Wednesday, May 28, 2009
WHAT’S UP WITH SCHOOL FUNDING Volume 7, Issue 6
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1. EDUCATION VOTERS UPDATE
2. UPDATE ON OH SENATE DEBATE OF THE EDUCATION REFORM PLAN
3. OHIO’S BUDGET SHORTFALL
4. SCHOOL FUNDING MATTERS – PERSPECTIVE ON HOUSE FUNDING PLAN
5. MAY 5 ELECTION RESULTS
6. URBAN PASTORS URGE SCHOOL FUNDING FIX
7. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT TO RESIGN IN JUNE
8. MILLIONS IN STATE MONEY NEEDED TO FIX SHODDY WORK
9. CLEVELAND SCHOOLS PLAN TO CUT $22 MILLION
10. BUILDING A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION WORKFORCE
11. TEACHER MERIT PAY PROGRAMS
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1. EDUCATION VOTERS UPDATE
Representatives of the Education Consortium, an informal coalition of the major state-wide public education affiliated organizations which includes Education Voters of Ohio, met with Senate President Bill Harris and Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee Chairman John Carey to discuss Senate debate of the House version of the Education Reform Plan outlined in Sub. HB 1. Members of the Consortium expressed gratitude for the work that the Senate has done in the past to address disparities in public school funding but also urged the Senators to strongly consider the changes made by the House to the Education Reform Plan introduced by Governor Strickland. Specifically, the members of the Consortium asked the Senators to consider the following elements for a permanent and comprehensive school funding solution for Ohio:
1. An enforceable state guarantee that all Ohio public school students have an opportunity to receive a high quality, 21st century education.
2. An objective process that delineates and defines all the essential elements of a high quality 21st century education, determines their cost, and guarantees the level of public investment sufficient to fund them.
3. A required district revenue contribution that grows with inflation, as part of a local/state funding system that guarantees sufficient human and financial resources necessary to provide a high quality, 21st century education for all public school students.
4. A reliable system that provides for continuous assessment of, and necessary adjustments to, education priorities and investment levels while maintaining essential current programming and effective accountability.
5. A sufficiently funded regional or intermediary support system structured to deliver high quality education programs and services efficiently and effectively to school districts unable to provide those programs and services on their own.
We believe that the Education Reform Plan that has been revised by the Ohio House of Representative and supported by Governor Strickland represents a huge step in the right direction for truly reforming Ohio’s system of public education and creating a system that will provide our students with the 21Century education that the need and deserve. While the plan is not perfect, it contains the elements needed and provides the framework to build a system of the highest quality in the United States.
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2. UPDATE ON OH SENATE DEBATE OF THE EDUCATION REFORM PLAN
This week the Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, chaired by Senator Carey continues to hear testimony on Am. Sub. HB1 (Sykes), the FY10-11 budget. Last week several education organizations presented testimony to the Ohio Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Cates, and the Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, chaired by Senator Carey, regarding the education provisions included in Sub. HB 1 (Sykes), the FY10-11 budget bill. As senators debate the education reform plan put forth by Governor Strickland and the Ohio House, which is included in the state budget bill, Sen. Carey has stated that significant changes to the plan are likely. Meanwhile, Governor Strickland is asking for support of his “evidence-based” education plan, including public appearances, endorsements from education groups and video messages posted on YouTube and his education website.
To read related articles, visit:
5/15 Columbus Dispatch
Governor, Senate on collision course
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/15/edbudget15.ART_ART_05-15-09_B1_OODS9CE.html?sid=101
5/10 Columbus Dispatch
Ease of school funding oversold
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/10/copy/edbudget08.ART_ART_05-10-09_A1_1TDQJO2.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
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3. OHIO’S BUDGET SHORTFALL
In the last week, newspapers across the state have reported a bleak outlook for Ohio’s budget, including a $600 – $900 million shortfall in the FY09 budget. According to the Springfield News Sun (May 11, 2009), J. Pari Sabety, director of the Office of Budget and Management, has told Governor Strickland that $98.8 million in agency savings and $52 million from restructuring some debt payments for FY09 for the Ohio Public Facilities Commission will be used to reduce the first $150 million of the projected $600 – $900 million shortfall in the FY09 budget. The rainy day fund will be used to reduce the remainder of the deficit. The savings are a result of Governor Strickland’s executive order issued on April 22, 2009. As a result, the Office of Budget and Management found savings through encumbrances, limits on travel, allotment control, and procurement and contracting. On May 5, 2009 Director Sabety and Tax Commission Rich Levin announced the shortfall after April’s tax revenues came in under estimates.
To read related articles, visit:
5/11 Governor: Agency savings will help reduce debt
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/governor-agency-savings-will-help-reduce-debt-115716.html?printArticle=y
5/9 Akron Beacon Journal
Budget mess is big headache in Columbus
http://www.ohio.com/news/44643722.html
(Summary courtesy of Joan Platz, LWVO Weekly Education Update for 5-18-09)
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4. SCHOOL FUNDING MATTERS – PERSPECTIVE ON HOUSE FUNDING PLAN
Now that Gov. Ted Strickland’s education plan has made its way to the Senate, School Funding Matters has taken a closer look at the changes to the original proposal made in the House and offers perspective about what is good, what needs improvement and what requires more study. To read more, visit: http://www.schoolfundingmatters.org/content/Houseplanreview.aspx
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5. MAY 5 ELECTION RESULTS
The passage rate for the May 5, 2009 election was 66 percent for all types of
ballot issues for school districts. There were 158 school issues on the ballot, and 104 of them were approved.
According to the historical data for May elections, the passage rate for this year was higher than the May 2007 election (rate of 54%) and the five year history of primary elections (also 54%).
This information is available at the ODE website at
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6. URBAN PASTORS URGE SCHOOL FUNDING FIX
Last week, clergy from Columbus, Dayton and Lorain called on state leaders to fix the school-funding system, saying “the elected officials have a moral obligation to ensure that students in poor communities have the same opportunities as those living in wealthier areas.” The Columbus Dispatch reported that Sam Gresham, co-chairman of Faith Vote Columbus, a coalition of churches, neighborhood organizations and labor unions, said, “Our over-reliance on property taxes has left too many students, especially in urban and rural districts, with an inadequate education.” The Reverend Sherry Gale, of Grace United Methodist Church in Dayton, said urban and rural children must be given the same opportunities as suburban youngsters. “The clearest path out of poverty is a quality education. It is a human tragedy and moral failure that those who will most benefit from education, have the least access,” she said.
To read the article, visit:
Fix school funding, urban pastors urge
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/06/clergy06.html?sid=101
(Summary courtesy of CORAS, http://www.coras.org)
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7. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT TO RESIGN IN JUNE
Jennifer Sheets, longtime president of the State Board of Education, announced that she will resign in June. Sheets was appointed to the State Board in 1995 and was recently elected by board members to a fifth term as president. She is one of eight appointed members of the state board, while 11 others are elected to represent various regions of the state. The governor said he has not yet considered whom he will appoint to replace Sheets. The 19-member panel is expected to elect a new president at its June meeting.
To read the article, visit:
State school-board president to resign in June
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/12/copy/jenny.ART_ART_05-12-09_B3_87DR7BL.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
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8. MILLIONS IN STATE MONEY NEEDED TO FIX SHODDY WORK
“The state is preparing to spend several million dollars to correct shoddy work done by a masonry company that helped build a middle school and high school in Wellston in southern Ohio.”
“Severe deficiencies,” including cracks in the walls of the schools and insulation that was haphazardly installed in some areas and not installed in others, are among the problems caused by the masonry company’s failure to follow the project’s plans and specifications, said spokesman Rick Savors and district Superintendent Lee Kaple.”
To read the article, visit:
Ohio to pay millions to fix shoddy work on new schools
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/10/copy/wellstonschool.ART_ART_05-10-09_B3_07DQKN5.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
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9. CLEVELAND SCHOOLS PLAN TO CUT $22 MILLION
The Cleveland school district intends to eliminate a $22 million deficit from its next budget without laying off a single teacher. Chief Executive Eugene Sanders plans to cut $8 million, by laying off a campus administrator and three assistant principals and making cuts to central-office spending that doesn’t involve personnel.
Paying 200 “seasoned” teachers with a projected allocation of federal stimulus money and hiring replacements at lower salaries would close the rest of the gap. As long as the “seasoned” teachers agree to retire or resign at the end of two years, when the stimulus money is gone.
To read the article, visit:
Cleveland school district plans to cut $22-million deficit without layoffs
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1242203605199160.xml&coll=2
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10. BUILDING A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION WORKFORCE
Recognizing the critical role teachers and principals play in producing students who are highly skilled and able to compete in a global economy, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) released a new report aimed at helping governors attract and retain the most effective educators. The report entitled, Building a High-Quality Education Workforce, A Governor’s Guide to Human Capital Development outlines ways in which the nation’s governors should promote a higher-quality educator workforce. Visit, http://www.nga.org, to read the press release, view the news conference and for a link to the report.
To read a related article, visit:
5/11 Philadelphia Bulletin
Governors Report Shows Teacher Quality Lacking
http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/05/12/news/local_state/doc4a08f9993a260577011223.txt
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11. TEACHER MERIT PAY PROGRAMS
The Washington Post recently reported that President Obama is seeking to add hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher merit pay programs. The budget would increase the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which awards grants to school districts to develop performance-pay programs, to $517.3 million in fiscal 2010, up from $97.3 million in the current year. Education Week said the increase would include $30 million for a national teacher-recruitment campaign. That would be on top of a $200 million one-time increase in the stimulus measure.
A National Education Association spokesperson said that instead of the bigger increase for TIF, the union would prefer to see an increase for the Improving Teacher Quality State grants. Other advocates for education redesign question whether the funding increases for TIF would improve student outcomes.
To read the the Washington Post article, visit:
Budget Outlines Funding for Teacher Merit Pay Programs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050703786.html?sub=AR
A book published last week by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) entitled “Teachers, Performance Pay, and Accountability, What Education Should Learn From Other Sectors.” argues, “merit-pay compensation plans are rarely used in the private sector and can sometimes bring about unintended negative consequences.” EPI researchers point out that such pay plans are less common in the private sector than their proponents sometimes claim and that only one in seven workers in the private sector is covered by bonus or merit-pay plans. Moreover, the report says, research on the private sectors’ experiences with pay-for-performance schemes suggests that they sometimes yield unproductive results. These findings are contrary to what some politicians and others have been saying.
To read the press release, visit: http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/books-teachers_performance_pay_and_accountability/
(Summary courtesy of CORAS, http://www.coras.org)
