Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
Arts on Line Education Update
April 15, 2013
Joan Platz
•130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate will hold hearings and sessions this week.
•House Committee Accepts Substitute Budget Bill: The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Amstutz, accepted on April 9, 2013 a substitute bill replacing House Bill 59 (Amstutz), Governor Kasich’s budget bill for FY14 and FY15 (Executive Budget), which was introduced in February 2013. The Finance Committee accepted the substitute bill 19 to 12 mainly along party lines, with Representative Sears (R) also voting against the substitute bill.
As anticipated, the substitute bill includes a variety of changes in HB59. The substitute bill reduces the income tax cut proposed by Governor Kasich to a permanent 7 percent reduction, rather than a 20 percent reduction phased-in over three years, and removes provisions to expand the sales tax, reduce the income tax for small businesses, increase the severance tax on oil and gas drilling, and expand Medicaid. Changes have also been made to Achievement Everywhere, the governor’s state funding plan for schools/districts.
The House Finance and Appropriations Committee received testimony on the substitute bill last week. Additional amendments to the bill will be considered by the committee on April 16, 2013. Once the bill clears the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, the full House will consider it. Lawmakers expect this to happen on April 18, 2013. The Ohio Senate will begin informal hearings on HB59 starting on April 16, 2013.
More information about the changes in HB59 are included below.
Information about the hearings on Sub. HB59 is available at
http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/finance-and-appropriations
•Senate Hearing Schedule for Sub. HB59 Posted: The Ohio Senate, Keith Faber president, released last week the Senate schedule for considering Sub. HB59 (Amstutz) the Biennial Budget. The bill will be debated in the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Scott Oelslager, starting on April 16, 2013, and then in Senate subcommittees for education, general government, and Medicaid, and in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The subcommittees have a target date of May 23, 2013 to complete their reports for the full Senate Finance Committee to consider. According to the Senate plan, a substitute bill will be developed by May 28, 2013 and reported by the Senate Finance Committee by June 4, 2013. The full Senate is scheduled to vote on Sub. HB59 by June 5, 2013.
•Senate Passes Legislation: The Ohio Senate approved on April 10, 2013 SB42 (Manning-Gardner), which authorizes school districts to seek tax levies to support school safety and security upgrades. The bill now moves to the Ohio House for consideration.
•Representative Szollosi to Leave the House: Representative Matt Szollosi (D-Oregon) announced last week that he will resign his 46th House District seat to become executive director of Affiliated Construction Trades of Ohio. No time was set for his departure.
•Two More Districts Under Academic Distress: The Department of Education this week granted the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s request to waive the formation of an Academic Distress Commission, but instituted a commission for the Lorain City Schools. The Youngstown City School District has been under an academic distress commission since January 2010.
Both school districts, Cleveland and Lorain, are subject to state intervention, because they have received an “academic emergency” rating by the state for three or more consecutive years, and have failed to meet the adequate yearly progress measure for four or more consecutive years.
According to Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Richard Ross, Cleveland was granted a waiver from forming an academic distress commission, because it is implementing the “Cleveland Plan”, which was developed by stakeholders in Cleveland to improve student achievement, and was included in law, 129-HB525. Forming another commission would be redundant. The Cleveland school district must also report to the governor and the legislature by November 15, 2017 the school district’s progress in raising student achievement.
Superintendent Ross appointed last week three members of the Academic Distress Commission for the Lorain City Schools. The commission will include William Zelei from the Ohio Schools Council, Cathy Dietlin, retired educator and Executive Director of REACHigher Lorain, and Rosa Rivera-Hainaj, Lorain County Community College Dean of Science and Math. Timothy Williams, president of the Lorain board of education, also appointed Raul Ramos and Henry Patterson Jr. to the commission.
•Simulations of New Report Cards Released: The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released last week simulations of how school districts, schools, and community schools would rate on the new report card measures that will be phased-in over the next few years. The simulations are based on 2011-2012 data, but, according to ODE documents, are not projections for the 2012-13 report card. Beginning August 2013 schools will receive letter grades, rather than the labels “excellent”, “effective”, “continuous improvement”, etc., on nine measures. The measures will be grouped into six broad components, which will also receive grades by August 2015. Eventually schools and districts will receive an overall letter grade for their report card, but not until the measures and components are fully phased-in.
The six components are:
-Achievement, which includes two performance measures: Performance Indicators and Performance Index measures.
-Progress, which includes four measures for All Students, gifted students (math, reading superior cognitive only), students with disabilities (all students who have an IEP and take the OAA), and students in the lowest 20 percent of achievement statewide.
-Graduation Rate, which includes a four year graduation rate and a five year graduation rate.
-Gap Closing, which includes annual measurable objectives for specific groups of students based on race, and students who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency.
-K-3 Literacy, which includes a measure for K-3 literacy improvement.
-Prepared for Success, which includes measures based on the student results of college admission tests; dual enrollment credits, industry credentials, honors diploma, advanced placement exams, and International Baccalaureate exams. These measures will not be graded, but will be reported on the report card. The “Prepared for Success” component grade will be based on the percentage of a school’s or district’s graduating class that demonstrates college and career readiness. Any student included in any of the six ungraded measures, would be considered college or career ready. The State Board of Education may also decide to include the results of a state selected college and career readiness assessment in the component grade.
Information about the report card measures, components, how the grades will be determined, and the simulations for school districts and schools are available at http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDedicatedPage.aspx?page=1071
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
-The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Amstutz, will meet on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 10:00 AM in Hearing Room 313. The committee will consider amendments for Sub. HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget. No testimony will be accepted.
-The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager, will meet on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 11:00 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will receive testimony on Sub. HB59 from the Office of Budget and Management and the Legislative Services Commission, and testimony on tax reform.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
-The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager, will meet on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 9:30 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will receive testimony on Sub. HB59 (Amstutz) regarding the budgets for K-12 and higher education.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
-The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager, will meet on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:30 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will receive testimony on Sub. HB59 (Amstutz) regarding Medicaid.
3) More Details on HB59: The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Ron Amstutz, held hearings on the substitute version of HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget last week. Compared to Governor Kasich’s Executive Budget for FY14-15, the House substitute bill reduces total state funding in the General Revenue Fund from $63.2 billion to $61.4 billion for the biennium. The reduction is mainly due to the removal of approximately $2.1 billion of federal funds to expand Medicaid.
General Revenue funding for the Ohio Department of Education is also reduced by $55 million in FY14 and $26.9 million in FY15, making total General Revenue funding for the ODE $16.2 billion for the biennium ($7.976 in FY14 and $8.248 in FY15). All Funds for the ODE equal $23.2 billion for the biennium, compared to $23.58 billion in the Executive Budget.
Sub. HB59 also includes a $1.7 million increase in funding for the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) over the biennium, which brings the All Funds total for the OAC to $23.8 million for the biennium.
The following are some of the other line-item changes included in the substitute bill:
-Increases Passport provider rates by $6 million.
-Increases funding for food banks by $2 million a year.
-Increases funding for educational services centers (ESCs) by $52.5 million over the biennium.
-Increases funding for higher education by $8.1 million to provide a “bridge fund” during the transition to the new formula.
-Increases funding for Ohio College Opportunity grants for proprietary school students by $2.3 million over the biennium.
-Increases funding to counties for mental health services to $30 million per year and provides an additional $20 million per year for drug treatment.
4) Highlights of HB59 Changes for K-12 Education: The House Finance and Appropriations Committee’s version of HB59 changes several K-12 education provisions included in Governor Kasich’s budget proposal as introduced, but also retains provisions, such as the expansion of the EdChoice voucher program and funding community schools as a deduction/transfer from school district funds.
According to Chairman Amstutz the House school funding plan ensures that no school district receives less state funding than in FY13. The substitute bill also reduces the number of school districts on the guarantee from 396 to 175 in FY14, and caps state aid increases at 6 percent.
When compared to the Executive Budget, the House substitute bill changes funding levels for the following K-12 education line items:
-Provides $505 million in FY14 and $518.5 million in FY15 for transportation, and includes transportation in the school funding formula. This is an increase of $37.6 million in FY14 and $58.3 million in FY15.
-Adds $25.3 million in FY14 and $23.1 million in FY15 to supplement transportation for low wealth/density districts.
-Increases funding for educational service centers by $22.5 million in FY14 and $30 million in FY15.
-Increases funding for Career-Technical Education Enhancements from $8.8 million to $9 million in FY14 and from $8.2 million to $9 million in FY15.
-Increases Line Item 7017 (Lottery Profits) 200612 Foundation Funding by $50 million in FY14 and by $100 million in FY15 to $775 million and $850 million respectively.
-Reduces funding for Educator Preparation by $1 million over the biennium.
-Reduces funding for Auxiliary Services from $133.1 million to $130.5 million in FY14, and from $137.1 million to $134.8 million in FY15. This amount is still higher than the FY13 level of $126 million.
-Reduces funding for Nonpublic Administrative Cost Reimbursement from $60 million to $58.9 in FY14 and from $61.9 million to $60.9 million in FY15.
-Reduces Line Item GRF 200550 Foundation Funding by $114.3 million in FY14 and by $99.6 million in FY15. Total Foundation Funding in this line item is $5.8 billion in FY14 and $6 billion in FY15.
-Reduces the Straight A Program by $50 million in FY14 and by $100 million in FY15, and moves the program into temporary law, Section 263.325.
The following are highlights of some of the policy changes included in Sub. HB59 (Amstutz):
-Removes the proposed changes in the governance structure for educational service centers.
-Removes the expansion of the parent trigger.
-Maintains the current ratio for school psychologists and speech pathologists.
-Eliminates College Credit Plus language and changes for dual enrollment programs.
-Eliminates the ability of a school district to offer a payment in lieu of transportation and instead sends the district’s per pupil transportation amount directly to the student.
5) School Funding Formula Changes in Sub. HB59: The substitute bill changes the formula used to determine state aid from an equal yield formula, proposed in the Executive Budget, to a foundation formula. The substitute bill includes a per pupil “formula amount” of $5732 in FY14 and $5789 in FY15. The formula amount is multiplied by an “annualized average monthly”, average daily membership (ADM), and a “state share index” to adjust for wealth. Adjustments to that product are made to address student educational needs, including special education, limited English proficiency, poverty, career technical education, etc.
School districts that receive increases in state aid are capped at 6 percent over the previous year. According to information provided by the Ohio School Boards Association, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, and the Ohio Association of State Business Officials, 364 districts are projected to be capped in FY14, and 312 districts in FY15.
Whereas the governor’s proposed formula in HB59 led to 396 school districts on the guarantee, the formula proposed in the substitute bill decreases the number of school districts on the guarantee to 175 in FY14 and 161 in FY15. And, according to OSBA, BASA, and OASBA, the amount of the guarantee that districts receive is less, so that districts are less dependent on the guarantee.
The substitute bill also retains the Targeted Assistance provision included in the Executive Budget. This provision distributes additional state aid to schools with low property and income wealth. A new provision is added to Targeted Assistance in the substitute bill to take into account districts with a high percentage of current agricultural use value (CAUV) property.
The substitute bill also includes adjustments in the formula to address the educational needs of students. The following is an overview of some of the changes in the substitute bill related to student subgroups. This is not a comprehensive analysis, because some of these provisions might be changed on Tuesday, when the House Finance and Appropriations Committee amends the bill again.
•Accountability/Consistent Progress: School districts/schools are still required to account for the expenditure of state education funds provided for services to subgroups of students, including students who are gifted, students with special needs, students who are disadvantaged, and students with limited English proficiency.
The provision in the Executive Budget regarding “consistent progress” is changed, however. The State Board of Education is required to determine measures of “satisfactory achievement and progress” for subgroups of students not later than December 31, 2014. The ODE is required to use the measures established by the State Board to determine if a district or school has made satisfactory achievement and progress for the subgroups by September 1, 2015, and annually thereafter.
Districts and schools not meeting satisfactory progress for subgroups of students are required to submit an improvement plan to the ODE. The ODE is permitted to require that the plan include a partnership with another entity for services to that subgroup.
•Gifted Students: The substitute bill makes significant changes in the funding for gifted education, returning to a unit-funded model. First, the substitute bill provides $5.00 in FY14 and $5.05 in FY15 for the identification of gifted students, rather than $50 per ADM in the Executive Budget. Next, the bill defines “district gifted unit ADM” as a district’s average daily membership minus community school and STEM school ADM. One gifted coordinator unit is provided per 3,300 students in a district’s gifted unit ADM with a minimum of 0.5 units and a maximum of 8 units. One gifted intervention specialist unit is provided for every 1,100 students in a district’s gifted unit ADM, with a minimum of .3 units. Funding for the units is $37,000 in FY14 and $37,370 for FY15. $3.8 million is also provided for educational service centers to support gifted units.
•Special Education: The substitute bill provides additional aid for students in addition to the formula amount based on the six special education categories that are unchanged from the governor’s version of HB59. However, the substitute bill uses a weight for each special education category rather than a specific additional amount, and funds the special education weighted amounts at 90 percent.
•Economically Disadvantaged Students: The substitute bill funds economically disadvantaged students through a formula that provides $340 in FY14 and $343 in FY15 times an “economically disadvantaged ADM” times an economically disadvantage index.
•Limited English Proficiency (LEP): The substitute bill provides funds equal to the sum of (ADM for each LEP category x an amount for each LEP category) x state share index. The substitute bill reduces the number of LEP categories to three, and increases the amounts by one percent in FY15.
•Career Technical Education: The substitute bill provides funds to traditional and joint vocational districts for career-technical education through the funding formula, based on the formula amount x the district’s total career-technical education weight x state share index. Sub. HB59 also retains the five categories of weights included in the Executive Budget, and requires the payment of these funds to be reviewed and approved by the lead district of the career-technical planning district (CTPD) to which the district is affiliated.
•Joint Vocational School District: Sub. HB59 replaces the Executive Budget provision with the following formula: (Formula amount x formula ADM) - (0.0005 x three year average property valuation), where formula amount equals $5,732 in FY14 and $5,789 in FY15. If the result is negative, then the amount is “0”.
•Educational Service Centers: The substitute bill establishes in temporary law the per pupil state payment for educational service centers at $37.00 per pupil in FY14 and $35 per pupil in FY15. The bill increases funding for ESCs to $43.5 million in FY14 and $40 million in FY15.
- The House Finance and Appropriations Committee received testimony on Sub. HB59 last week from several education organizations and individuals, including representatives from the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy, the Ohio 8, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio School Boards Association, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, KnowledgeWorks, students, and
Most individuals and organizations thanked lawmakers for making changes that they believe set a “positive direction” for funding school districts in Ohio. Some of the provisions approved by witnesses include using a base cost amount in a formula and increasing the base cost amount for FY15; reducing the number of school districts on the guarantee; including transportation funds in the formula; providing supplemental transportation funds to districts; eliminating the parent trigger; changing the catastrophic reimbursement for special education; restoring funding for educational service centers; clarifying the Straight A fund; removing the changes proposed for the governance of educational service centers; and more.
Witnesses also noted that more time is needed to thoroughly analyze the proposed school funding formula included in the substitute bill. The following are some of the issues and concerns identified by those who testified on the substitute bill last week:
-There is less money for K-12 education in the substitute bill compared to the Executive Budget.
-The “formula amount” is still not determined based on the cost of the components of a quality education: The substitute bill returns to a base cost amount of $5732 for FY14, which is the base cost amount used in FY09 under Governor Taft and the Building Blocks model, rather than a base cost amount based on research about the cost of a quality education for 2014-15 and the future.
-Simulations are not comparable: The simulations of the amount of state aid projected for school districts and schools through the proposed school funding formula in Sub. HB59 are not comparable with previous simulations, because funding for transportation and career tech are now included, but were not in the Executive Budget.
-Monthly ADM count: The way that school districts count students for funding purposes would change under the substitute bill. The student count currently happens in October, with adjustments made at the end of the fiscal year. The substitute bill requires students to be counted monthly, which could increase the administrative costs for school districts. Constantly changing attendance numbers could also destabilize funding for school districts and therefore affect services for students, and destabilize planning for programs and services for future school years.
-Six percent cap: The proposed cap of 6 percent for school districts on increases in state aid could be hard on poorer districts that need more than a six percent increase in state aid to restore education programs like art, music, and AP courses, that have been cut due to budget constraints.
-Charter schools: Charter schools should not be expanded, because they have not lived-up to their promise of improving student achievement at a lower cost, and have, instead, diverted tax payer funds (including state and local funds) to some nonprofit entities that are not accountable to the public.
-Vouchers: There is no evidence that voucher programs improve student achievement, and no accountability for the public funds transferred to privately operated schools. The expansion of the EdChoice voucher program in the Executive Budget and in the substitute bill undermines public education, by diverting limited public funds away from traditional public schools.
-”Consistent progress” provision: Although this accountability provision was changed in the substitute bill, it is still not practical to implement. According to the witnesses, federal, local, and state funds are mingled when services are provided to subgroups of students. A variety of differently funded services are provided to students based on their needs, making it difficult to determine which services could be responsible for not making “satisfactory progress”. In many communities there are no organizations to partner with to provide students with services. Also, there are no provisions for holding the partnership organizations equally accountable for state funds to achieve “satisfactory progress”.
-Special education: The cost of special education programs, including catastrophic costs, are much higher than the state reimbursements. Although the substituted bill changed the catastrophic reimbursement program, $80 million for the biennium is too low. Also, the reimbursements rates for catastrophic costs are different for school districts and community schools.
-Transportation: State aid for transportation has not kept pace with the cost of buses or gasoline, or the added complexity of transporting more and more students to charter schools and private schools. The motor fuel/excise tax, which supports mass transit and school bus transportation, has not increased for several years.
-More funding for preschool is needed: The Ohio 8 recommended that $50 million in additional dollars be used to provide full-day preschool for Ohio’s three and four year old children. Preschool providers should be required to meet at least a two-star standards in the Step Up to Quality rating system. Priority should be given to districts with children who score low on the Kindergarten KRA-L assessment.
-English language learners: Students learning English need more than three years from the time that they enter the United States to learn English. In many cases these students not only have to learn English, but also must learn about going to school. Funding for these students is also subject to the “consistent progress” accountability provisions, which is not practical, because Ohio’s schools are going to be held responsible for the progress of students who might have attended schools in other states before moving to Ohio.
The testimony on Sub. HB59 is available at
http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/finance-and-appropriations
The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, met on April 8 and 9, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio. Board members expressed condolences to the family of District 10 representative Jeff Hardin, who passed away on March 13, 2013, and to other members of the State Board and the Ohio Department of Education who have recently lost loved ones.
The Board welcomed Dr. Richard Ross to his first meeting of the State Board of Education as newly appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction. A formal swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Ross was held on April 8th conducted by Justice Sharon Kennedy of the Ohio Supreme Court. Dr. Ross told the Board that he is reaching out to superintendents through regional meetings of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators and through weekly calls to groups of superintendents. He is also holding “open door” weekly meetings with the staff of the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to learn more about department initiatives. He will soon present to the State Board a revised mission, strategic plan, and goals to clarify a common purpose and direction for the ODE. There will also be a search to fill recent vacancies due to the resignations of Deputy Superintendent Michael Sawyers and Associate Superintendent Jim Herrholz.
The State Board also received reports from the following committees:
•The Achievement Committee, chaired by C. Todd Jones, discussed Career Connections and the definition of college and career ready.
Career Connections is a joint initiative of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, the Board of Regents, and the Ohio Department of Education. Senate Bill 316 requires that career connections learning strategies be embedded in model curricula so that students have more opportunities to identify and develop career interests and make academic and career plans. Regional working groups of teachers, curriculum experts, and school counselors are drafting the learning strategies, which will be presented to the State Board in May, and adopted in June 2013.
The committee also discussed college and career ready, and agreed that there is no desire to develop separate definitions for college ready and career ready.
•The Capacity Committee, chaired by Tom Gunlock, discussed the following four issues.
-States with Inadequate Licensing Standards: The committee identified five states in which teachers would not qualify for a reciprocal Ohio license. The states are Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming. This recommendation will be considered by the full Board in July 2012.
-Teacher Evaluation Framework for State Agencies: The committee recommended that teachers in state agencies be evaluated using the same framework as other teachers in Ohio. The full Board will consider this recommendation before June 30, 2013.
-Career Technical Education report card: The committee tabled a proposed report card for Career Technical Education. The committee requested that the report card for Career Technical programs be similar to the new state local report card. Incomplete data is a barrier for developing a report card for career technical programs. The committee discussed how the issue of incomplete data could be resolved.
-Update on the SEED School: A new proposal has been developed for the SEED School, which is a boarding school which will open in Cincinnati for certain eligible students. The ODE and the SEED management company are discussing the new proposal. The committee is concerned about who would own the property and assets of the school, if it closed.
Next month the committee will discuss career technical education, cut scores for the new teacher certification assessments developed by Pearson, which will be used starting in August 2013, and the SEED school.
•The Urban Committee, chaired by Angela Thi-Bennett, discussed three items: expanding comprehensive health and mental health related services for students to address non-academic barriers; the results a survey of persistently low performing schools; and a framework to support persistently low performing schools.
The committee received information from Susan Ackerman, Director of Regulatory Services at the Ohio Association of health Plans, Ms. Amy Swanson, Vice President of Marketing, Advocacy & Member Experience for United Health Care, and Ms. Toni Fortson-Bigby, Director of Consumer Advocacy at Care Source about ways to collaborate to increase student access to health services. Mr. Mark Smith, the supervisor of Medicaid programs at ODE, also participated in the presentation.
According to the presentation, Ohio’s Medicaid Program currently covers 2.2 million Ohioans, which includes 1 out of every 5 people and 2 out of every 5 children under the age of 18. There are around 105,000 Ohio children eligible, but not covered by Medicaid.
Some of the ideas presented to increase student access to health and mental health services include identifying more Medicaid eligible students; establishing a single parent consent form to allow schools to exchange information with the Medicaid plans; and leveraging the Medicaid health plan care managers to make contact with families if a child is experiencing difficulties in learning.
The committee also reviewed a summary of 7,072 responses to a survey sent to 966 persistently low performing schools by the ODE. Respondents identified comprehensive support services; reducing the nonacademic barriers for learning; and professional development as important strategies to improve student outcomes.
Dr. John Richard and the directors within the ODE Center for Accountability and Continuous Improvement shared with the committee a framework based on Ohio’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver to support persistently low performing schools. In May 2013 the Committee will review the recommendations in preparation for a full Board review.
•The Legislative and Budget Committee, chaired by Bryan Williams discussed the following nine amendments that the Ohio Department of Education submitted to the House Finance and Appropriations Committee regarding HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget:
-Community School Contract Suspension: To place a limit on the time that community school contracts can be under suspension to one full academic year.
-Multi-age Groups Pk-K: Several schools/districts are requesting to group preK and Kindergarten students. Current law only allows Montessori schools to do this. The ODE is asking lawmakers to permit all schools/districts to do this.
-Waiver consolidation: The ODE is requesting that waiver provisions be streamlined and consolidated to provide more clarity about the waivers. Currently various waiver provisions are included in several parts of the law, and are not aligned. Waivers can also be granted by the ODE, Superintendent, or State Board.
-Collection of Personally Identifiable Student Data: The State Board at their October 2012 meeting approved a motion recommending that the ODE have access to personally identifiable data of students in relation to their Student State Identification number.
-Physical Activity Pilot Program: The ODE is requesting that school buildings, rather than all schools in a district, be able to participate in the Physical Activity Pilot Program. The ODE is also requesting that schools/districts be allowed to meet the time requirements to implement the program either daily or weekly.
-HB555 Flexibility: This amendment would align the Ohio Revised Code with U.S. Department of Education’s waiver giving Ohio more flexibility to meet No Child Left Behind requirements.
-Graduation Rate Definition: This amendment would align the graduation rate included in the ORC section for assessment with the new definition of graduation rate.
-HB555: Technical amendment to correct incorrect references.
-Sponsor Termination: The ODE is requesting that it have the authority not to sponsor community schools with contracts that have been terminated by their sponsor.
The committee also discussed Ohio’s recommendations for the reauthorization of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The Legislative and Budget Committee held an additional committee meeting on March 25, 2013 to discuss the Medicaid for Schools Program and what it would take to expand services for students in Ohio. According to Mr. Williams, some individuals have estimated that Ohio could receive up to $200 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements for services that Ohio schools are providing students. One of the issues that was identified during the discussion is the amount of time that it takes for the federal Medicaid program to reimburse school districts for services. Ohio school districts and schools are currently waiting for about $56 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements for services already provided. Over half of Ohio’s school districts are not participating in the program, because of the amount of case management work involved, which includes verifying services, the qualifications of the staff, and the alignment of the services provided with a student’s individual education plan. Some districts say it just costs too much money to get the reimbursements. One of the categories for Medicaid expansion could be teachers’ aides.
•The Accountability Committee, Tom Gunlock chair, provided the Board more details about some of the decisions that the committee has been making regarding the components of the local report card. There was a discussion about using attendance as a graded component. In the new version of the report card attendance is reported, but not graded separately. Board members expressed how the attendance grade was very important to some school districts and helped them reach effective or excellent status.
On Tuesday, April 9, 2013 the State Board recognized 17 Blue Ribbon Schools in Ohio (13 public and 4 private.) The No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Program (NCLB-BRS) is a national program that recognizes elementary and secondary schools that make significant progress in closing achievement gaps or whose students achieve at the highest levels in their state.
The Ohio Department of Education is allowed to nominate up to 14 public schools and the Council for American Private Education is allowed to nominate four school from Ohio each year. Nominations are submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. There are two categories for nomination: exemplary high performing schools and schools with exemplary improvement. Exemplary High Performing Schools are defined as performing in the top 15 percent of schools in the state as measured by state assessments in both reading and mathematics. The schools with 40 percent or more poverty may fall into either category. Schools with less than 40 percent poverty only qualify for the high performing category. At least five of Ohio’s 14 nominations must have 40 percent or more students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
This year the Ohio Department of Education nominated 13 public schools and the Council for American Private Education nominated four private schools. All were selected. State Board President Debe Terhar, presented the following schools with a special recognition from the State Board:
Arcadia High School, Arcadia Local
Bassett Elementary School, Westlake City
Butternut Elementary School, North Olmsted City
Chippewa High School, Chippewa Local
Fairbanks High School, Fairbanks Local
Hilliard Elementary School, Westlake City
Horizon Science Academy, Columbus High School, Sponsor: Lucas County ESC
Independence Primary School, Independence
Jefferson Avenue Elementary School, Shadyside Local
Lincoln Elementary, Tiffin City
Lincoln Elementary, Wadsworth City
Rocky River High School, Rocky River City
Western Reserve High School, Western Reserve Local
Youngstown Community School, Sponsor: Mahoning County ESC
St. Edward Elementary School, Ashland
St. Dominic School, Shaker Heights
Our Lady of the Elms Elementary School, Akron
Holy Family School, Stowe
The Board also received a presentation from two students, Makayla Grover and Breanna Jutte, representing the Fort Recovery School District, Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). The students were invited to the April 2013 State Board meeting by Board member Tess Elshoff, who had heard their presentation at a Fort Recovery School District board of education meeting.
The students were advocating for family and consumer science classes at their school. The students had prepared the presentation as a Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) competition event, and had earned a “gold rating” in a regional FCCLA competition in March 2013. During their presentation they expressed concern about the elimination of family and consumer science courses in schools due to budget cuts. According to the presentation, family and consumer science classes are middle and high school electives that support students as they transition to college, careers, and life, by helping students identify careers and develop skills, including financial literacy and resource management skills, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills.
Under new business Mr. Williams recommended that the State Board investigate a report alleging that an educational service center serving the Medina City Schools paid for certain expenditures for the school district without the approval of the elected board of education. President Terhar recommended that this issue be addressed by the Capacity Committee.
Mr. Williams also proposed that the State Board invite students to attend State Board meetings and showcase what they are doing in their schools. Mrs. Elshoff further recommended that the State Board invite school arts groups to perform during lunch.
During the State Board’s business meeting, members voted on the following resolutions, included in the Report and Recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
#2 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rules 3301-28-01 TO 3301-28-06 of the Administrative Code Regarding Local Report Card Measures and to Rescind Rules 3301-58-01 TO 3301-58-03 of the Administrative Code Regarding the Value-Added Progress Dimension. (VOLUME 2, PAGE 6)
#3 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Amend Rules 3301-51-10, 3301-83-09, -10, -16, -17, -21, AND -22 and to Adopt Rule 3301-83-24 of the Administrative Code Regarding Pupil Transportation. (VOLUME 2, PAGE 21)
#14 Approved a Resolution to Amend Rules 3301-24-08 of the Administrative Code Entitled Professional or Associate License Renewal.
#15 Approved a Resolution to Amend Rules 3301-24-19 TO -22 of the Administrative Code Regarding Alternative Educator Resident Licenses. (VOLUME 3, PAGE 288)
#16 Approved a Resolution to Adopt Rule 3301-35-15 of the Administrative Code Entitled Standards Concerning the Implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports and the Use of Restraint and Seclusion. (VOLUME 3, PAGE 304)
FYI ARTS
•Governor Appoints Robb Hankins to the Ohio Arts Council: Governor Kasich appointed last week Robert J. Hankins of Canton, Ohio to the Ohio Arts Council for a term beginning April 8, 2013, and ending July 1, 2017. Mr. Hankins is the President and CEO of ArtsinStark, a nonprofit organization that awards grants, manages the Cultural Center for the Arts in Canton, and manages the annual arts campaign, which raises funds for the Canton Ballet, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Canton Museum of Art, Players Guild Theatre, Voices of Canton, Inc., the Massillon Museum, and the Canton Palace Theatre.
Robb Hankins has spent over 30 years directing city, county, and state arts agencies in eight different states, including Wisconsin, Connecticut, California, and Oregon. He has managed annual arts campaigns, arts festivals, public art projects, arts education programs, and downtown arts districts.
•More STEM to STEAM: A guest editorial in The Seattle Times urges policy makers to add the arts to STEM education. The author, John Maeda, is an electrical engineer and computer scientist, with a doctorate in design from the Tsukuba University in Japan, and currently the president of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Growing up in Seattle, he experienced the tremendous influence of the fields of technology, art, and design on the software industry during the 1990s. He writes, “....there is great power in these fields taken separately, and even more when they are put together. It’s why I believe we need to add an “A” for art to the national STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education agenda — to turn it to STEAM.”
He goes on to say that even at an early age he understood that there was a prejudice about being accomplished in the arts. His elementary school teachers told his parents that he was good in math and the arts, but his parents only focused on math. This situation led him to focus on interdisciplinary thinking, so that he could infuse artistic design concepts into his work. As a professor at the MIT Media Lab he advocated that artists and designers write their own computer programs to create a new kind of artistic material.
He writes, “I remain convinced that artists and designers will be the innovators of this century, and that the problem-solving, the fearlessness and the critical thinking and making skills that I see every day are what is needed to keep our country competitive. Designers and artists create objects, devices and services that are more engaging, more efficient, more desirable and ultimately, more human.”
He goes on to say, “Most important, developing this creativity needs to start in the K-12 schools. Sustaining arts education in its own right remains critically important. But equally important is taking a page from schools that have been successful at integrating the arts into STEM curriculum with a STEAM approach.”
The guest editorial, “Turn STEM into STEAM with arts education” by John Maeda is in the April 6, 2013 edition of The Seattle Times at
http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020721289_johnmaedaopedxml.html
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Joan Platz
Director of Research
Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
77 South High Street Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-446-9669 - cell
Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
Arts on Line Education Update
Joan Platz
April 8, 2013
***Celebrate National Poetry Month April 2013: National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. The purpose of the monthlong celebration of poetry is to:
-Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
-Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
-Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
-Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
-Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
-Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
-Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry
A variety of individuals, organizations, and businesses are involved in promoting National Poetry Month. Many resources are also available for teachers to use to involve students in reading and creating poetry.
Information about teacher resources and activities to promote poetry is available at
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/47
1) Ohio News
•130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate will be back in session on April 9, 2013 with hearings and sessions scheduled for the week.
The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Amstutz, will be introducing a substitute bill for House Bill 59 (Amstutz) the FY14-15 budget bill. Representative Amstutz told reporters last week that lawmakers need more time to deliberate on some parts of the bill, and so some provisions might be removed and placed in separate legislation. House lawmakers are seeking resolutions on several controversial components of Governor Kasich’s $63.3 billion two year budget, including expanding Medicaid to cover uninsured Ohioans; cutting the income tax; expanding the sales tax and the severance tax on gas and oil drilling; and developing a state funding system for Ohio’s schools.
Some advocates for public education are urging lawmakers to make changes in HB59’s proposed state aid program for school districts. They are recommending that the state amount per pupil be raised to over $6000 in FY14, and a new per pupil amount, that represents the cost of the components of a high quality education, be developed by a bipartisan commission for FY15. Under HB59 the per pupil amount works out to be around $5000.
The House Finance and Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet this week on April 9, 2013 at 3:00 PM; April 10, 2013 at 9:00 AM; April 11, 2013 at 9:00 AM; and April 12, 2013 at 9:00 AM. All hearings will be held in room 313 at the Statehouse. A substitute bill is expected to be introduced on April 9th.
The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, will meet on April 10, 2013 in the South Hearing Room at 10:15 AM. The committee will receive a presentation from Frank DePalma, superintendent of the Montgomery County Educational Service Center, on the history, role, and funding of ESCs. The committee will also consider for approval Governor Kasich’s appointment of Darryl Mehaffie, Angela Thi Bennett, C. Todd Jones. and Mark Smith to the State Board of Education.
•Transportation Budget Signed: Governor Kasich signed on April 1, 2013 HB51 (McGregor/Patmon) the Transportation and Public Safety Budget for FY14-15. The $7.6 billion budget includes a plan to fund statewide highway projects using $1.5 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds. Governor Kasich vetoed a $7.5 million per year reimbursement to railroads for grade crossing maintenance. In the veto message the governor explained that this provision was already addressed in another section of the budget.
•ODE Regional Meetings: The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is hosting a series of regional meetings on recent changes for K-12 education. The ODE Division of Learning will lead sessions for teacher leaders and school district leaders around the state through April and May focusing on the following topics:
-Ohio Principal Evaluation System
-Ohio Teacher Evaluation System
-Ohio’s New Learning Standards
-Third Grade Reading Guarantee
-Next generation of assessments
-New online teacher licensing program
-Ohio Resident Educator Program
-Lesson and unit development and evaluation using content-specific rubrics aligned to the new standards
The meeting for Columbus was held on April 2, 2013. Meetings in other areas are scheduled for,
-Wednesday, April 10 in Dayton
-Friday, April 12 in Cincinnati
-Tuesday, April 16 in Cleveland
-Friday, April 19 in Youngstown
-Wednesday, May 8 in Toledo
-Friday, May 10 in Zanesville
-Thursday, May 16 in Findlay
Sessions for school districts will run from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Sessions for teacher leaders will run from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
To register visit the STARS website by searching the key words “Division of Learning Regional Meetings” and “Division of Learning Teacher Work Sessions” at http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1286&ContentID=3787.
•Administration will Introduce Federal Budget: President Obama will release on April 10, 2013 his administration’s FY14 budget plan, which would take effect on October 1, 2013.
According to an article in the Washington Post, the budget includes the same offer President Obama made to House Speaker John Boehner last December during talks about ways to avoid drastic budget cuts known as sequestration. That offer includes $1.8 trillion in deficit reductions through cuts in spending and tax increases. The proposed budget is expected to include cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and other measures to replace the across the board cuts made in the federal government on March 1, 2013. The budget also expands preschool programs for students from low-income and moderate income families, and includes investments in brain research. (“Obama budget would cut entitlements in exchange for tax increases” by Zachary A. Goldfarb and Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, Updated: Friday, April 5, 12:38 PM)
In addition to the debates that will now take place in Congress about appropriations levels for FY14, lawmakers and the White House will also have to deal with another fiscal challenge in early summer about raising the federal debt ceiling.
The President’s budget, which is usually introduced in February, was delayed this year due to continuous negotiations between the parties about FY13 allocations and the debate about sequestration, which eventually went into effect in March.
The U.S. House and Senate approved their budget plans last month. The U.S. House approved a non-binding FY14 budget sponsored by Representative Paul Ryan (House Concurrent Resolution 25: vote 221 to 207), while the U.S. Senate approved on March 23, 2013 a non-binding FY14 budget sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (Senate Concurrent Resolution 8). Both measures take different paths to balancing the national budget in the future. The Republican budget plan maintains funding for the military while decreasing funding for domestic programs, including education. It also includes a provision that would allow parents to use Title 1 funds for private schools. The Democrat’s plan increases taxes while also reducing spending, and ends sequestration cuts for education. The plan would increase funding for Title 1 and special education, and calls for more investment in early learning programs.
Budget resolutions are not binding, but do provide guidance for appropriations bills to fund federal agencies and governments. FY14 appropriations bills for all federal agencies and departments must be approved by October 1, 2013.
More information about the President’s proposed budget is available at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-budget-would-cut-entitlements-in-exchange-for-tax-increases/2013/04/05/2ee93f82-9dd6-11e2-9a79-eb5280c81c63_story.html?tid=pm_pop
The State Board of Education, Debbie Terhar president, will meet on April 8-9, 2013 at the Ohio Department of Education Conference Center, 25 South Front Street, Columbus, OH.
On Monday, April 8, 2013, the State Board’s agenda includes a formal swearing-in ceremony for the new Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Richard Ross, led by Justice Sharon Kennedy of the Ohio Supreme Court. Hannah News reports that Governor Kasich might also announce two appointments to the State Board. Currently the 19-member Board has two vacancies: an open “at-large” seat, formerly held by Stanley Jackson, whose term expired in December 2012, and the District 10 elected seat held by Jeff Harden, who passed away last month. (Hannah News, Friday, April 5, 2013.)
The State Board’s Achievement, Capacity, and Urban Education committees will meet on Monday morning, and the Accountability Committee will meet at 5:00 PM on Monday. The Achievement Committee will discuss college and career readiness and the Accountability Committee will discuss the new report card design.
On Monday the State Board will also conduct a 119 hearing on Rules 3301-102-09 regarding approving applicants of new internet or computer-based community schools. The State Board will then discuss Governor Kasich’s state school funding proposal included in HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget. The Board will receive testimony from the following witnesses:
-Chris Burrows, Superintendent, Georgetown Exempted Village
-Rusty Clifford, Superintendent, West Carrollton City
-Barbara Mattei-Smith, Assistant Policy Director for the Governor’s Office of 21st Century Education
-Chris Pfister, Superintendent, Waynesfield-Goshen Local
-Lori Snyder-Lowe, Superintendent, Morgan Local
The State Board will also receive a presentation from Philanthropy Ohio, led by Dr. Suzanne Allen, President, and Lisa Gray, Education Project Director.
On Tuesday, April 9, 2013 the State Board’s Legislative and Budget Committee will meet at 8:30 AM to discuss the development of the federal IDEA platform. The full Board will meet at 9:30 AM to begin its business meeting. The Board will discuss the education components in HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget; receive reports from committees; and receive the report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Board will also recognize Ohio’s Blue Ribbon Schools.
In the afternoon the Board will receive public testimony on public and non-agenda items, and vote on the Recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Board will then consider old business, new business, miscellaneous business, and adjourn.
Recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
#2 Approve a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rules 3301-28-01 TO 3301-28-06 of the Administrative Code Regarding Local Report Card Measures and to Rescind Rules 3301-58-01 TO 3301-58-03 of the Administrative Code Regarding the Value-Added Progress Dimension. (VOLUME 2, PAGE 6)
#3 Approve a Resolution of Intent to Amend Rules 3301-51-10, 3301-83-09, -10, -16, -17, -21, AND -22 and to Adopt Rule 3301-83-24 of the Administrative Code Regarding Pupil Transportation. (VOLUME 2, PAGE 21)
#14 Approve a Resolution to Amend Rules 3301-24-08 of the Administrative Code Entitled Professional or Associate License Renewal.
#15 Approve a Resolution to Amend Rules 3301-24-19 TO -22 of the Administrative Code Regarding Alternative Educator Resident Licenses. (VOLUME 3, PAGE 288)
#16 Approve a Resolution to Adopt Rule 3301-35-15 of the Administrative Code Entitled Standards Concerning the Implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports and the Use of Restraint and Seclusion. (VOLUME 3, PAGE 304)
Information about the State Board of Education meeting is available at
http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=576&ContentID=137918&Content=142074
4) Teacher Evaluations In the News: Last week several articles were published about the new evaluations for teachers based on student achievement and other criteria, and stirred- up more national debate about this latest education reform.
•New York Times Article: On March 30, 2013 the New York Times published an article entitled “Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass” by Jenny Anderson. The article explains that nearly half of the states now require new teacher evaluation systems to provide meaningful and critical information to administrators to “weed-out” poor teachers. However, when the teacher evaluations were completed this year using the more rigorous evaluation systems, Florida still rated 97 percent of teachers as effective; Tennessee found that 98 percent of teachers were “at expectations”; and in Michigan 98 percent of teachers were rated effective or better.
The article notes that the “rosy” results are “worrisome” considering the millions of dollars that have been spent developing the new systems, and the thousands of hours that have been used to train principals and others to evaluate teachers using the new criteria, including student academic growth.
Some experts opine that the high stakes consequences of the evaluations - in some states teachers with ineffective ratings over time can lose their jobs - and the amount of flux that has been occurring in assessments and standards, have made principals more cautious about giving teachers low marks.
Others believe that some states have set the academic growth bar too low, so that it raises the ratings of teachers rather than helps to identify weaker teachers.
Some teachers and principals are also raising questions about the consistency and fairness of using student test score results to evaluate teachers, because they believe that there is no scientific evidence for rating teacher effectiveness based on student academic growth.
The article is entitled “Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass” by Jenny Anderson, New York Times, March 30, 2013 at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/education/curious-grade-for-teachers-nearly-all-pass.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
•Bill Gates on Teacher Evaluations: Then on April 3, 2013 Bill Gates added to the national discussion about teacher evaluations by publishing an opinion piece in the Washington Post. (“Bill Gates: A Fairer Way to Evaluate Teachers”, by Bill Gates, Washington Post Opinions, April 3, 2013.)
According to the column, “Efforts are being made to define effective teaching and give teachers the support they need to be as effective as possible. But as states and districts rush to implement new teacher development and evaluation systems, there is a risk they’ll use hastily contrived, unproven measures. One glaring example is the rush to develop new assessments in grades and subjects not currently covered by state tests. Some states and districts are talking about developing tests for all subjects, including choir and gym, just so they have something to measure.”
Mr. Gates then refers to Ohio’s 165 page PE assessment as an example of an excessive use of testing, and states that he “understands” teachers’ “concerns and frustrations”, when student test scores are used as the primary basis for making decisions about “firing, promoting and compensating teachers.”
Mr. Gates recommends that teacher evaluation systems provide feedback that teachers can trust, and “...include multiple measures of performance, such as student surveys, classroom observations by experienced colleagues and student test results.”
•Anthony Cody's Responds: In response to Mr. Gates’ Washington Post column, Anthony Cody writes in Education Week’s “Living in the Dialogue” blog that, “No one in America has done more to promote the raising of stakes for test scores in education than Bill Gates”. His influence (billions of dollars) on the U.S. Department of Education, the Data Quality Council, the National Council on Teacher Quality, and groups such as Teach Plus has led to labeling schools as failures; closing neighborhood public schools; narrowing the curriculum; using test scores as a significant component for evaluating teachers; and promoting charter schools and voucher programs.
Mr. Cody then states that Mr. Gates’ Washington Post column “...amounts to an attempt to distance the Gates Foundation from the asinine consequences of the policies they have sponsored, while accepting no responsibility for them whatsoever.”
The blog is entitled “Bill Gates Dances Around the Teacher Evaluation Disaster He Sponsored” by Anthony Cody, Education Week Living in the Dialogue Blog, on April 4, 2013 3:32 PM and is available at
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/04/bill_gates_dances_around_the.html
For more comments about teacher evaluations please read the following posts:
-Valerie Strauss “Wrecking physical ed: Ohio’s P.E. assessment for kids” by Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, posted on April 5, 2013 at 10:06 AM.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/05/wrecking-physical-ed-ohios-p-e-assessment-for-kids/
-Diane Ravitch “Cody: Time to Hold Bill Gates Accountable” by Diane Ravitch, posted on April 6, 2013 at http://dianeravitch.net/2013/04/06/cody-time-to-hold-bill-gates-accountable/
HB113 (Antonio/Henne) High School Physical Education: Allows school districts and chartered nonpublic schools to excuse from high school physical education students who participate in a school-sponsored athletic club.
SB96 (LaRose) High School Social Studies Curriculum: Requires one unit of world history in the high school social studies curriculum.
FYI ARTS
•Governor’s Appointment: Governor Kasich announced last week the appointment of James F. Dicke, II of New Bremen to the Ohio Arts Council for a term beginning on April 5, 2013 and ending on July 1, 2017. Mr. Dicke is the chairman and chief executive officer of Crown Equipment Corporation. He is also recognized as an artist and photographer in his own right. He graduated from Trinity University, Texas, in 1986 with a B.S. in Business Administration, and has served as a trustee at Trinity University and chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1997-2000. He is recognized for his art collections and philanthropic contributions, including support for the Dicke Art Building in the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center, at Trinity University. He has also been chairman of the Commissioners of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is Chairman Emeritus of the Dayton Art Institute.
•More on STEAM Schools: The Tri-City Herald in the state of Washington reports that the Pasco City board of education is considering building two new elementary schools that will focus on the STEAM educational model. (“Pasco School Board Wants to See If New Schools Can Focus Around STEM, STEAM Programs” by Ty Beaver, Tri-City Herald, March 30, 2013)
All of the subjects taught in the new schools would focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and also include the arts (STEAM). According to principal Deidre Holmberg, students would not only learn to paint, but learn to make their own paints. Students studying the oboe would also understand how it works. Currently STEM subjects are integrated in the middle and high school curricula. This effort would ensure that students in the early grades would also have a STEM/STEAM integrated curriculum starting in Kindergarten.
The article is available at
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/03/30/2335906/pasco-school-board-wants-to-see.html
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Joan Platz
Director of Research
Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
77 South High Street Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-446-9669 - cell
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Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
Arts on Line Education Update
Joan Platz
March 25, 2013
•130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate will be on Spring recess until April 9, 2013.
•Transportation Budget Approved: Last week the Ohio House and Senate agreed to changes in the combined Transportation Budget and Ohio Turnpike bonding plan (HB51 McGregor/Patmon) sending the bill to Governor Kasich to sign into law. The $7.6 billion funding plan includes $1.5 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds to fund highway projects. Some lawmakers and constituents in northern Ohio object to the transportation plan, because funding from the sale of the Ohio Turnpike Bonds to fund construction projects will not be used exclusively for highway projects to assist northern Ohio residents, who bear most of the cost of using the Turnpike.
•Update on HB59: Proposed amendments to HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget were due last Friday. Representative Ron Amstutz, chair of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, has indicated that changes will be made in HB59 as introduced when the House returns from Spring recess. Although Republicans support Governor Kasich’s plan to cut income taxes, the increases in the state sales tax and oil/gas severance taxes needed to offset the income tax cuts are not popular and are expected to change. There have also been conversations about removing some of the provisions of the bill, such as the proposed changes for medicaid and educational service centers, and considering them in separate legislation. The Finance and Appropriations Committee is expected to consider a substitute bill when it returns from Spring recess in April. The Ohio House is expected to vote on HB59 by April 18, 2013.
•Governor Signs SB47: The controversial election reform bill, SB47 (Seitz), was approved by the Ohio House on March 20, 2013 by a vote of 56 to 37. The bill was quickly signed into law by Governor Kasich on March 22, 2013. The bill makes a variety of technical changes in election law, but also changes how Ohio voters can change laws and amend the Constitution through the initiative and referendum petition process. The new law prohibits additional signature collection between the date that an initiative or referendum petition is initially submitted to the Secretary of State and the date that the Secretary of State notifies petitioners that there are an insufficient number of valid signatures for the petitions to qualify for the ballot. The sponsors of the petition can collect additional signatures to qualify for the ballot only during the extra 10-day collection period, and must use a separate petition form. Opponents of this provision believe that it will hamper public efforts to use the initiative and reference process to change laws, thus violating the rights of Ohioans as stated in the Ohio Constitution.
•House Committee to Resolve Contested Election Meets: The House Select Committee for the 98th House District, chaired by Representative Huffman, met on March 20, 2013. The nine-member committee was formed to review the results of the 98th House District election between Representative Al Landis (R-Dover) and former Representative Joshua O’Farrell (D-New Philadelphia). Representative Landis won the election in November by 8 votes, but the election was immediately contested by Josh O’Farrell, who filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court. Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor reviewed the evidence gathered in response to the lawsuit, and directed the case to be settled by the House of Representatives. The complaint alleges that there were irregularities in how some ballots were counted. Once the House committee examines the evidence, it will present its recommendations to the full Ohio House for a final decision about the election.
•FY13 Appropriations Approved: The U.S. Senate and House approved HR933, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, on March 21, 2013, paving the way for President Obama to sign the bill into law. The bill finalizes debate about FY13 appropriations, which should have been approved last October 2012. The government has been operating on continuing resolutions since last October.
Although the bill continues sequestration, the automatic spending cuts of $85 billion enacted on March 1, 2013, the bill includes additional appropriations for certain federal agencies and programs to compensate them for the automatic cuts. Concern was growing about the cuts being made to essential services, such as air traffic controllers, meat inspections, and the military.
But, the bill does not change sequestration for the U.S, Department of Education. Most federal education programs, such as Title 1, will experience a five percent cut in the 2013-14 school year, and school districts are now preparing for the cuts.
In addition to resolving FY13 appropriations, Congress has also been working on FY14 budget resolutions and FY14 appropriations.
The U.S. House approved last week a non-binding FY14 budget resolution sponsored by Representative Paul Ryan (House Concurrent Resolution 25: vote 221 to 207), while the U.S. Senate approved on March 23, 2013 a non-binding FY14 budget resolution sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (Senate Concurrent Resolution 8). Both measures take different paths to balancing the national budget in the future. The Republican budget plan maintains funding for the military while decreasing funding for domestic programs, including education. It also includes a provision that would allow parents to use Title 1 funding for private schools. The Democrat’s plan increases taxes while also reducing spending, and ends sequestration cuts for education. The plan would increase funding for Title 1 and special education, and calls for more investment in early learning programs.
Congress must also approve FY14 appropriations, which need to be adopted by September 30, 2013.
- Superintendents, treasurers, and representatives from education organizations again addressed the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Amstutz, about Governor Kasich’s proposed K-12 education budget included in HB59. Similar themes emerged from the testimonies, as most witnesses stated that the per pupil funding level in the formula is too low and causes more school districts to be on theThe only way most school districts can increase their budgets now is through increases in local property taxes, which many school districts try to avoid, because of the economic distress in their communities. In addition, witnesses asked that transportation funding (and supplemental transportation funding) be included in the formula; state subsidies for educational services centers (ESCs) be restored; changes in the governance structure of ESCs be removed from the bill; and reliance on the guarantees and local property taxes be decreased.
The per pupil amount included in HB59 works-out to be $5000 per student, $732 dollars less than in 2009, which was the last time a base cost amount for school districts was included in the biennial budget. Under questioning from members of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, several superintendents confirmed that the base cost per pupil should be increased to between $6,200-6,400. It was also suggested that the per pupil amount could be phased-in and a cap be added to recapture state aid increases in excess of a certain amount. Witnesses also requested that the base cost increase each year to compensate for inflation and the cost of mandated programs, such as the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and online assessments for the Common Core State Standards.
One superintendent also requested that school districts receive a portion of the severance tax on gas/oil drilling. He noted that schools in Pennsylvania have been affected by the fracking industry in a number of ways, including an increased cost for serving children of migrant workers. He said that Ohio’s schools will also need some extra support to serve students as the drilling increases statewide, and that the severance tax should be distributed locally.
4) Education Organizations Propose Changes for HB59: Barbara Shaner, representing the Ohio Association for School Business Officials, Michele Francis from the Ohio School Boards Association, and Tom Ash from the Buckeye Association of School Administrators presented testimony on March 21, 2013 before the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Amstutz, regarding HB59 (Amstutz) Biennial Budget. The testimony included an analysis of Governor Kasich’s proposed school funding plan compared to past school funding formulas.
According to the testimony high and low wealth districts receive just about the same amount of money as a percentage of the state total, and on a per pupil basis, as they have in the past, countering the assertion by the governor’s education consultants that the new school funding system is more equitable.
The witnesses also noted that the difference between this funding plan and past funding plans, however, is the level of the base cost. In this formula the base cost, set at $5000, is lower than in the immediate past, and as a result, many school districts end-up on the guarantee. The reduction in the charge-off from 22 or 23 mill to 20 mills also helps the higher wealth districts more. Declining student enrollment has been the explanation given by the governor’s school funding consultants for the number of low wealth school districts on the guarantee, but the testimony points out that there has been little shift in student enrollment from FY13 to 14. In FY13 there are 316 districts on the guarantee costing $68.5 million, while the new school funding plan would increase the number of school districts on the guarantee to 398 at a cost of $464 million.
The testimony includes the following recommendations:
-Direct the ODE to conduct a study to determine an appropriate base amount of funding for future budgets. The panel explained that school districts are delivering educational services differently than in the past, and that the cost per pupil should reflect the increased use of technology and professional development to meet more rigorous expectations. For example, to implement the Common Core State Standards schools will need more computer devises and the infrastructure to support online assessments.
-Direct more state funds to districts through the formula rather than through the guarantee.
-Address disparities in educational opportunities among school districts.
-Adjust the formula for special education. The proposed categorical amounts for special education are too low, and the proposed plan reduces the total amount of state funding for special education students by 15 percent to provide funds for the new catastrophic cost fund. Since low wealth school districts receive a higher share of state funding for special education students, their contribution to the new fund would be proportionately higher.
-Adjust the proposal for educational service centers. The reductions in funding for ESC will cost districts more.
-Eliminate the changes in the governance structure of educational service centers. The proposal will dilute public accountability and the educational focus of the ESCs.
-Eliminate the proposal that requires school districts to divert funding to other entities to serve student subgroups who are not making “consistent progress”. This proposal included in HB59 is not clear, and in many cases will not be funded by the state, because so many school districts are on the guarantee.
-Eliminate the expanded voucher programs.
-Eliminate the provision regarding the Parent Trigger.
•Recommendations from the Education Tax Policy Institute: Dr. Howard Fleeter, a consultant for the Education Tax Policy Institute (ETPI), also presented to the committee an analysis of the different components of the Governor’s proposed new school funding plan, including the guarantee, the equal yield approach, the mechanics of the Core Opportunity formula, targeted resources, and some recommendations for modifying the formula.
In an examination of the guarantee, Dr. Fleeter found that the millage equivalent is more severe for low-wealth districts. The millage equivalent is the number of mills each district would need to adopt in order to replace the amount of money received through the guarantee. This analysis found that lower wealth districts would need to pass from 5-7 mills in order to replace the guarantee, while wealthier school districts would need to pass as little as one mill.
The testimony states that the proposed school funding plan diverts from past plans, because it does not attempt to determine adequate cost. Following the DeRolph school funding decisions in the mid 1990s, school funding experts converged upon Ohio and devised base cost amounts based on student outcomes (John Augenblick and Senator Jeff Jacobson), building blocks (Governor Taft), and evidence-based (Governor Strickland) models. The equal yield approach selected by Governor Kasich’s school funding consultants to drive the school funding formula in HB59 raises several issues:
-The equal yield formula is mathematically equivalent to a foundation formula where the foundation level is $5,000 per pupil and the charge off is 20 mills. However, the last time a base cost was computed was in 2009 when it was $5732 per pupil, some $732 more than the current proposal. As a result, lower wealth districts received more state aid ($522 per pupil) in 2009 than they would receive through the new formula in 2013-14.
-Higher wealth school districts benefit from the proposed new formula, because of the reduction in the charge-off from 23 to 20 mills.
-There is no adjustment in the $250,000 per pupil valuation threshold in FY15 for increases in property valuation, which means that more of the share of $5000 per pupil base will be borne by local districts and less by the state. And, in Ohio, as property valuation increases, the tax rate is adjusted, and so school districts will look wealthier, but will not receive additional tax revenue (except on new construction and inside mills). This is known as phantom revenue.
***The unusual changes in property values in recent times raises questions about the efficacy of using the equal yield funding model in Ohio.
***The equal yield approach creates a school funding system in which the key parameter is driven by conditions in the housing market rather than by conditions related directly to education.
The testimony includes the following recommendations to provide additional funding through the proposed formula for lower wealth schools and eliminate the guarantee.
-Raise the property wealth threshold or raise the foundation level, which is essentially the same. The suggested amount is $6,363 per pupil, which is the per pupil amount in FY09 adjusted for inflation.
-Enhance funding for targeted resources so that more funding is directed to lower wealth districts.
-Increase funding for poverty aid. The new formula increases funding for poverty based assistance by 3.2 percent over FY09 levels while poverty has increased at a much greater rate.
-Adjust the gain caps.
•SB93 (Jones) Open Meetings Act: Requires that further information be stated in motions to hold executive sessions under the Open Meetings Act, to expand the fees and expenses that may be recovered for violations of the Act, and makes other changes to the Act.
FYI ARTS
- The NAMM Foundation announced on March 18, 2013 the school districts being recognized asnation’s Best Communities for Music Education and schools earning Support Music Merit Awards. Schools and districts receive the recognition after completing an annual Best Communities for Music Education Survey. The survey acknowledges schools and districts across the U.S. for their commitment to, and support of, music education. This is the 14th year for the annual survey and recognition program. Over 2000 school districts completed the survey this year, and 373 communities were selected for the recognition, including 307 school districts and 66 schools.
Participants in the survey answer detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and other relevant factors in the community’s music education program. The responses are verified with district officials, and advisory organizations review the data.
Among the school districts in Ohio being recognized this year are Archbold Area Schools; Aurora City School District; Bay Village City School District; Beachwood City Schools; Berea City School District; Boardman Local Schools; Cuyahoga Heights Schools; Firelands Local Schools; Jackson City School District; Kettering City Schools; Nordonia Hills City School District; Oberlin City Schools; Olmsted Falls City School District; Perrysburg Schools; Plain Local Schools; Princeton City Schools; Riverside Local Schools; Shaker Heights City School District; Stow Munroe Falls City Schools; Sycamore Community Schools; and Upper Sandusky Exempted Village Schools.
Ohio schools receiving the Support Music Merit Award include Athens Middle School, Athens, OH and Centennial High School, Columbus, OH.
Upper Sandusky has been recognized as a Best Community for Music Education for the past three years. According to a release by Jason Morris, Director of Instrumental Music, Upper Sandusky EVS, “This distinction is a moment for our community and for our education leaders to pause and reflect on the importance of our public education system that includes all aspects of a well-rounded curriculum.”
Congratulations to the Ohio school districts, schools, and the communities that have been recognized by the NAMM Foundation.
Information about NAMM is available at
http://www.nammfoundation.org/research/best-communities-music-education-0.
2) ARTSblog Features Arts Education for Young Children: In honor of March being Youth Arts Month, Kristen Engebretsen at Americans for the Arts posted on the ARTSblog last week several articles and examples of arts education programs and activities for young children. The blog presented the views of eighteen leaders in early childhood arts education, and examined questions, such as, “What can parents do to encourage exploration and learning by discovery?”, “What specific activities or experiments will cultivate creativity and a lifelong love for the arts?”, “What benefits do young children gain from engagement in the arts?”, “What is developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners (ages 0–5)?”, “How is this different than arts education in elementary school?”, and “How do we ensure that our programs are developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners?”
A list of the blog posts is included below. The blog posts have also been archived at http://bit.ly/earlyartsed. To find more information about research in arts education for young children, or other topics, please visit the Arts Education Partnership website, ArtsEdSearch at http://www.artsedsearch.org/, which is an online clearinghouse that collects and summarizes high quality arts education research studies and analyzes their implications for educational policy and practice.
ARTSblog Posts: Early Childhood Education and the Arts
-Celebrating Early Arts Education by Kristen Engebretsen
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/18/celebrating-early-arts-education/
-Universal Preschool: The Science (and Magic) in Preschool for All by Kaya Chwals
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/18/universal-preschool-the-science-and-magic-in-preschool-for-all/
-Old Songs, New Opportunities by Erin Gough
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/18/old-songs-new-opportunities/
-The Arts: Promoting Language & Literacy of Young Children by Louise Corwin
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/18/the-arts-promoting-language-literacy-of-young-children/
-Wolf Trap Early STEM Learning Through the Arts Propels Science Learning by Akua Kouyate
-Filled with Wonder: 5 Attributes of Quality Theatre for the Very Young by Lynne Kingsley
-Adding Arts to the Equation by Susan Harris MacKay
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/19/adding-arts-to-the-equation/
-Process Over Product: Building Creative Thinkers with Art by Rachelle Doorley
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/19/process-over-product-building-creative-thinkers-with-art/
-Quickly Making a Difference in Early Childhood Arts Education by Ron Jones
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/20/quickly-making-a-difference-in-early-childhood-arts-education/
-Concept-based Creative Dance for Babies & Toddlers by Rachael Carnes
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/20/concept-based-creative-dance-for-babies-toddlers/
Getting Parents On Board With Creative Development by Bridget Matros
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/20/getting-parents-on-board-with-creative-development/
-Lizard Brains & Other Learnings from the Preschool Classroom by Korbi Adams
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/20/lizard-brains-other-learnings-from-the-preschool-classroom/
-Singing & Moving into Kindergarten with ArtsBridge & Reading in Motion by Kerri Hopkins
-Research & Red Flags in Child Development by Kristy Callaway
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/22/research-red-flags-in-child-development/
-Shiny Happy Kids: The End of Our Early Arts Ed Blog Salon by Kristen Engebretsen
http://blog.artsusa.org/2013/03/22/shiny-happy-kids-the-end-of-our-early-arts-ed-blog-salon/
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