Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Education Update May 14, 2012

Joan Platz

1)  129th Ohio General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate will hold 

hearings and sessions this week.

*Ohio House is Back to 99 Members:  Kevin Boyce, former State 

Treasurer and Columbus City Council member, was sworn-in on May 9, 

2012 to serve the current 27th House District, replacing 

Representative Carlton Weddington, who resigned in March. With this 

appointment the Ohio House is back to its full 99 members.

*Update on Pension Plans:  Four bills have been introduced in the 

Ohio Senate to change Ohio's pension systems.  The bills are SB340 

(Niehaus/Kearney), Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund; SB341 

(Niehaus/Kearney), School Employees Retirement System; SB342 

(Niehaus/Kearney), State Teachers Retirement System; and SB343 

(Niehaus/Kearney), Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. 

Discussions continue on the legislative changes in store for the 

Highway Patrol Retirement System.  Hearings on the bills are being 

held in the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee, chaired 

by Senator Kevin Bacon.

2)  News from Washington, D.C.

*More Action on the National Budget:  The U.S. House Committee on the 

Budget, chaired by Representative Paul Ryan, reported HR4966 the 

Sequester Replacement Act of 2012 on May 7, 2012.  According to the 

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this bill and HCR112 

(approved on March 29, 2012) stop across the board automatic federal 

spending cuts that would go into effect in January 2013. The 

automatic cuts, referred to as sequestration, were included in the 

Budget Control Act (BCA) approved in August 2011, and go into effect 

if Congress fails to reduce the federal budget by $1.2 trillion.

Instead, HR4966 and HCR112 abandon the BCA plan in FY13 for defense 

and non-defense discretionary funding; maintain sequestration for 

Medicare and some mandatory programs; and reduce discretionary 

funding by $19 billion, which brings the total funding cap to $1.049 

trillion, the amount set in HCR112. The bills also increase funding 

for defense by $8 billion above the existing cap, but lower funding 

for non-defense discretionary funding by $27 billion below the 

existing cap.  To make up for the increases in defense, a separate 

bill was approved by the House Budget Committee to reduce funding by 

$309 billion over ten years for a number of federal programs that 

support children and low-income families, including food stamps, 

Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and social service 

programs for children and the elderly.

HR4966 must still be approved by the U.S. House and Senate. President 

Obama has already stated that he would veto the bill in its current 

form.

To read more about the cuts, please visit 

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&;id=3767.

*SOS (Save Our Schools) Convention this Summer:  Save Our Schools 

(SOS) is holding a "People's Platform Convention" August 3-5, 2012 at 

the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C.  Save Our Schools 

is a coalition of individuals and groups that came together last year 

in Washington, D.C. to support public education.  The coalition 

developed the following four guiding principles to support their work:

-Equitable funding across all public school communities

-An end to high stakes testing used for the purpose student, teacher, 

and school evaluations

-Teacher, family, and community leadership in forming public education policies

-Curriculum developed for and by local school communities

This year the coalition is coming together to develop a legislative 

plank that will address public school reforms that are not focused on 

standardized testing and privatization of public schools.

Information about how to attend the convention in August is available 

at http://saveourschoolsmarch.com/

3)  Legislative Update

*HB521 (Dovilla) Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit:  The Ohio House 

approved on May 9, 2012 HB521, which increases the maximum total 

amount of tax credits allowed per year for completion of motion 

pictures certified as tax credit-eligible productions. The vote was 

94 to 3.

*SB295 (Coley) Repeal HB194:  The Ohio House approved SB292 (Coley) 

on May 8, 2012 by a vote of 54 to 42.  SB295 repeals HB194 

(Blessing/Mecklenborg) Election Reform, but it does not return 

election law to pre-HB194 status. For example, provisions regarding 

early voting, which were part of Ohio law pre HB194, are not 

reinstated in SB295.

HB194 is facing a referendum in November 2012 backed by Fair 

Elections Ohio. There isn't any precedent in Ohio for the legislature 

to repeal a law also facing a referendum.  Secretary of State Jon 

Husted issued a statement on May 8, 2012 saying that with its repeal, 

there isn't any reason to keep the referendum of HB194 on the 

November ballot.  However, Fair Elections Ohio, according to their 

web site, wants the early voting provision to be put back into law, 

and is considering all of their options regarding the pending 

referendum.

For more information please visit the Secretary of State's website at 

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/mediaCenter/2012/2012-05-08-a.aspx and 

Fair Elections Ohio at http://www.fairelectionsohio.com/

4)  This Week at the Statehouse

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012

*Senate Education, Senator Lehner chair

The Senate Education Committee will meet at 9:30 AM in the South 

Hearing Room.  The committee will receive testimony on the following 

bills:

-HB375 (Butler) Property Sale by School Districts, which would allow 

school districts to sell real property to private, nonprofit 

institutions of higher education.

-HB437 (Roegner) School Board Vehicles:  Increases the number of 

miles a school district board may authorize its motor vehicles for 

out-of-state travel.

-SB335 (Turner/Lehner) Municipal School Districts/Community Schools, 

which would revise the management of school districts and community 

schools located within municipal school districts.

*House State Government and Elections Committee, Representative Maag, chair.

The House State Government and Elections Committee will meet at 1:30 

PM in Hearing Room 116.  Among the bills that the committee will 

consider is SCR14 (Jones) the World Choir Games, which would 

recognize the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a global 

event of cultural significance to Ohio and the U.S. and expressing 

support by designating the month of July 2012 as "World Choir Games 

Month."  A vote is expected.

*House Education Committee, Representative Stebelton, chair

The House Education Committee will meet at 5:00 PM in Hearing Room 

313.  The committee will receive sponsor testimony on SB316 (Lehner) 

Mid-biennium review -- Education/Early Education/Workforce, pending 

referral.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012

*House Education Committee, Representative Stebelton chair.

The House Education Committee will meet at 5:00 PM in Hearing Room 

313.  The committee will receive testimony on HB525 

(Williams/Amstutz) Municipal School Districts-Community Schools, and 

SB316 (Lehner) Mid-biennium review -- Education/Early 

Education/Workforce.

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

*House Education Committee, Representative Stebelton chair.

The House Education Committee will meet at 10:00 AM in Hearing Room 

313.  The committee will receive testimony on HB525 

(Williams/Amstutz) Municipal School Districts-Community Schools, and 

SB316 (Lehner) Mid-biennium review -- Education/Early 

Education/Workforce.

5)  State Board of Education to Meet:

The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, will meet on May 

14 and 15, 2012 at the Ohio School for the Deaf.

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012

The Executive Committee, chaired by Debe Terhar, will meet at 9:00 

AM.  The Committee will discuss the July Retreat and the annual 

evaluation of the State Superintendent,

The Achievement, Capacity, and Select Urban committees will meet at 9:30 AM.

The Achievement Committee, chaired by Angela Thi Bennett, will 

discuss the following:

-Approve a resolution of intent to adopt the revised standards for 

fine arts and world languages

-Approve a resolution of intent to adopt the standards for financial 

literacy, entrepreneurship, and business education

-Receive an update on revisions to the Early Learning Standards

-Receive an update on standards for social studies relative to SB165 

(Obhof) to include content on specified historical documents in the 

state academic standards and in the high school American history and 

government curriculum.

The Capacity Committee, chaired by Tom Gunlock, will discuss 

College-Preparatory Boarding Schools- Recommendation for Selection of 

School Operator under Chapter 3328 of the Revised Code; HB 116 

updates to the Anti-Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) Model 

Policy; OAC Rule 3301-24-05, Licensure; Compulsory Attendance and 

Truancy Laws

The Select Committee on Urban Education, chaired by Joe Farmer, will 

receive an overview of special education services and the needs of 

students with disabilities in Ohio's urban areas presented by the 

Office of Exceptional Children and Columbus City Schools; discuss a 

parent and advocate perspective on students with disabilities with 

Mrs. Margaret Burley, Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children 

with Disabilities; discuss the April 23 visit to the Cleveland 

Metropolitan School District

The Board will recognize Title 1 Schools at 11:15 AM and then recess for lunch.

Following lunch at 1:00 PM the full board will participate in 

required annual ethics training from the Ohio Ethics Commission.

At 3:15 PM the Board will receive updates from the Achievement, 

Capacity, and Select Committee on Urban Education committees, and 

then convene into an executive session. Following the executive 

session the Legislative and Budget Committee, chaired by C. Todd 

Jones, will discuss the Mid-Biennium Budget Review Bills; receive an 

update on the Cleveland Plan legislation; discuss Special Education; 

and receive legislative updates on House Bills 462 and 437

The Board will then adjourn for the evening.

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012

The Policy and Procedures Committee, chaired by Rob Hovis and Ohio 

State School for the Blind and Ohio School for the Deaf Governance 

Task Force, chaired by Dannie Greene, will meet at 8:00 AM.

At 9:00 AM the full Board will receive a presentation about the 

implementation of the Common Core standards.

The Board will reconvene its business meeting at 11:15 AM.  The Board 

will receive public participation on agenda items, the report of the 

Superintendent of Public Instruction, and take action on the 

resolutions included below.

The Board will then discuss old business, new business, and 

miscellaneous business, and receive public participation on 

non-agenda items, at 1:00 PM, and adjourn.

Resolutions To Be Considered by the State Board of Education on May 15, 2012:

#6 Approve a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Academic Content Standards 

for the Fine Arts and World Languages.

#7 Approve a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Academic Content Standards 

in Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Business.

#11 Approve a Resolution of Appointment to the Educator Standards Board.

#12 Approve a Resolution of Intent to Adopt the State Board of 

Education's Diversity Strategies for Successful Schools Policy.

#13 Approve a Resolution to Select the SEED Foundation as the 

Operator for the SEED School of Cincinnati, pursuant to Ohio Revised 

Code 3328.11.

#14 Approve a Resolution to Delegate to the Superintendent of Public 

Instruction the Responsibility for Negotiating and Entering into an 

Operator Contract with the SEED Foundation for the Operation of the 

SEED School of Cincinnati.

#15  Approve a Resolution to Approve the Plan of the Governing Board 

for the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center to Appoint 

Additional Members to the Board, pursuant to Section 3311.056 of the 

Ohio Revised Code.

To view the State Board of Education's schedule, please visit 

http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&;TopicRelationID=576&ContentID=117915

6)  Policy Matters Ohio Weighs-in on MBR:  Wendy Patton, Senior 

Project Director, Policy Matters Ohio, presented testimony on the 

Governor Kasich's legislative package referred to as the Mid-Biennium 

Review (MBR) before the Senate Finance Committee on May 9, 2012.  The 

testimony summarized the legislative changes in HB487 and the other 

MBR bills as more cuts to services; more "unscrutinized" tax breaks 

that leave Ohio with "inadequate revenue to make necessary 

investments" for the future; more unfunded or underfunded mandates; 

and more privatization.

The testimony notes, for example, that the third-grade guarantee 

(included in SB316 - Lehner) would cost hundreds of millions of 

dollars spanning preK-3rd grade, and no funds are allocated to 

support the plan for early child care programs to implement the Step 

Up to Quality (tiered rating system) criteria.

The MBR bills expand privatization in several areas, such as the sale 

and leaseback of state and local public buildings; weights and 

measures; and public health inspections.  According to Ms. Patton, 

when the public loses oversight of services, there is less 

transparency, and the public loses the ability to keep tabs on how 

public money is spent, or not spent.

Several cuts in services are proposed, including those for the 

Department of Youth Services, nutrition, the Department of Aging, and 

disease prevention.

The proposed changes in tax policies for financial institutions would 

close some tax loopholes, but then the tax revenue saved is given 

back to the banks, when Ohio needs additional tax revenue to restore 

state and local services that have been cut.  And, Ohio is failing to 

capitalize on the state's mineral wealth as lawmakers fail to take 

action on the governor's proposal to increase the severance tax on 

shale oil/gas extraction, which was removed from HB487 as introduced. 

Lawmakers should also oppose the governor's ill advised income tax 

cut, which mostly benefits high income individuals and is attached to 

the severance tax increase.

The testimony concludes with the following statement, "Tax cuts 

eliminate the revenue we need to provide schools with uniform quality 

across the state that helps kids graduate and community services that 

keep families' assets intact. The Mid-Biennium Review fails to review 

what's really wrong with the biennial budget and the corrections bill 

doesn't correct the problem."

The testimony is available at 

http://www.policymattersohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MBR_Testimony-may2012.pdf. 

7) Update on SB316 (Lehner):  SB316 is shaping up as a major 

education reform bill.  Last week the Senate approved an amended 

version of the bill by a vote of 30 to 2.

The bill as amended makes changes in a variety of education 

provisions including the following topics:  Third Grade Reading 

Guarantee, Assessment and Intervention, and Grants; Legislative 

Recommendations Regarding Reading Readiness: Promotion and Retention 

Policies; School and District Accountability; Joint Vocational 

Schools District Rankings and Report; Performance Indicators for 

Dropout Prevention Programs; School Report Cards for Parents; Reports 

of District and School Spending; Presentation of Academic Standards 

and Model Curricula to the House and Senate Education Committees; 

Model Curricula for Career Connections Learning Strategies; Parent 

Trigger/School Restructuring; Teacher Evaluations;  Assistant 

Principal Evaluations; Testing Teachers; Teacher Evaluation Data; 

Nonrenewal of Teacher and Administrator Contracts; School District 

Business Manager Functions; Digital and Blended Learning; OhioLearns 

Gateway: Ed Choice Eligibility; Assessment Data for Scholarship 

Students; Autism Scholarship and Jon Peterson Special Needs 

Scholarship Program; Calamity Days; Community School Sponsor 

Rankings;  Additional Measures to Rank Community School Sponsors; ESC 

Sponsor Community Schools; New Sponsor for Community Schools; 

Community School Sponsor Definition; Combining Community School and 

District Data; Community School Governing Authority Membership; 

Single Sex Community Schools; Community School Contracts on the ODE 

Website; Community School Enrollment Verification; Community School 

Mandate Review Panel; Access to School District Property; College 

Preparatory Boarding School Governance; STEM Schools; Educational 

Service Center Agreements; Direct Billing for Educational Service 

Center Services; Graduation Credit for the Study of History and 

Government; Admission of Transferring Students; Licensing of 

Preschool and Latchkey Programs; Reporting Data of Young Children; 

Definition of State Education Aid; School Facilities Programs; Study 

of Licensure Requirements for Media Specialists; Body Mass Index 

Clarification; Sale of Beverages in Schools; Tiered Quality Rating 

System; Child Day-care Center Administrator Qualifications; Licensure 

of Type B Family Day-Day Homes; In-Home Aides; Employment of Persons 

with Developmental Disabilities; State Workforce Policy Board; 

Registered Apprenticeships; Workers' Compensation Learn to Earn; and 

Office of Workforce Transformation Web Site.

Earlier in the week the Senate Education Committee, chaired by 

Senator Lehner, made significant changes (over 40) by adopting an 

omnibus amendment and an amendment that requires schools/school 

districts to provide parents with the latest report card of a school 

during the admissions process offered by Senator Schiavoni before 

reporting the bill.

In summary, the bill now delays implementation of the third-grade 

reading guarantee until 2013-14 and lowers the qualifying test score 

from "proficient" to "limited" for students to be promoted to fourth 

grade; provides $13 million to implement the reading guarantee; 

delays implementation of the A-F report card rating system until 

2012-13 school year and establishes a task force to recommend changes 

in the state's accountability system; changes the teacher re-testing 

provision; excludes certain students, such as "habitual truants" from 

the calculations of teacher evaluations; extends the date in which 

teachers and administrators must be notified about the status of 

their contract; makes the Body Mass Index optional; and more.

During the Senate debate on the bill several amendments were tabled, 

including amendments that would have required teachers in charter 

schools to participate in the state's new teacher evaluation system; 

removed the third party evaluators from the bill; removed the 

expenditure ranking system from current law; and an amendment that 

would have provided more flexibility to school districts regarding 

teacher evaluations. The bill now moves to the Ohio House for 

consideration.

For a comparative synopsis of SB316, please visit 

http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/analyses129/s0316-rs-129.pdf.

8) School Funding Presentations Continue:  Paolo DeMaria, a principal 

at Education First, concluded on May 8, 2012 his overview of Ohio's 

system for funding schools before the House Finance and 

Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Amstutz. Mr. 

DeMaria's remarks focused on how local revenue is raised and the 

challenges that state and school leaders must overcome in Ohio to 

implement a school funding system.

According to the presentation, Ohio's school districts in 2010 

received 44.6 percent of their revenue from local sources through the 

income tax ($331 million) and a variety of property taxing options 

($8.6 billion).

A map of school district valuations per pupil by quintile for the 

2011-12 school year shows that many school districts in the southern 

and northwest part of the state could generate only $90,591 or less 

per pupil in local revenue, while wealthier school districts could 

generate $178,846 or more per pupil through local taxes.

To make Ohio's tax structure even more complicated, there are 

adjustments in law that affect the amount of local revenue that can 

be raised.  These adjustments include rollbacks, the homestead 

exemption, other exemptions, and House Bill 920, which became law in 

1976 and adjusts the tax rate (creating an effective tax rate) to 

ensure that school districts (and other local taxing authorities) 

only raise the amount of revenue specified in the original levy, 

except for new construction.

Mr. DeMaria explained how boards of education calculate the benefits 

of all the taxing options relative to House Bill 920. Currently 302 

school districts have chosen to operate at the twenty mill floor, 

which means that their effective tax rate for one or more classes of 

property has dropped below 20 mills, and as a result, these school 

districts receive some growth in their local taxes. Other school 

districts have combined the 20 mill floor growth with an income tax 

to raise additional revenue.

Mr. DeMaria also opined that to the public it appears that boards of 

education ask for more mills for a levy than they really need.  This 

is because school districts must raise enough local revenue in the 

beginning of a levy to balance income and expenses over several years 

of the levy. In terms of ballot frequency, from 1995-2005 207 school 

districts were on the ballot up to 2 times; 154 districts 3-4 times; 

124 districts 5-6 times; and 130 districts 7-15 times.

Under "Challenges and Emerging Issues" Mr. DeMaria talked about 

charter school funding, special education, gifted education, money 

following the child, human capital management, technology, 

inequities, return on investment/efficiencies, and more.  Mr. DeMaria 

said that the overall question that policy makers should consider is, 

"How can fiscal policy support other reforms-- and improve student 

achievement?"

Chairman Amstutz announced that a web site is being developed and 

will include additional resources about school funding.

If you are interested in receiving copies of Mr. DeMaria's testimony, 

please contact jplatz@chemistry.ohio-state.edu">jplatz@chemistry.ohio-state.edu.

9)  Bills Introduced

HB536 (Gerberry) Business Property Tax Exemption:  Allows a board of 

township trustees to reduce the percentage or term of a property tax 

exemption granted to a business under a tax increment financing 

agreement if the business fails to create the number of new jobs the 

business agreed to create.

HB543 (Anielski) Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention:  Enacts the 

"Jason Flatt Act" to require public schools to train staff in youth 

suicide awareness and prevention.

SB340 (Niehaus/Kearney) Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund:  Revises 

the law governing the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund.

SB341 (Niehaus/Kearney) School Employees Retirement System:  Revises 

the law governing the School Employees Retirement System.

SB342 (Niehaus/Kearney) State Teachers Retirement System:  Revises 

the law governing the State Teachers Retirement System.

SB343 (Niehaus/Kearney) Public Employees Retirement System:  Revises 

the law governing the Public Employees Retirement System.

FYI ARTS

1)  New Report on the Status of Arts Education in New Jersey:  The 

New Jersey Arts Education Census Project released on May 10, 2012 

"Keeping the Promise-Arts Education for Every Child:  The Distance 

Traveled -- The Journey Remaining" an update of a previous report 

released in 2006 on the status of arts education programs in New 

Jersey.  The report was prepared by Bob Morrison of Quadrant Arts 

Education Research and is supported through a public-private 

partnership that includes the New Jersey State Council on the 

Arts/Department of State, New Jersey Department of Education, 

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey Arts Education 

Partnership, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation, and Quadrant Arts 

Education Research.

According to the report "...New Jersey has made great strides in 

achieving equal access to arts education for all students in the 

state but there is still work to do".

The number of students who have access to arts education has 

increased to 97 percent, with music and visual art nearly universally 

available, but according to Bob Morrison "more remains to be done."

He writes, "Two key findings include the need for better 

accountability for arts education. Great policies with uneven 

accountability mean many students who should participate in arts 

programs are not given the opportunity.  Secondly, there are great 

arts programs across all economic categories in New Jersey, but for 

the first time we are seeing a connection between the affluence of a 

community and the level of arts education."

The report is available at http://www.artsednj.org/.

2) P. Buckley Moss Foundation: The P. Buckley Moss Foundation for 

Children's Education promotes the integration of the arts into all 

educational programs, with a special focus on children who learn in 

different ways. The Foundation makes grants for new or evolving 

programs that integrate the arts into educational programming in 

grades K-12. The purpose is to aid and support teachers who wish to 

establish an effective learning tool using the arts.  The maximum 

award is $1,000. The deadline is September 30, 2012.

For more information please visit http://www.mossfoundation.org/.

3) Guitars in the Classroom Program:  The Guitars in the Classroom 

program (GITC) trains, supports, and encourages teachers who want to 

integrate music-making in their lessons and daily school activities. 

The program was started in 1998 by Jessica Baron in California, and 

now has spread to thousands of classrooms.  GITC is free to teachers 

and provides a guitar, instruction, and singing and leading simple 

songs. The program is sponsored by by NAMM, The International Music 

Products Association, and GAMA, the Guitars and Accessories Marketing 

Association. For more information please visit 

http://www.guitarsintheclassroom.org/in_the_news.php

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
Education Update May 21, 2012
Joan Platz

1)  129th Ohio General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate will hold sessions and hearings this week.

*HB194 Repealed:  Governor Kasich signed into law on May 15, 2012 SB295 (Coley), which repeals HB194 (Blessing/Mecklenborg), a controversial elections reform bill signed into law July 1, 2011.  A referendum on HB194 is currently on the November 2012 ballot, sponsored by Fair Elections Ohio. Last week Secretary of State Jon Husted issued a statement saying that the referendum was no longer needed. However, SB295 does not return election law to pre-HB194 status, because other changes were made through another law HB224 (Dovilla/Stinziano), and so Fair Elections Ohio is considering its options.  Stay tuned for further developments.

For more information please visit:
The Secretary of State's website at http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/mediaCenter/2012/2012-05-08-a.aspx

Fair Elections Ohio at http://www.fairelectionsohio.com/

*Update on HB487 (Amstutz) MBR:  The Ohio Senate approved on May 16, 2012 by a vote of 25 to 8 Am. Sub. HB487 (Amstutz) Mid-Biennial Review (MBR).  A number of provisions were removed/added before the bill was approved.  The following are some of the changes:

-Removed a controversial testing plan for participants in the Ohio Works First program.
-Removed a provision that would have required General Assembly approval of transfers by the Office of Budget and Management of funds from the General Revenue Fund to the Budget Stabilization Fund (rainy day fund).
-Changed the deadline for a report of the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting from June 30, 2012 to December 15, 2012.
-Deletes House changes that abolished the eTech Commission and increases the appropriation authority of line item 935402 by $300,000 in FY13.
-Creates a STEM agriculture schools and directs the ODE to find $600,000 to support it from unencumbered and un-obligated funds.
-Clarifies that the net tuition amount of the Cleveland Scholarship Pilot Program factors-into any financial aid, discounts, and adjustments.
-Deletes changes to the Ohio School Facilities Commission's Expedited Local Partnership Program.

The Ohio House rejected on May 16, 2012 Senate amendments to Am. Sub. HB487, which sets up a conference committee on the bill. The members of the conference committee are Representatives Ron Amstutz , Jeffrey McClain, and Vern Sykes, and Senators Chris Widener,  Shannon Jones, and Tom Sawyer.

*Pension Bills Pass Senate:  The Ohio Senate approved changes to Ohio's pension systems on May 16, 2012.  The changes have been debated over several years by the pension systems' governing boards.

The changes address contributions, retirement eligibility, the benefit calculation, final average salary, cost of living adjustments, credit for part time work, purchase of service credit, deferred retirement option plans, disability benefits, health care coverage, and inter-system transfers.  The changes are included in the following bills:
-SB340 (Niehaus/Kearney) Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund;
-SB341 (Niehaus/Kearney) School Employees Retirement System;
-SB342 (Niehaus/Kearney) State Teachers Retirement System
-SB343 (Niehaus/Kearney) Public Employees Retirement System

*Film Tax Credit Added to Tax MBR:  The Senate Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee, chaired by Senator Schaffer, reported HB508 (Beck) Mid Biennium Review -- Tax Changes on May 17, 2012. The bill was amended to include SB331 (Patton) film tax credit. Two separate bills dealing with the film tax credit, SB331 (Patton) and HB521 (Dovilla), have been approved by their respective chambers.

The Committee also removed from HB508 a provision that would have changed how the Ohio School Facilities Commission calculated a school district's local share to participate in the Expedited Local Partnership Program, if the district's tangible personal property valuation (not including public utility personal property) made up 18 percent or more of its total taxable value for tax year 2005.

2)  News from Washington, D.C.

*RESPECT Project:  Several documents have been posted on the U.S. Department of Education website outlining the vision and goals of The RESPECT Project: Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching.

The project's goal is to transform the teaching profession by recruiting top students; increasing the potential earnings of teachers; creating career and leadership opportunities; linking compensation to the quality and the scope of professional responsibilities of teachers; and ensuring that teachers are supported by principals and work in a positive school culture that values their expertise.

To accomplish the goal, the U.S. DOE has been engaging educators-teachers, school and district leaders, teachers' associations and unions, and state and national education organizations in conversations about how to transform teaching for the 21st century.

For information about the project please visit http://www.ed.gov/teaching/national-conversation/vision.

*Science Standards Draft Released:  The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has posted on its website a draft of the new science standards, referred to as the Next Generation Science Standards.  Twenty-six states have participated in the development of the standards guided by Achieve, Inc. The standards are based on "A Framework for K-12 Science Education", issued by the National Research Council last year.  The framework defines major practices, concepts, and core ideas that all students should be familiar with by the time they finish high school. According to NSTA, "A Framework for K-12 Science Education offers a new vision for K-12 education in science and engineering, and represents a significant shift in how these subjects are viewed and taught."

For more information and to comment about the draft standards, please visit http://www.nsta.org/about/standardsupdate/default.aspx.

3)  This Week at the Statehouse

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012

*House Education Committee, Representative Stebelton chair.
The House Education Committee will meet at 1:00 PM in Hearing Room 313.  The committee will receive testimony on HB525 (Williams/Amstutz) Municipal School Districts-Community Schools and SB316 (Lehner) MBR-Mid Biennium Review - Education.  A vote is possible on both bills.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012

*House State Government and Elections Committee, chaired by Representative Maag
The House State Government and Elections Committee will meet at 9:00 AM in Hearing Room 017, and receive testimony on SCR14 (Jones) World Choir Games, which would recognize the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a global event of cultural significance to Ohio and the U.S. and expressing support by designating the month of July 2012 as "World Choir Games Month."

*If Needed:  House Education Committee, Representative Stebelton chair.
The House Education Committee will meet at 9:30 AM in Hearing Room 313.  The committee will receive testimony on HB525 (Williams/Amstutz) Municipal School Districts-Community Schools and SB316 (Lehner) MBR-Mid Biennium Review - Education.  A vote is possible on both bills.

*Senate Education Committee, Senator Lehner chair.
The Senate Education Committee will meet at 9:30 AM in the South Hearing Room.  There will be an informal hearing on HB525 (Amstutz/Williams) Cleveland Plan/Municipal School District, and the committee will receive testimony on HB437 (Roegner) School Board Vehicles-Out of State Travel.

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

*Senate Education Committee, Senator Lehner chair.
The Senate Education Committee will meet at 11:30 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room.  The committee will receive testimony on HB525 (Amstutz/Williams) Cleveland Plan/Municipal School District.  A vote is possible.

4)  More Changes in Store for SB316 (Lehner) MBR:  The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, met three times last week to receive testimony on SB316 (Lehner) Mid Biennium Review - Education.  The committee also accepted on May 16, 2012, a substitute bill that removed a number of provisions added or amended by the Senate Education Committee a week earlier.

State Board of Education member C. Todd Jones testified before the House Education Committee on May 17, 2012 about the changes that have been made in the SB316 concerning Ohio's Local Report Card for schools/districts, and how those changes affect a waiver proposal submitted to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) in February 2012 by the Ohio Department of Education.

The waiver proposal requests flexibility regarding certain provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), also known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In return, the ODE proposed more rigorous accountability standards for schools/districts and a new ranking system for the Local Report Cards using letter grades, A-D, and F.

As introduced, SB316 included provisions that reflected the changes for the accountability system proposed by the DOE, but the Senate passed version of SB316 created a task force to make legislative recommendations for a new accountability and rating system by October 2012.  The new system would be implemented in 2012-13.

The House Education Committee's substitute version of SB316 removes the Senate changes for the Local Report Card and rating system, with the intent that a new rating system will be worked-out in separate legislation.

This action means that a significant provision in Ohio's ESEA waiver request will not be implemented this school year.  Mr. Jones said in his testimony that Ohio could still obtain a "conditional" one year waiver from the U.S. DOE even without the proposed changes for the school/district rating system, as long as the General Assembly and the governor indicate that a more rigorous A-F system will be adopted.

The Committee will meet this week to hear more testimony on the SB316.  To read C. Todd Jones' testimony please visit http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&;TopicRelationID=1871&ContentID=102836&Content=125839

5)  The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, met on May 14 and 15, 2012 at the Ohio School for the Deaf.

State Board of Education Meeting on MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee, chaired by Debe Terhar, discussed the July 2012 Retreat and the annual evaluation of the State Superintendent. The committee agreed to invite Kathy LaSota, director of School Board Services at the Ohio School Boards Association, to facilitate the meeting. The retreat will be held at the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio.

*Achievement Committee, chaired by Angela Thi Bennett,
The Achievement Committee received an update from Tom Rutan, Associate Director Office of Curriculum and Instruction, about the revised standards for the fine arts and world languages, and the development of standards for financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and non career-tech business education, as mandated by 128-Am. Sub. HB1.

According to Mr. Rutan, the standards for fine arts and world languages have undergone a comprehensive review and revision by the writing teams and through public comment and feedback over the past year and a half. He reported that in response to a question at the April meeting about the inclusion of Media Arts in the fine arts standards as a fifth arts discipline, Nancy Pistone, ODE fine arts consultant, had contacted the group developing the national standards.  They reported that there are some "second thoughts" about writing separate standards for media arts.

Writing teams were assembled to create the standards for financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and non career-tech business education. These teams and advisory groups included content area specialists and representatives from the public and private sectors, and higher education professionals. The new standards have been posted online for public comments and feedback.

Final adoption of all of these standards is scheduled for June 2012.

During the discussion about the standards, State Board member Jeff Hardin again raised a question that he asked in April: why the creative and cognitive processes for fine arts standards include "perceiving" rather than "creating", especially for music? He acknowledged that the creative and cognitive process for drama/theater had changed "perceiving" to "creating", but he stated that he couldn't support an intent resolution until some changes were made in response to the comments that he has received from music educators.  After some explanation and discussion, the committee, including Mr. Hardin, agreed to add "creating/perceiving" to the creative and cognitive processes for music.  The committee then approved an "Intent to Adopt" resolution for each of the content areas.

Stephanie Siddons, Director, Office of Early Learning & School Readiness Ohio Department of Education and Linda Norton Smith, consultant, Office of Early Learning, presented information to the committee about the revisions for the Early Learning Standards. As part of its Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant, the ODE is required to expand its Early Learning Standards from birth to Kindergarten in five areas: Language and Literacy, Cognitive Development, Approaches Toward Learning, Social and Emotional Development, and Physical Well-Being and Motor Development.

Ms. Siddons said that a draft of the revised standards had been posted online for public comment. After reviewing the comments and incorporating the feedback, the Achievement Committee will be asked to consider a resolution of intent to adopt the revised standards at their June 2012 meeting, with final adoption scheduled for September 2012.

Tom Rutan shared with the committee a document comparing the new requirements for social studies through SB165 and existing legislation and rules. The new law and rules require the teaching of American history and American government based on the Founding Documents in grades 4-12; one half credit of American history and one half credit of American government, including the study of the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions, and allows students to demonstrate "mastery" of the content.

To conform with the new law, changes will need to be made in the current social studies requirements and in the graduation requirements for the diploma with honors. The three required units of social studies for graduation will need to change to two social studies units and one half unit of American History and one half unit of American Government.  No changes will be needed in teacher licensure, since social studies teachers can also teach history.  The Ohio Graduation Test in social studies is being phased out, and new end of course exams in American History and American Government will be developed. Twenty percent of the assessment for American Government will be based on the Founding Documents. Mr. Rutan also reported that as part of Ohio's participation in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), several schools in Ohio will be participating in an online assessment pilot project for 8th grade social studies in May.

*Capacity Committee, chaired by Tom Gunlock
The Capacity Committee discussed the College-Preparatory Boarding Schools-Recommendation for Selection of School Operator under Chapter 3328 of the Revised Code.  Bill Zelei, ODE Associate Superintendent for the Division of Accountability and Quality Schools and P.R. Casey, ODE Chief Legal Counsel, provided an overview of the requirements in law to select an operator for the new boarding school.  The SEED Foundation has been recommended by the ODE, contingent upon certain conditions being met.  The committee approved the ODE's authority to negotiate a contract with the SEED Foundation to operate the school, and requested that any other issues be reviewed by the Committee at their June meeting.

The Committee also discussed the changes to the ODE's Anti-Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) Model Policy made through HB116, the Jessica Logan Act.  ODE's HIB Model Policy was adopted in 2007 and changes were made to it again in 2010.  The policy changes to be made by November 4, 2012 include adding language that addresses violence within a dating relationship; prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying incidents on a school bus, requiring districts to provide a means to make anonymous reports of incidents, and establishing a process to notify and educate students and parents about these policies.  Discussions about the policies will continue in June.

The committee then discussed the process the ODE is using to update OAC Rule 3301-24-05, Licensure, to bring it up to date with current statutes for initial teacher licenses and the resident educator license.  Similar rules regarding the principal license are also being updated.  The committee approved the proposed rule changes.

The committee also received information about the policies in other states regarding compulsory attendance and truancy laws.

*Select Committee chaired by Joe Farmer
The Select Committee on Urban Education received an overview about special education services and the needs of students with disabilities in Ohio's urban areas presented by Mary Ey, chief officer of Student Support Services for the Columbus City Schools, Margaret Burley, Executive Director of the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities, and Sue Zake, Director of the Office of Exceptional Children at the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).

Ms. Zake presented a number of alarming statistics about the number of children with learning and other disabilities in Ohio and in Ohio's urban 21 school districts. According to her presentation,
-21.3 percent of students in the urban 21 school districts have been identified with disabilities and that number has been increasing
-14.8 percent of students statewide are identified as needing special education services, but the percentage is as high as 20 percent in some schools/districts
-Ohio is slightly ahead of the nation in the percent of students identified with disabilities
-Most students are identified in the "Specific Learning Disabilities" (SLD) category of disabilities
-African Americans are three times more likely to be identified with disabilities than their peers
-Where students with disabilities attend school makes a difference in their academic achievement. (Based on 4th grade achievement in math and reading.) 42 percent of students with disabilities in urban areas are achieving the proficient level in reading compared to 60 percent of students with disabilities in non-urban districts.
-There is a significant learning gap between students with disabilities and those without disabilities

Ms. Zake shared some observations about serving students with disabilities from her experiences working in the Toledo area and Toledo Public Schools.  She said that some of the concerns and issues for special education students in the urban 21 districts are around how the problem is framed.  She believes that the students are not the problem.  The challenge is how adults and educators honor the culture, ethnicity, and diversity of students with disabilities while challenging them, providing them with rigorous curriculum, instruction, and raising expectations.

Another challenge is how to help teachers understand that there are different ways to deliver instruction and it is up to all adults to ensure that students have hope for a future and experience success.

In looking at the resources available Ms. Zake said that educators should be asking if the resources that they have are getting the best results.

Another challenge is how to design and implement high quality professional development to make it systematic and systemic.

She also noted that the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs is looking at changing how they monitor states, which will have an impact within Ohio.  The monitoring will move from a focus on meeting compliance indicators to a focus on impact and results.

*Recognition of Title 1 Schools
The State Board of Education recognized Lincoln Elementary (Seneca County) and Maplewood Middle School (Trumbull County) as 2011 National Title 1 Distinguished Schools.

*Legislative and Budget Committee, chaired by C. Todd Jones
Kelly Weir, Jennifer Hogue, and Emily Gephart led the Legislative and Budget Committee in discussions about the timeline for the State Board to approve its budget and legislative recommendations and pending legislation, including the Mid-Biennium Budget Review Bills and legislation to implement the Cleveland Plan:  HB525 (Amstutz/Williams) and SB335 (Lehner/Turner).

The committee discussed the timeline for the State Board to receive information about the Superintendent's budget and policy recommendations for FY14-15.  Packets about the proposed budget will be sent to Board members in early June. The Board will have opportunities to discuss the budget in June and at the July retreat, and additional meetings in August could be planned if necessary.  The proposal will not include the funding recommendations for basic aid, but will include principles that could guide the development of a new state school funding system for schools/districts.  The timeline calls for the Board to adopt the budget recommendations in September to conform with the Office of Budget and Management's timetable for state departments and agencies to submit their budget requests. Governor Kasich will introduce his FY14-15 budget in late January 2013.

The committee also discussed the changes that affect education included in Am. Sub. HB487 (Amstutz) Mid-Biennium Review and SB316 (Lehner) Mid-Biennium Review -- Education.

Most of the discussion with Board members focused on the Senate changes to SB316 regarding the third grade reading guarantee and the A-D, F rating system for schools/districts, and the impact of the changes for the rating system on ODE's ESEA waiver request.

The committee approved a motion directing Mr. Jones to present testimony to the House Education Committee stating that the State Board of Education supports the new accountability system proposed by SB316 as introduced, and opposes any provision that might undermine the Superintendent's ability to achieve some flexibility from ESEA and implement a new A to F accountability system. Without the waiver, 90 percent of Ohio's schools will be identified as failing next school year and face costly consequences.

During discussions about the changes in the third grade guarantee most committee members expressed support for students to read at the proficient level in third grade.  The Senate version of SB316 had reduced the level at which third grade students would be subject to retention to "limited".

Senator Lehner, who attended the meeting as an ex-officio member, said that many legislators are disappointed about lowering the reading level to "limited", but if the minimum standard for reading is set at the proficient level then 65 percent of students could fail the reading assessment in 2014, compared to 20 percent of students who could fail at the limited level.

Superintendent Heffner reminded the committee that the reading levels that Ohio uses now, limited, basic, proficient, etc. will likely change anyway, because Ohio is participating in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) with several other states, and the reading levels will be calibrated to the new assessments developed by PARCC.

Committee members agreed that to really address the reading crisis, students need to be enrolled in quality preK programs and all teachers need to be trained to teach reading.

State Board of Education Meeting on TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012

James Herrholz, Assistant Superintendent, and Sasheen Phillips, Executive director of Curriculum and Assessment presented information about the communication plan and implementation plan for the Common Core standards entitled "Start Ready, Leave Ready, Ohio's College and Career Reading Standards Implementation Plan."

The first phase of the plan will build support and capacity for educators and begin outreach to the public. Phase 2 will continue development and support for educators and expand outreach and engagement with non-educators.

Methods of outreach include Tools for Teachers, Ed Connections, IDES of ODE, Social Media, Webinars/Webcasts, App/E-Reader, ODE-delivered presentations at educational organizations and conferences, Future Ready Project, Regional ESC meetings, and Regional SBOE meetings.

Different types of social media outreach will also be used, such as Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, etc.

A train the trainer model will be used to expand outreach with educators. Professional development opportunities for 2012-2013 include PARCC Educator Leader Cadres, regional targeted and differentiated professional development for teachers of SWD, ELL and Gifted, Online modules on Students with Disabilities, and Formative Instruction Content-Specific Modules.

Board members were asked to identify stakeholders and groups that should also be included in the communication plan and ways for Board members to assist the ODE to communicate the Common Core to various stakeholder groups.

A handout was distributed entitled "Are You Ready for 2014-2015?" with tips for how teachers, administrators, and school board members can become more knowledgeable about the Common Core standards.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUSINESS MEETING
The Board reconvened its business meeting and took action on the resolutions included below.

The Board then discussed old business, new business, and miscellaneous business.  Three individuals presented during public participation on non-agenda items: Charlotte Andrist, President of the Central Office Branch of International Dyslexia Association and Sean Stevens spoke about dyslexia, and Eric Price, spoke to the Board about the importance of civics education.

Dr. Andrist's presentation explained the relationship between literacy and dyslexia. According to the presentation, dyslexia is the principal cause of reading difficulties and illiteracy in the U.S. "80-85 percent of students with an identified specific learning disability have a primary problem with reading and/or language consistent with dyslexia."

Dyslexia is often assumed to mean that students see letters backward when they are reading, but it actually is the inability to recognize, decode, and/or spell written words accurately and quickly, and difficulty with the phonological component of language. Dyslexia is a Greek word meaning "difficulty with letters".  Between 5-15 percent of students or approximately 1 of every 10 students has dyslexia.

Dr. Andrist said that for many years students with dyslexia were not diagnosed and teachers are still not trained to identify or help students with dyslexia.

Students with dyslexia need systematic intensive instruction to become better readers. Several initiatives are underway in Ohio to address the dyslexia problem.  In the fall pre-service teachers will be required to learn about dyslexia through several options, and some teachers will be able to receive a certificate as a dyslexia specialist.

The Board then adjourned.

Resolutions Considered by the State Board of Education on May 15, 2012:

#6 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Academic Content Standards for the Fine Arts and World Languages. The standards were amended by the Achievement Committee to include "creating" in the creative and cognitive processes for music.

#7 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Academic Content Standards in Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Business.

#11 Approved a Resolution to Appoint the following individuals to the Educator Standards Board: The following eight educators were elected to the Educator Standards Board:
   Michael Tefs
   Cynthia Ritter
   Debra McDonald
   Karen Winston
   Thomas Rounds
   Jerry Oberhaus
   Heather N. Henkel
   Bradford Dillman

#12 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt the State Board of Education's Diversity Strategies for Successful Schools Policy.

#13 Approved a Resolution to Select the SEED Foundation as the Operator for the SEED School of Cincinnati, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 3328.11.

Pulled #14 A Resolution to Delegate to the Superintendent of Public Instruction the Responsibility for Negotiating and Entering into an Operator Contract with the SEED Foundation for the Operation of the SEED School of Cincinnati.

#15 Approved a Resolution to Approve the Plan of the Governing Board for the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center to Appoint Additional Members to the Board, pursuant to Section 3311.056 of the Ohio Revised Code.

#16 Approved a motion to enter into a contract with Kathy LaSota, Director of Board Services for the Ohio School Boards Association, to facilitate the July Retreat of the State Board of Education.

#17 Approved a motion presented by Rose Mary Oakar to allow the State Board of Education to occasionally pass non-binding resolutions about significant issues, to inform the state legislature and governors office about the views of the State Board of Education.

#18 Approved a motion to direct C. Todd Jones to present testimony to the House Education Committee concerning the ODE's waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education for flexibility regarding the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the impact of the changes in Ohio's rating system for schools included in SB316 on the waiver request.

#19 Approved a motion in support of legislation to establish a minimum school year based on hours rather than days.

#20 Mrs. Cain requested that the State Board of Education send a letter congratulating former Superintendent of Public Instruction Deb Delisle on her new position as Assistant Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

To view the State Board of Education's schedule, please visit http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&;TopicRelationID=576&ContentID=117915

6)  Gifted Education:  An article in Education Week on May 15, 2012 states that support for gifted education is lacking at the same time that the Obama administration is calling for more innovation to keep the U.S. globally competitive and turn the economy around. ("Gifted Programs Fight to Regain Their Toehold in the Federal Budget Efforts lack Obama administration's backing" by Nirvi Shah).

According to the article, funding for the 24-year old Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program, which is focused on serving underrepresented students in gifted and talented programs, was eliminated in FY11 leaving several ongoing research projects unfunded. The House approved "Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act" also eliminates funding for the Javits program.

In a letter dated March 29, 2012 Senators Grassley, Blumenthal, Lieberman, Casey, and Mikulski requested that the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, chaired by Senator Harkins, work to restore funding for the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act in FY13, or require the Institute for Education Sciences to support research and development that directly supports gifted and talented students and a National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.  A similar letter has been sent to the House committee overseeing education.

The U.S. Department of Education points to President Obama's College Pathways and Accelerated Learning program as a way to expand more opportunities for gifted and talented students.  This program would provide college level courses in high-poverty middle and high schools, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.  However, advocates for gifted education note that President's plan does not mandate funds to serve gifted students.

Another proposal, the TALENT Act, would expand federal funding for gifted education through Title 1 programs for disadvantaged students. The TALENT Act was introduced in the House (H.R. 1674) and Senate (S.857) by Representatives Elton Gallegly and Donald Payne and Senators Chuck Grassley and Bob Casey. The Act, supported by the National Association for Gifted Children, would require states to make changes in assessment and accountability systems, classroom practices, focus on underserved populations, and emphasize research about gifted education.  The intent of advocates for gifted education is to include the TALENT Act in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Overall advocates for gifted education want a national commitment to develop the talents and gifts of students.

The article is available at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/16/31gifted.h31.html?print=1.

7)  Bills Introduced

*HB553 (Phillips/Driehaus) Kids and Communities First Grant Program: Create Kids and Communities First Grant Program and makes an appropriation.

*HCR47 (Phillips/Stinziano) Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act: Urges the Congress of the United States to pass S. 2343, the Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012.

FYI ARTS

1) New Growth Theory Connects the Arts and Economic Development:  The Brookings Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) hosted on May 10, 2012 a symposium to discuss how the new growth theory could be used as a tool for assessing the impact of art and culture on the U.S. economy. The symposium featured papers jointly commissioned by the NEA Office of Research and Analysis and Michael Rushton, the co-editor of the Journal of Cultural Economics.

According to the highlights of the symposium, a new growth theory is now being used to explain how in advanced economies, "...economic growth stems less from the acquisition of additional capital and more from innovation and new ideas."

The symposium included five panels that discussed Creative Clustering, Economic Growth and Innovation, Capital Investment and Cultural Consumption, Case Studies on the Arts and Economic Development, and Arts and Economic Well-Being.

Ed Glaeser, Harvard economist and author of "Triumph of the City" (Penguin Press, 2011), gave the keynote remarks. Other speakers included Rocco Landesman, National Endowment for the Arts, Bruce Katz, vice president and co-director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, and economists and researchers from across the country.

The symposium's panels are available online at http://www.brookings.edu/events/2012/05/10-arts-development#ref-id=20120510_NEA_Panel_1

2)  Juilliard launches E-Learning music program:  The Juilliard Schools in New York City and Baltimore's Connections Education announced on May 16, 2012 a partnership to provide online music education to K-12 students called Juilliard eLearning. The partnership will begin in 2012-13 to develop online courses for K-12 educators and students, with distribution and implementation through Connections Education, which is a part of Pearson.

Juilliard eLearning will link Juilliard's expertise in performing arts education and Connections Education's expertise in high-quality online learning. The program will begin at Connections Academy virtual public schools, which nationally educates 40,000+ students in grades K-12, and will also be marketed to educational institutions and directly to K-12 students and adults.

The first courses to be offered by Juilliard eLearning in the 2012-2013 school year will include elementary, middle and high school music, aligned to the National Standards. In subsequent years, courses such as music theory, music history, drama history, or dance history, are being considered.

Juilliard eLearning courses and learning materials will feature exclusive music, video, animations, and other immersive content, plus synchronous and a-synchronous learning opportunities from both Juilliard's experts and Connections Education's certified teachers.

For more information about Juilliard eLearning, call 888-440-2890.  A public website with more information will be available soon.

3) Program Takes Students to the Arts:  An article published in the Huffington Post on May 15, 2012 describes the non-profit program "The Time In Children's Arts Initiative", a new program in New York City that provides young children with experiences in the arts. ("Innovative Educational Program 'HiArt!' Immerses Little Kids In High Art" by Priscilla Frank, The Huffington Post.)

The "Time In" program is an off-shoot of "HiArt!", a fifteen year old program in New York City founded and directed by Cyndie Bellen-Berthezene.  The "Time In" program provides students in underserved schools in the New York City school district in grades preK-1 with a half day per week of instruction in dance, opera, theater, visual art, etc. at the program's studio, and at galleries, museums, etc.

According to the web site, "Time In" is about opening doors for kids in underserved schools and letting them know that the whole incredible world out there also belongs to them. That there is a way - through the arts - in which imagination and reality can work together - for them! So that before you know it, we will have created a whole a new generation of wonderful thinkers, arts lovers and young artists, each of whom will be poised to enrich the world around them with their unique insights and talents."

To read the article please visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/12/hi-art-art-education_n_1500671.html.

To learn more about "Time In" please visit http://www.hiartkids.com/fr_timein.htm.

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Education Update May 7, 2012

Joan Platz

Special Alert:  Update on the Revised Academic 

Content Standards for the Fine Arts

Edited drafts of Ohio's Academic Content 

Standards for Fine Arts are expected to be posted 

on the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) web 

site soon, as the State Board of Education is 

scheduled to consider an intent to adopt these 

standards at their meeting on May 15, 2012.

As of this writing, the draft standards from 

November 2011 are still posted on the ODE web 

site.

The OAAE will alert members when the "edited" 

standards are posted.  If you would like to 

comment about the standards, please contact your 

representative on the State Board of Education at 

http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&;TopicRelationID=575&ContentID=58806

To learn more about the draft revised standards 

please visit 

http://www.education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&;TopicRelationID=1700&ContentID=98202&Content=123780

1)  129th Ohio General Assembly:  The Ohio House 

and Senate will hold committee hearings and 

sessions this week.

*Legislative Update

-The House Ways and Means Committee reported out 

on May 2, 2012 HB521 (Dovilla) Ohio Motion 

Picture Tax Credit.  The bill would increase the 

maximum total amount of tax credits allowed per 

year for completion of motion pictures certified 

as tax credit-eligible productions.

-The Ohio Senate approved on May 3, 2012 SB331 

(Patton) Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit (Patton), 

which would extend the motion picture tax credit 

program.

-The Ohio Senate approved on May 3, 2012 SCR14 

(Jones), which recognizes the 2012 World Choir 

Games in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a global event of 

cultural significance to Ohio and the U.S. and 

expressing support by designating the month of 

July 2012 as "World Choir Games Month."

*WebSite Launched:  The Constitutional 

Modernization Commission has started a web site 

at http://ocmc.ohio.gov/ocmc/. The site includes 

information about the commission's meetings and 

membership.

2)  News from Washington, D.C.

*Career Tech Revamp: Secretary of Education Arne 

Duncan announced on April 19, 2012 the Obama 

administration's plans to revamp the Career 

Technical Education (CTE) program through 

reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

Technical Education Act of 2006. The plan would 

make CTE more relevant to the employment needs of 

the 21st century and emphasizes learning as a 

life-long process.

According to a press release, the blueprint to 

revamp CTE is based on the following principles:

-Effective alignment between CTE and labor market 

needs to equip students with twenty-first-century 

skills and prepare them for in-demand occupations 

in high-growth industry sectors.

-Strong collaboration among secondary and 

post-secondary institutions, employers, and 

industry partners to improve the quality of CTE 

programs.

-Meaningful accountability for improving academic 

outcomes and building technical and employability 

skills in CTE programs, based upon common 

definitions and clear metrics for performance.

-Increased emphasis on innovation supported by 

systemic reform of state policies and practices 

to support CTE implementation of effective 

practices at the local level.

The proposed plan supports a structured sequence 

of CTE courses spanning secondary through 

post-secondary education, leading to an industry 

certification or license and a post-secondary 

certificate or degree. Secondary school teachers 

would be encouraged to work with college faculty 

to teach integrated academic, career, and 

technical content, and potential employers would 

provide more opportunities for students to 

participate in work-based learning experiences 

and receive credits.

For more information about the CTE plan, please 

visit 

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-blueprint-transform-career-and-technical-educat 

*Groups Urge ESEA Reauthorization:  Leaders of 

several organizations have signed a letter dated 

May 3, 2012 urging Congress to take action on 

bills that would reauthorize the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act (ESEA) before the 112th 

Congress adjourns.  The organizations include the 

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), 

the National Governor's Association, the National 

Conference of State Legislatures, the National 

Association of Counties, the National League of 

Cities, the National Association of State Boards 

of Education, and the National School Boards 

Association.

The letter states that the last reauthorization, 

the No Child Left Behind Act, had "commendable 

intent" but was flawed and shifted "....too much 

control away from state and local elected 

officials, diluted the impact of federal 

resources, and relied on a method of identifying 

academic progress that focused on failure instead 

of rewarding excellence. Ten years later, it is 

past time to rewrite the law and correct its 

mistakes."

The organizations believe that the flexibility 

offered states by the U.S. Department of 

Education through the waiver process provides 

temporary relief, but also imposes additional 

challenges for states/schools to meet, and not 

all states will be able to take advantage of the 

waivers.  "Federal policy must not set up a 

system that disadvantages some states and some 

students," the letter states.

The letter is available at 

http://www.governing.com/news/federal/gov-state-and-local-leaders-urge-congress-to-reauthorize-esea.html

*Budget and Appropriations Update:  The U.S. 

Senate is supporting the $1.047 trillion budget 

for U.S. government departments and agencies 

negotiated in the Budget Control Act (BCA), a law 

passed by Congress and signed by President Obama 

on August 2, 2011. The U.S. House adopted on 

March 29, 2012 House Concurrent Resolution 112 

(HCR112), establishing a $1.028 trillion FY13 

budget and budgetary levels for FY14-22.  The 

House budget plan is entitled "the Path to 

Prosperity" and was developed by Representative 

Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin).  It would reduce the 

size of government to 20 percent of the economy 

by 2015, and abandons the bipartisan Budget 

Control Act of 2011, which already includes 

non-discretionary spending caps.

The $19 billion difference between the House and 

Senate budgets means that lawmakers will need to 

compromise by October 1, 2012 on appropriation 

levels in order to avoid a government shut-down. 

In addition, if Congress does not approve 

appropriations for FY13, under the Budget Control 

Act of 2011, mandatory budget cuts of up to 7.8 

percent will be made on January 2, 2013.  In 

testimony before the House Appropriations 

Committee in March 2012, U.S Secretary of 

Education Arne Duncan said that "It would be 

impossible for us to manage cuts of that 

magnitude and still achieve our fundamental 

mission to prepare our students from the earliest 

ages for college and careers."

The House and Senate are now working on 

allocations for government departments and 

agencies, referred to as FY13 302(b) allocations 

through House and Senate Appropriations 

Committees.  So far the House has allocated 

$150.002 billion for Labor, Health and Human 

Services and Education, while the Senate set the 

level for Labor, Health and Human Services, and 

Education at $157.7 billion, an increase of $1.5 

billion over the current level.

3)  This Week at the Statehouse

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012

*Senate Education, Senator Lehner chair

The Senate Education Committee will meet at 9:30 

AM in the South Hearing Room.  The committee will 

receive testimony on the following bills:

-HB375 (Butler) Property Sale by School 

Districts, which would allow school districts to 

sell real property to private, nonprofit 

institutions of higher education.

-SB316 (Lehner) Mid Biennium Review - Education

-SB335 (Turner/Lehner) Municipal School 

Districts/Community Schools, which would revise 

the management of school districts and community 

schools located within municipal school districts.

*House Finance and Appropriations Committee, Representative Amstutz chair.

The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, 

will meet at 1:30 PM in Hearing Room 313. Paolo 

DeMaria, a principal at Education First, will 

present information about local revenues for 

funding schools.

*Senate Finance, Senator Widener chair

The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 2:30 PM 

in the Senate Finance Hearing Room to receive 

testimony on HB487 (Amstutz) Mid Biennium Review, 

which makes operating and other appropriations, 

levies taxes and provides for implementation of 

those levies, and provides authorization and 

conditions for the operation of state programs.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012

*Senate Finance, Senator Widener chair

The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 2:30 PM 

in the Senate Finance Hearing Room to receive 

testimony on HB487 (Amstutz) Mid Biennium Review, 

which makes operating and other appropriations, 

levies taxes, and provides for implementation of 

those levies, and provides authorization and 

conditions for the operation of state programs.

House Education Committee, Representative Stebelton chair.

The House Education Committee will meet at 5:00 

PM in Hearing Room 313.  The committee will 

receive testimony on HB525 (Williams/Amstutz) 

Municipal School Districts-Community Schools.

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

*Senate Finance, Senator Widener chair

The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 3:30 PM 

in the Senate Finance Hearing Room to receive 

testimony on HB487 (Amstutz) Mid Biennium Review, 

which makes operating and other appropriations, 

levies taxes, and provides for implementation of 

those levies, and provides authorization and 

conditions for the operation of state programs.

4)  School Funding Hearings Begin:  Paolo 

DeMaria, a principal of Education First, 

presented information to the House Finance and 

Appropriations Committee, chaired by 

Representative Amstutz, on May 1, and 2, 2012. 

(Please note:  The following summary is made 

possible in part thanks to Susan Schwarz, who 

attended the first hearing and made available her 

notes.)

The presentations are part of an effort by the 

Ohio House to jump-start discussions about 

developing a new school funding formula for 

Ohio's schools. Representative Ron Amstutz, chair 

of the House Finance and Appropriations 

Committee, announced in January 2012 that the 

House Finance Committee/Primary and Secondary 

Subcommittee would hold hearings and regional 

meetings about Ohio's school funding system 

starting in May 2012.  The subcommittee will 

gather information this year and align their 

findings with the recommendations of the 

Governor's office to create a new state school 

funding formula for FY14-15.  Membership on the 

subcommittee will be increased for this purpose. 

The members of the Extended Subcommittee for 

Primary and Secondary Education include 

Representatives Amstutz, McClain, Hayes, Maag, 

Stebelton, Sykes, Lundy, and Phillips.

Currently schools/districts in Ohio are funded 

through a temporary "bridge formula", which was 

enacted in HB153, the FY 12-13 budget.  Total 

State General Revenue Fund (GRF) for K-12 

education is $7.5 billion for FY12 and $7.6 

billion for FY13.  This amount is comparable to 

the total GRF funding for K-12 education in 

FY08-09 of $15.8 billion.  According to a Policy 

Matters Ohio analysis, state funding for schools 

is $1.8 billion less than the previous two years. 

("The State Budget and Ohio's Schools Big Cuts, 

Hard Choices, Local Impacts" by Wendy Patton, 

Piet van Lier, and Elizabeth Ginther, January 19, 

2012 at 

http://www.policymattersohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SchoolFinanceJan2012.pdf.) 

The temporary formula included in HB153 replaced 

the "Evidence Based Model" (EBM) proposed by 

Governor Strickland and enacted by the 128th Ohio 

General Assembly through House Bill 1 (Sykes).

In Part 1 of the presentation on school funding, 

Mr. DeMaria reviewed the number and types of 

schools in Ohio and some basic statistics. 

According to the presentation, 90.1 percent of 

the 1.8 million students in grades K-12 are 

educated in traditional public schools; 6.3 

percent in community schools; 2.3 percent in 

vocational schools; and 1.1 percent in private 

schools using a voucher.

K-12 education is a big business in Ohio.  The 

largest share of the state's General Revenue Fund 

is allocated for K-12 education (41.7 percent). 

Using data from the 2010-11 school year, overall 

funding for K-12 education equals $20.5 billion 

and includes revenue from local sources (44.6 

percent); state sources (45.5 percent); and 

federal sources (9.9 percent). As a part of state 

aid, the Ohio Lottery provides about $650 million 

each year.  To increase state funding by just 5 

percent would require $1 billion.

School districts receive more or less state aid 

based on their local wealth, determined by 

property value and sometimes income value. 

Information from 2010-11 shows that the average 

amount of state aid that school districts in the 

lowest quintile based on wealth received is 60.8 

percent, while school districts in the highest 

quintile based on wealth received on average 28.6 

percent of funding from the state.

According to a map showing the amount of state 

aid a school district received as a share of 

total district revenue, most of the school 

districts receiving over 57.86 percent of their 

revenue from state aid are located in the 

southern counties of Ohio.

The per-pupil cost of education also varies in 

Ohio's districts from a low of $7,000 to a high 

of $21,000 per pupil. Compared to other states 

Ohio ranks 25th in adjusted expenditure per pupil 

at $11,382.

Part 2 of Mr. DeMaria's presentation on Ohio's 

system of funding schools included information 

about school district expenditures, teacher 

salary levels, teacher experience, and more.

According to the presentation, about 77 percent 

of school district budgets support salaries and 

fringe benefits when examined by object.  When 

the budget is examined by function, then about 55 

percent of a school's budget goes toward 

instructional costs that include personnel; 18.7 

percent to building operations, 12.3 percent 

supports administrative costs; and 9.9 percent 

for pupil support. The average teacher salary in 

Ohio in FY10 was $55,958.  Ohio ranked 14th in 

average teacher salary compared to other states. 

In response to questions about increasing student 

achievement, Mr. DeMaria said that researchers 

have had a hard time showing a strong 

correlations between per pupil state spending and 

increased student academic achievement.

Part 3 of the presentation focused on the 

components of a state school funding formula, 

which Mr. DeMaria described as the "assured 

available amount" minus the local contribution, 

with adjustments for guarantees, caps, and 

protection mechanisms.

The "assured available amount" is also based on 

components, such as a base amount, which has been 

determined in Ohio in several ways, plus factors 

such as the number of pupils enrolled and 

categorical funding to meet the needs of 

students, including special, gifted, career 

technical, English Language learners, and 

students from poverty backgrounds.

If you are interested in receiving copies of the 

presentations, please email 

jplatz@chemistry.ohio-state.edu">jplatz@chemistry.ohio-state.edu. A web site is 

being created to make available copies of the 

presentations and research.

5) How Should Principals Be Evaluated?  The 

American Institutes for Research (AIR) released 

on May 1, 2012 a new report entitled "The Ripple 

Effect" by Matt Clifford.  The report finds that 

principals and other school-based leaders are 

being left out of discussions about education 

reform and that principal evaluation systems 

should be based on the quality of school-level 

leadership and performance, rather than student 

assessment results.

The report notes that principals have an indirect 

influence on student learning, and so principal 

evaluations should be based on measuring outcomes 

that principals directly influence, such as work 

quality, school climate, and instructional 

quality.  Work quality includes time management, 

modeling ethical and professional behaviors, 

showing initiative and persistence, engaging in 

ongoing reflection and learning, using data to 

inform strategies, allocating human and financial 

resources, and ensuring compliance with district, 

state, and federal policies.

The report also describes how the work of 

principals has changed and that the new demands 

include more emphasis on instructional leadership 

and monitoring student achievement, rather than 

the management of the school.

The report is available at 

http://www.air.org/news/index.cfm?fa=viewContent&;content_id=1879.

6) What do Charter Schools Spend?  The National 

Education Policy Center released on May 5, 2012 a 

policy brief entitled "Spending by the Major 

Charter Management Organizations:  Comparing 

Charter School and Local Public District 

Financial Resources in New York, Ohio, and 

Texas," by Bruce D. Baker, Ken Libby, and Kathryn 

Wiley.  The brief examines the claim that charter 

schools deliver higher student performance at a 

lower cost, by evaluating the per-pupil spending 

of charter schools operated by major charter 

management organizations (CMOs) in New York City, 

Texas, and Ohio (2008-2010), and comparing 

charter school expenditures to the expenditures 

of district schools of similar size, serving the 

same grade levels, and serving similar student 

populations.

The researchers found that spending varies 

greatly in charter schools and in traditional 

schools, and comparative spending is mixed. Many 

high profile charter networks outspend similar 

district schools in New York City and Texas, but 

in Ohio some network schools are spending less 

than similar district schools.

For example, in New York City, KIPP, Achievement 

First, and Uncommon Schools spend "substantially 

more" ($2000 to $4300 per pupil) than similar 

district schools.  (Average per pupil spending is 

$12,000-14,000).  In Ohio charter schools spend 

less than district schools in the same city.

The researchers suggest that charter schools such 

as KIPP, Achievement First, and Uncommon Schools, 

are using strategies that increase their marginal 

costs, including such strategies as after school 

tutoring, lower class size, wrap-around services, 

etc.

The researchers also noted, however, that they 

are not sure that all expenditures for charter 

schools are accounted for, even in New York City, 

where the annual financial reports of charter 

schools matched the best with the Internal 

Revenue Service (IRS) non-profit financial 

filings (IRS 990) used by researchers to gather 

the expenditure data. In Ohio the researchers 

found that the IRS estimates on expenditures were 

"strikingly different" than the expenditure data 

reported by the state.

The report is available at 

http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/spending-major-charter.

7) Strengthening Public Education?  Education 

Week's "Transforming Education Blog" published on 

May 3, 2012, included an article entitled "Ten 

Steps in the Right Direction: How the Feds Can 

Strengthen Public Education" by Dan Domenech, 

Executive Director of the American Association of 

School Administrators (AASA). The article 

includes the following recommendations that the 

federal government could make to invigorate 

schools and create an environment for positive 

change:

*Provide regulatory relief from No Child Left Behind.

The waiver process that the administration has 

implemented is no more than an exchange of old 

regulations for new ones. It replaces the 

depleted stimulus dollars with regulatory relief 

as the means to get states and districts to 

implement the administration's policy. We 

certainly support accountability and the 

continued disaggregation of data for sub-groups 

of students, one of the few positive 

contributions of NCLB. We strongly support 

improving the lowest achieving schools, but at 

the same time we believe we must acknowledge the 

accomplishments of the vast majority of schools 

in America.

*Allocate funds via formulas based on percentage of poverty.

We continue to object to the use of ESEA dollars 

for competitive grants. The intent of ESEA is to 

level the playing field relative to poverty. 

Since the beginning of the current recession, 

school systems have seen dramatic increases in 

the number of children eligible for free and 

reduced lunches. All eligible children should 

benefit from all available funds, not just those 

in "winner" states and districts.

*Set goals, hold districts accountable for them, 

but allow the localities the freedom to determine 

how to implement them.

We are concerned about the growing intrusion of 

the federal government into state and local 

education issues. Any reduction in federal funds 

should be accompanied by a similar reduction in 

federal mandates. School systems should not be 

required to spend local and state funds to 

implement federal mandates. Accountability for 

effectiveness is a state and local 

responsibility, as are compensation decisions. 

The required use of the very standardized tests 

that have been labeled as not valid and reliable 

by the administration in order to evaluate 

teachers and principals is creating chaos in 

states and school systems throughout the country. 

Yes, student performance must be a key factor in 

the evaluation of teachers and administrators, 

but it must be left up to the states and 

localities to determine how, not forced upon them 

as a requirement for obtaining competitive 

federal dollars.

*Fully fund and reauthorize the Rural Education 

Achievement Program Reauthorization Act (REAP) to 

maintain direct-to-district funding.

AASA played a pivotal role in the original 

adoption of this program. The needs of our rural 

schools are often overlooked and, due to a lack 

of capacity and staffing, they tend to fair 

poorly in a competitive grant environment. REAP 

is a dedicated source of funds that they sorely 

need.

*Continue to support the Common Core and state-developed standards.

In a globally competitive world we cannot go 

against countries that have a set of national 

standards while we have a set of fifty standards. 

It is also difficult to assess our progress as a 

nation with fifty sets of tests whose results do 

not align well with the closest instrument we 

have to a national test, the National Assessment 

for Educational Progress.

*Separate assessment for purposes of 

accountability from assessment for the purpose of 

informing instruction.

A random sample of the nation, a la NAEP, would 

do for purposes of accountability with reduced 

costs and less intrusion on instruction and the 

number of children and subjects tested.

*State interventions should concentrate on 

building capacity and focus on a broad range of 

evidence and practice- based turn-around models.

Current requirements take judgment out of the 

hands of local administrators and force them to 

engage in the whole-scale removal of teachers and 

principals. We must stop the negative rhetoric 

that blankets all public schools and focus on the 

schools that need fixing.

*Provide full funding of IDEA.

AASA continues to advocate for full funding at 

the forty percent of the national average 

per-pupil expenditure and for allowing school 

districts to reduce local effort by up to one 

hundred percent of federal funding decreases.

*Provide federal funding to address non-school barriers to student achievement.

Wrap around programs continue to be essential to 

the education of the total child, and we support 

high quality childcare programs and tax 

incentives for employers to provide support for 

child care and after-school care. The Children's 

Health Insurance Program (CHIP) should be 

continued and schools should be permitted to 

claim reimbursement from Medicaid.

*The funding cap for E-Rate should be raised to meet demand.

The author also noted that AASA opposes vouchers 

and federal funding for non-public schools, and 

that AASA will continue to be strong advocates 

for our public schools.  AASA will continue to 

work with both houses of Congress to reauthorize 

the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and 

supports much of what is contained in the 

reauthorization bills that have emerged in the 

House and Senate.

The article is available at 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/transforming_learning/

8)  Bills Introduced

SB339 (Schaffer) Fiscal Accountability 

Requirements: Establishes education programs and 

continuing education requirements for the fiscal 

officers of townships and municipal corporation, 

establishes procedures for removing those fiscal 

officers, county treasurers, and county auditors 

from office, and creates fiscal accountability 

requirements for public schools, counties, 

municipal corporations, and townships.

SCR30 (Widener) Central State University: 

Designates Central State University as Ohio's 

1890 land grant university and requests that the 

United States Congress pass legislation and the 

United States Department of Agriculture take 

steps to recognize that designation and provide 

the institution with all of the benefits of the 

designation.

FYI ARTS

1) Schools in PA Losing Arts and Music:  An 

article published on April 30, 2012 in the 

Philadelphia Inquirer reports that many 

Pennsylvania elementary schools are eliminating 

instruction in art and music as school district 

budgets tighten.  ("Music and art may soon join 

languages on the endangered list at Pennsylvania 

elementary schools" by Dan Hardy, April 30, 2012) 

Some districts report that "pressure to allocate 

more money and more classroom time to core 

academic subjects could trigger the elimination 

of elementary school music and art classes, 

physical-education teachers, and librarians this 

fall."

In a survey conducted last summer 44 percent of 

school districts reported that they had reduced 

course offerings not required for graduation, 

including foreign languages, arts, music, 

physical education, and some electives.  Some 

districts reported that they had cut every thing, 

and were "running out of options".  They are now 

forced to cut the arts and music programs in 

their schools.  Some plan to integrate the arts 

in other classes, or provide enrichment on 

Saturdays at a minimum cost for parents.

Some advocates for the arts are using Facebook to 

mount a campaign to urge citizens to contact 

members of the boards of education of their 

school districts, to urge them to maintain the 

arts, while other advocates are focusing on the 

state legislature.

The article is available at 

http://articles.philly.com/2012-04-30/news/31498586_1_music-classes-art-and-music-elementary-schools.

2) Governors Look to the Arts to Boost Economic 

Growth: The National Governor's Association (NGA) 

released on April 30, 2012 a report that 

describes how governors are focusing on the role 

that the arts, culture, and design can play to 

create jobs in an innovation-based economy. ("New 

Engines of Growth:  Five Roles for Arts, Culture, 

and Design," prepared by Erin Sparks and Mary Jo 

Waits in collaboration with Bill Fulton of 

Solomar Research Group. National Governor's 

Association, April 2012.)

Because state/national economies are so fragile, 

governors are examining all approaches to support 

economic development, and some are working with 

their state arts agency to advance strategies 

that support high-growth industries, innovation, 

entrepreneurial activity, building human capital, 

and reviving distressed areas.

The report suggests that the arts, culture, and 

design can boost economic growth because they can:

*Provide a fast-growth, dynamic industry cluster.

-Examining the economic importance of the 

creative industry cluster within the state by 

looking at the geographic proximity of creative 

enterprises, creative occupations, and associated 

institutions;

-Finding that the creative cluster is a vital 

source of jobs and income, as well as a way to 

distinguish the state in the highly competitive 

21st-century economy;

-Crafting strategies to promote the growth and 

profitability of creative enterprises, as part of 

the state's economic development strategy;

-Including state arts councils and similar 

organizations as part of the state's economic 

development infrastructure; and

-Reviewing the business incentives, financing 

programs, and entrepreneurial assistance 

available in the state and refining guidelines to 

make them more available to the state's artists 

and creative businesses.

*Help mature industries become more competitive

-Exploring the links between the creative talent 

in the state-artists, designers, new media 

entrepreneurs-and other important clusters to 

deepen those connections and improve the 

competitiveness of traditional industries, such 

as manufacturing;

-Creating dedicated units and expertise within 

community colleges, manufacturing extension 

centers, and agricultural extension services that 

focus on design; that is, they are adding design 

capabilities in firm assessments and providing 

access to technical assistance in the design of 

products, packaging, and branding; and

-Boosting tourism by leveraging and marketing the 

unique culture and food of regions.

*Provide the critical ingredients for innovative places

-Considering their universities and medical 

research institutions ("eds and meds") and the 

spaces around them as places that can be designed 

to offer the ingredients for innovation-smart 

people, research institutions, professional 

networks, favorable intellectual property 

agreements, and other conditions that can help 

companies spur innovation;

-Finding that cities, through their zoning and 

land use authority and their vibrant arts and 

cultural organizations, can catalyze or rein- 

force high-quality places as a competitive 

advantage for states in a global economy;

-Using tax credits and other kinds of incentives 

to encourage cities and developers to create 

cultural districts, creative corridors, 

innovation hubs, and other places that will 

attract a critical mass of creative talent and 

facilitate co-location, or geographic clustering, 

of complementary businesses; and

-Starting to measure the effectiveness and 

communicate the progress of these zones and 

districts by tracking change in population, 

employment, property tax base, and taxable sales.

*Catalyze community revitalization

-Supporting the use of arts and design-combined 

with historic preservation efforts-to turn around 

distressed neighborhoods;

-Using tax incentives and grants to encourage 

private rehabilitation of historic buildings and 

the creation of arts districts where creative 

people and enterprises are encouraged to live, 

work, and collaborate; and

-Using public art programs to activate public 

locations in a way that engages all people in the 

creative process.

*Deliver a better-prepared workforce.

To boost economic growth, states areŠ

-Maintaining the inclusion of arts in state curriculum requirements

-Integrating arts and design into technical and 

business programs in community colleges and 

universities

-Mapping career paths in creative enterprises and occupations

-Creating centers of excellence in higher 

education to recruit recognized faculty who can 

attract talented students and link the arts to 

technology to inspire innovation.

The report provides examples from communities 

across the country about how the arts have been 

used to reinvent, transform, revitalize 

communities, thus improving the economic 

conditions of states and communities.

The report is available at 

http://www.nga.org/cms/home/news-room/news-releases/page_2012/col2-content/governors-look-to-arts-culture-a.html

3)  Impact Creativity to Support Theatre 

Education:  The National Corporate Theatre Fund 

(NCTF) announced on May 2, 2012 a new campaign 

called "Impact Creativity" to benefit theatre 

education programs.  The campaign starts with a 

$200,000 gift from Ernst & Young LLP and its 

Partner Group, and will seek up to $5 million to 

support theatre education programs in 19 American 

cities.

Impact Creativity will raise corporate, 

foundation, and individual funds to preserve and 

sustain theater programs for students.  According 

to the Impact Creativity web site, "Government 

and arts education groups, as well as the 

theatres themselves, have documented a nationwide 

decline in arts education programs of 15-25 

percent over the last ten years; in minority 

communities, the decline approaches 40 percent."

Corporate America recognizes that an education in 

theater and the arts provides students with 

opportunities to learn skills valued by 

employers, such as communication, 

problem-solving, and creativity. James S. Turley, 

chairman and CEO of the global Ernst & Young 

organization, recently said that "Tomorrow's 

workforce must act confidently, communicate 

effectively and think creatively - all qualities 

that can be enhanced through arts and theatre 

education."

For more information please visit http://impactcreativity.org.