Wednesday June 3, 2009
WHAT’S UP WITH SCHOOL FUNDING Volume 7, Issue 7
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1. EDUCATION VOTERS UPDATE
2. STATE BUDGET UPDATE
3. WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION ON EDUCATION REFORM PLAN
4. POLICY MATTERS REPORT ON COLLABORATION
5. SCHOOL FUNDING MATTERS REVIEW OF WEIGHTED STUDENT FUNDING
6. CLEVELAND’S GRADUATION RATE DROPS
7. WASHINGTON STATE: K-12 OVERHAUL WITH 8-YEAR PHASE-IN
8. THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN IN AMERICA
9. WILL WE REALLY?
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1. EDUCATION VOTERS UPDATE
Education Voters Institute of Ohio is proud to announce our support for the public education reforms outlined in Substitute House Bill 1 — the biennial budget containing the education reform package outlined by Governor Ted Strickland. Our endorsement comes just as we’ve concluded a year-long, 17-city Listening Tour in which many of you participated.
This plan represents an opportunity to transform our system of public schools, so that all children, regardless of their zip code, are provided with a high-quality education that is fairly funded. The education reform plan outlined in Sub. HB1 would advance many of the goals that we at Education Voters believe will help Ohio improve access to pre-kindergarten, create a more student-focused school environment, establish meaningful state-wide assessments, and improve access to affordable, quality post-secondary education.
This legislation is now being debated in the Ohio Senate, and Education Voters of Ohio encourages the Senators and the citizens of Ohio to support the education reforms of the bill. We applaud the hard work and dedication shown by Governor Strickland and the members of the Ohio House in their development of a visionary education reform plan that will set the stage for student success and Ohio’s economic prosperity. We’ll bring you updates as this legislation moves forward.
Yesterday, Education Voters of Ohio also submitted a public records request to Senator Jon Husted, asking for the evidence that the Senate used to craft the Senate education plan. The request follows comments published in the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday, where Senator Husted is quoted as saying, “From our view of the research, evidence suggests that when the money follows the child, you have a more accountable system.” The Senate plan rejects the Governor’s proposed evidence-based approach and instead substitutes the per-pupil approach to school funding.
“As an organization committed to including the public in the debate over school funding and education reform, we are making a formal request for all the research the Senate used to develop the school funding plan in its version of HB 1,” wrote Julian Rogers, Education Voters of Ohio’s executive director. The letter went on to say, “We would like to share this information with concerned citizens throughout the state so that they can be more informed advocates for public education within their respective communities.”
To read more, visit: http://edvotersofohio.org/
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2. STATE BUDGET UPDATE
Last Friday the Ohio Senate released a budget plan for FY 2010-11. In the Senate version of the budget, $650 million was cut, including the new evidence-based school funding model put forth by Governor Strickland. Arguing that the school-funding proposal by Strickland and House Democrats is “fundamentally flawed” and unsustainable over its 10-year phase-in, the Senate plan would return to a per-pupil funding method, giving most districts funding increases of 0.25 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, over two years. The Senate plan also keeps spending at the current level for charter schools, which were significantly cut in the Governor’s proposal.
Nearly all other state agencies were flat-funded or face budget cuts in fiscal 2010 and ‘11. Plus, 139 earmarks for specific projects and 34 proposed fee increases were eliminated from the budget passed by the House.
The Senate is expected to approve its version of the budget next week, leaving the rest of June for a conference committee of Senate and House members to come up with a compromise spending plan for Governor Strickland to sign before the July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
5/30 Cleveland Plain Dealer
Senate plan
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1243672215145870.xml&coll=2
5/30 Akron Beacon Journal
GOP senators toss out chance to fix school funding
http://www.ohio.com/news/46551262.html
5/30 Dayton Daily News
Senate GOP rescues charter schools in budget proposal
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/senate-gop-rescues-charter-schools-in-budget-proposal-140093.html
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3. WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION ON EDUCATION REFORM PLAN
Governor Strickland continues his efforts to build support for his education reform plan. His website http://www.conversationoneducation.org/ is continually being updated with information about his plan to reform Ohio’s education system. Visitors to the website can also view a weekly video address, find out about education-related events, including dates and times for House and Senate sessions, and sign up to receive updates by email.
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4. POLICY MATTERS REPORT ON COLLABORATION
Policy Matters Ohio recently released a report called “Leaders at Many Levels: Improving Schools Through Collaboration in Ohio”. The report is based on information gathered from interviews with 37 teachers and administrators from 18 school districts engaged in the Ohio Improvement Process, which began as a pilot in the 2007-08 school year.
A majority of respondents gave the Ohio Improvement Process high marks, saying it helped them focus efforts and brought administrators, teachers and others to the table to prioritize efforts. Educators in the state’s five largest urban districts, on the other hand, expressed more negative views, saying it often duplicated existing district-level efforts.
“We recommend that the state provide the resources and time teachers need to work together to plan lessons, engage in shared learning, and take on leadership roles,” said Piet van Lier, Policy Matters senior researcher and author of this report.
To read the report, visit: http://www.policymattersohio.org/LeadersAtManyLevels.htm
(Summary excerpted from Policy Matters Ohio)
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5. SCHOOL FUNDING MATTERS REVIEW OF WEIGHTED STUDENT FUNDING
The weighted student funding approach, as outlined in the 2008 report from the Fordham Foundation “Fund the Child: Bringing Equity, Autonomy, and Portability to Ohio School Finance”, allows funding to follow students to any school they choose to attend.
A recent analysis by School Funding Matters, entitled “Models for Ohio School Funding: Comparing the Evidence-Based Approach with Weighted Student Funding”, compares that approach with the evidence-based model at the heart of the plan approved by the Ohio House.
The review finds that the weighted student funding model sets out how to distribute dollars to schools but has no mechanism for determining how much funding is needed. Unlike the evidence-based approach, which relies on research into effective education strategies to set spending levels, this model of weighted student funding provides no guidance in how to ensure resources are adequate and directed to activities that improve student achievement.
To read more, visit:
http://www.schoolfundingmatters.org/content/Weightedstudentfunding.aspx
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6. CLEVELAND’S GRADUATION RATE DROPS
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s graduation rate tumbled from just under 62 percent to less than 54 percent last school year, according to the Ohio Department of Education. The decrease, which will be reflected on the schools’ next state report card, ends an eight-year period in which the rate nearly doubled.
The drop in Cleveland’s graduation rate comes as rates rise across the country and is an aberration for Ohio’s eight largest urban systems. Six others saw their percentages climb in 2007-08, while Toledo slipped by one point. Cleveland’s graduation rate is the lowest in the state among big-city districts. The others range from 72.8 percent in Youngstown to 86.6 percent in Toledo.
To read the article, visit:
5/22 Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland battling drop in grads
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/124298127896670.xml&coll=2
5/28 America’s Promise Alliance
America’s Promise Alliance Holds Summit in Cleveland
http://www.americaspromise.org/News-and-Events/News-and-Features/APB-2009-19/Cleveland-Summit.aspx
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7. WASHINGTON STATE: K-12 OVERHAUL WITH 8-YEAR PHASE-IN
Lawmakers in Washington state have passed a bill designed to overhaul the public education system by 2018 and redefine “basic education” for the first time since 1979. Over a period of eight years, starting in 2011, House Bill 2261 would enact these steps:
-Increase the number of high school credits needed to graduate from 19 to 24;
-Provide all-day kindergarten for all children;
-Extend the school year by 80 hours for grades 7-12;
-Increase the number of teacher professional-development days;
-Establish a new data system to track student and teacher performance; and
-Set up working groups to examine new mechanisms for distributing funds to school districts, as well as plans for performance-based compensation for teachers.
A state senator, also a member of the Basic Education Finance Task Force, estimated that it would require an extra $3 billion in education spending per year. The eight-year implementation period would help lawmakers find the means to fund the bill, another Washington State Senator said. ”There’s a lot of claims about false promise and unfunded dreams, but the reality is we took a very pragmatic approach to how we would phase in these changes,” he said, “We’ve got four years to figure out how to pay for the bill.” He also pointed out that although work on the overhaul would start in 2011, it would not have to be fully funded until 2018, the year it would be implemented.
The bill passed the Senate by a 26-23 vote, and the House voted to concur with Senate amendments and passed the bill by a 67-31 vote. The bill is awaiting the signature of Governor, who is expected to support it.
To read a related article, visit:
5/20 Education Week
Washington State Moves Toward K-12 Ed. Overhaul
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/05/20/32washington.h28.html?tkn=RZRF2LQz7dw5PRsYcXFQ2KF%2BZLj4rodRMBIS
(Summary courtesy of CORAS, http://www.coras.org)
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8. THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN IN AMERICA
The Schott Foundation for Public Education recently released a report called “Lost Opportunity: A 50-State Report on the Opportunity to Learn in America.” The report provides a state-by-state (and District of Columbia) comparison of academic proficiency of students’ using 8th-grade NAEP scores in reading, and access to high-performing schools using an Opportunity to Learn Index developed by the Schott Foundation.
According to the report, students from historically disadvantaged groups have just a 51 percent Opportunity to Learn when compared to White, non-Latino students, as measured by the Schott index.
Ohio ranked 16th, compared to other states, earning a moderate proficiency but low access rating. Ohio’s Opportunity to Learn Index Score was 26 percent, giving Ohio a ranking of 49th compared to other states. The percentage of students in Ohio at the national proficiency level or above was 36 percent, which was a tie for 10th place. The following are the core resource rankings for Ohio: High Quality Early Childhood Education – 37th; highly qualified teachers – 41st; instructional materials – 23rd; and college preparatory curriculum 5th.
The report is available at http://www.schottfoundation.org/
(Summary excerpted from the 5-26-09 LWVO Education Update from Joan Platz)
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9. WILL WE REALLY?
A few months ago we told you about a web-based national petition organized by the Forum for Education and Democracy to elevate the needs of young people and public schools during Obama’s first 100 days (and beyond). Many of you visited the website http://www.willwereally.com, watched a short video, and signed the petition.
We’re happy to let you know that on April 30, as President Obama marked his 100th day in office, the names and personal messages of 14,284 supporters were hand-delivered to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, more than 140 new supporters a day for every day Mr. Obama has been in office.
“The success of this campaign further reinforces our belief that someone in Washington must work to provide a clear, provocative, insistent and persuasive voice for a system of American public education that is of, by, and for the people,” said Deborah Meier, one of The Forum’s fourteen Conveners.
To learn more, visit: http://www.willwereally.com/
