strickland’s six-point education reform plan includes concepts such as personalizing education, fixing the state’s school-funding system and preparing students for the modern job market. The governor plans to deliver an education reform proposal to the legislature next year.

For more information on the regional forums, visit conversationoneducation.org.

Rally:

Members of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees and concerned members of the community are planning to rally today at the Madison Board of Education to protest the Lake County school district’s decision to privatize school bus service.

The board recently decided to hire Com munity Bus Service of Youngstown to handle hauling students to and from school. Board members say their decision will save the district $1.5 million over five years.

The break with union drivers occurred just as their contract with the district expired, but before negotiations on a new contract could begin.

The episode has angered U.S. Rep. Stephen LaTourette, Republican of Bainbridge Township, who publicly blasted the school board last week.

One of the dangers of privatizing school bus service came to light last school year, when it was revealed that some Ohio school districts that had hired outside transportation firms had little or no control over whether driver background checks had been done.

Today’s rally takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. at the district offices on North Ridge Road.

Ed poll:

Education remains a top issue with most Americans, and the majority believe that every child should be given a good shot at getting one, according to a new poll.

But the survey, commissioned by Education Voters, also found that most people are unclear about the role of elected officials in improving education.

Education Voters is a national group that lobbies for education reform in specific states, including Ohio. The survey is posted on the group’s Web site, edvotersinstitute.org.

by Scott Stephen
Cleveland Plain Dealer

BEREA — School funding, Ohio’s longest-running drama, is going on the road.

This summer and fall, two grassroots groups are joining forces to stage forums throughout the state to hear from people normally shut out of Columbus policy discussions.

Tuesday night, more than 50 people parents, teachers, activists and elected officials, including State Board of Education member John Bender, squeezed into a Berea High School classroom and had a freewheeling discussion that ranged from testing to taxes.

The common theme: Ohio needs a fair and equitable way to pay for public education.

“Our view is that the more folks who participate, the better,” said Debbie Phillips, executive director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign.

The campaign, which has pushed for change in the way Ohio funds schools, is sponsoring the forum with another group, the Ohio chapter of Education Voters. The latter, which operates in five states, is devoted to making sure education issues are a priority in the legislature.

The endgame: They will put what they learn at the forums in writing and hand it to Gov. Ted Strickland, who is expected to fashion his own legislative agenda.

Strickland, a first-term Democrat, has said his legacy will be defined by his success or failure in fixing the states school-funding system. The Ohio Supreme Court four times found the system unconstitutional because of an over-reliance on local property taxes.

Strickland has said he plans to have a new school-funding plan in 2009.

Tuesday night’s meeting followed similar forums in Zanesville, Dublin and New Lexington. Organizers are hearing the same messages from taxpayers at each forum.

“People seem to be willing to make an investment in education,” said Julian Rogers, executive director of Education Voters of Ohio. “But they want to know that their investment will pay dividends.”

The purpose of the listening tour is to provide an opportunity to have thoughtfully structured conversations with local people about public education in Ohio. It provides an opportunity to hear from those who are often absent from policy discussions, to assist in framing a remedy for Ohio’s school funding problems. The sessions also serve to raise awareness of the needs in our public schools and build demand for a realistic system that provides educational opportunities to all Ohio children. The listening tour seeks to meet the following goals:

• Gather input and concerns from people on education reform and funding to share with the Governor’s office
• Provide an opportunity for policymakers to listen to local people
• Build common understanding of the challenges facing education, and move toward a shared vision

Tour Dates and Locations

Tuesday, August 19th
Hudson Forum
Hudson High School
7-8:30 pm

Wednesday, August 20th
Norwalk Forum
Norwalk Library
6:30-8:00 pm

Monday, August 25th
Painesville Forum
Morley Library
6:30-8:00 pm

Monday, September 29th
Dayton Forum
Christ Episcopal Church
6:00-7:30 pm

Flyers

Click on a link below to download a flyer for the following locations:

• Nelsonville - Public Education Listening Forum Flyer
  
• Norwalk - Public Education Listening Forum Flyer
  
• Hudson - Public Education Listening Forum Flyer

by Scott Stephens
Cleveland Plain Dealer

School’s out for the summer, but more than 300 educators, business chiefs, community leaders and parents will begin comparing notes today in a first-of-its-kind statewide summit on improving public education.

The invitation-only, three-day event, which ends Saturday, is being grandly billed as “the Governor’s Institute for Creativity & Innovation in Education.” But its purpose is plain: Identify what works in Ohio classrooms, and figure out how to replicate it.

“All of the people participating have, to a certain extent, acted as change agents in their respective communities,” said Keith Dailey, spokesman for Gov. Ted Strickland.

One of those people is Jim Mahoney, executive director of Battelle for Kids, a Columbus-based not-for-profit group that helps educators accelerate student progress.

While much of the groups’ reform effort has been data-driven, Mahoney said creativity and innovation are equally important.

“It isn’t about who gets highest test scores,” Mahoney said. “Ultimately, students have to have the kind of skills important in the marketplace.”

Another participant, William Wendling said he is hopeful the conference will address two of his areas of interest: Urban education and the community’s role in education.

Wendling is executive director of the Ohio 8, a coalition of the state’s eight big-city superintendents and teacher union presidents. He is also involved in establishing what will be Cuyahoga County’s first “P-16 council,” groups that help the education system work together seamlessly from preschool through college.

“The idea is that this is a communitywide effort,” Wendling said. “It shouldn’t be confined to the schoolhouse.”

Not everyone is hopeful about the governor’s event. In his group’s newsletter, Chester Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said Ohio was going “squishy.”

While praising the state’s push to establish special science, technology, engineering and math academies, he said state officials should be more “hard-nosed” about education.

“Ohio’s Ted Strickland has invited several hundred Ohioans to a fiesta of education psychobabble, full of every loopy idea ever encountered in this field and as lacking in teeth as a 3-month-old,” Finn wrote.

Whether innovation or psychobabble, the event kicks off today with an address from John Stanford, Strickland’s top education adviser. The day ends with a cookout at Strickland’s home.

Friday and Saturday will feature group sessions. Strickland will conclude the event with an address Saturday afternoon.