The REAL state of school funding in Ohio
Monday, February 24, 2014 at 5:00pm, hundreds of Ohio workers gathered before Governor John Kasich’s State of the State address in Medina, Ohio to discuss the Real State of the State. Medina resident, 7th grade teacher, and President of the Medina City Teachers Association, John Leatherman, talked about the effects he’s seen in his own classroom as a result of Kasich’s drastic cuts to public education and the REAL state of school funding Ohio.
My name is John Leatherman. I am a resident of Medina County, a parent of two children who attend public schools, a veteran, a 7th grade history teacher, and the proud president of the Medina City Teachers Association. It is an honor to have this opportunity to speak before you today.
I see the familiar faces of dedicated teachers. I welcome our fellow policemen, firemen, nurses, steelworkers, AFL/CIO members — all labor groups. I welcome the Women’s Caucus, our local churches, and all community members who feel as I do today, concerned about the future of Ohio.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to care about families here in Medina County as well as the families all around the State of Ohio. Please give the person next to you a round of applause.
I am here today on behalf of educators. I am here today to talk about the real state of school funding here in Ohio.
In only four years, under Governor Kasich’s “careful planning,” ONE HALF OF ONE BILLION DOLLARS — that’s EIGHT zeros — have been taken from Ohio’s public schools. Our state has never seen these kinds of cuts. These cuts have drastically affected our children.
Across the state, school buildings have been shut down. Long-standing academic programs and courses, that prepare our children for tomorrow’s world, have been eliminated. Entire fleets of busses have been parked or scrapped.
What’s even scarier, these cuts have resulted in fewer school-counselors, the very counselors who are desperately attempting to reach every child in need. And now, because of decisions that are made in an office in Columbus, many good teachers have been let go, all while classroom sizes are skyrocketing.
When does common sense take hold?
When will our Governor realize that his political cuts will continue us on a path that has a very dark end?
In Medina alone, these cuts have taken the jobs of over 20% of our teaching force. Twenty percent! These job cuts, and this unrelenting assault on education, is all by a governor who claims to be a job creator and a champion of education. I know he heard, loud and clear, what happened when he attempted to force through SB5!
Recently Governor Kasich and State School Superintendent Dick Ross discussed plans to “rid the legal hoops in our public schools.” Since this Governor has taken office, he has done nothing but continue to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars from our public schools directly to his friends and campaign contributors in for-profit, low-performing charter schools.
Make no mistake, while families are struggling, and while our children’s education is being compromised, his friends are becoming very wealthy by the very dollars we work for day in and day out.
These charter schools and their investors don’t play by the same rules we do. These schools enjoy huge sums of public dollars with no real financial oversight. These charter schools continue to underperform and yet year after year they rake in the profits.
In 2012, Ohio had 326 charter schools, many of which operate under businesses like White Hat Management. White Hat Management was recently brought before the Ohio Supreme Court for refusing to open their books to the public. Once again, more money funneled and more money lost.
Last year, in Columbus alone, 17 of these for-profit charter schools failed. Those charter schools took our tax dollars, shut their doors on their students, and walked away. Our doors are open. We educate our children. We are here for them.
Not only that, in November of 2013, Ohio online charter schools were cited by the U.S. Department of Education for failing to serve students with disabilities. We serve all students. We are here for them.
Know this: our public school teachers
- are highly qualified,
- have graduated from respected colleges and universities across our state and nation,
- are constantly improving on an ever-changing school curriculum,
- and are, year in and year out, engaged in professional development — much of which is at our own expense.
I know I speak for my colleagues here and across our state. We are a highly professional, very impassioned, and sharply focused group of public school teachers with high expectations for our children.
When it comes to our public schools, I have to borrow a quote from our brothers and sisters at Ford: QUALITY IS JOB ONE!
Charter schools are a business, plain and simple. We’ve seen the business model in education. It doesn’t work!
- We don’t make a product. We create opportunities for future generations.
- We don’t produce widgets. We create community leaders.
- We’re not an assembly line. We create life-long experiences.
In the New York Harbor, it’s scripted on The Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. … I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” This speaks directly to the best of our public schools. We don’t refuse any students, rather we embrace them and educate them.
You see, public schools are a melting pot! It’s that dream on which our forefathers founded this country. Yes, that’s us, the public schools.
Governor Kasich’s policies are punishing Ohio’s economy, punishing our families, and punishing our communities. Most importantly, to me, his policies are punishing our students, our children.
His policies have forced us to constantly return to our voters for more and more levy dollars. He put the strain of educating our children squarely on our families.
As the proud president of our association, I have watched many great teachers lose their jobs. We’ve been forced to cut effective programs from all schools, at all levels. Here in Medina, we’ve suffered deep cuts in the areas of Media Specialists, Gifted Teachers, Reading Intervention Teachers, and Guidance Counselors. These devastating cuts are occurring across the state.
In Medina County, we have one school in state financial receivership and another school nearly had to drop to a state minimum of 5-hour, school day. That’s not what schools should be concerned about. Ever.
In a recent story by Stephen Dyer on Jan. 30th, he stated that children in Medina County schools will have 13.7 million dollars less in state revenue in the next two years, that is, as compared to the two years prior to Kasich taking office. Medina City Schools alone saw its funding cut by 4.4 million dollars. That figure grows throughout the state.
The numbers get more staggering. All of this was taken from our county while charter school funding increased! In fact, every Medina County dollar that funded a charter school went to one that performed worse on both the performance index and the state report card.
Statewide, the story is the same. Schools are losing great teachers, programs are being cut, and our kids are getting the short end of the stick. In fact, in Ohio next year, charter schools are slated to receive a 23% increase, which is up $150 million dollars from last year. That totals $887 million dollars — close to ONE BILLION of your tax dollars!
This Governor caters to a very select group in the State of Ohio. He is very much okay with separating the “haves” and “have-nots.” What’s worse, the “have-nots” are increasing at an alarming rate. 31,000 more Ohioans are out of work as compared to last year. In fact, during his first three years, Ohio’s economic recovery has come to a grinding halt. Not only are more Ohioan’s out of work, but they are also making less money under his watch.
This governor went after educators with a nasty piece of legislation called SB-5. You all remember SB-5! Well, when SB-5 arose, so did the citizens of Ohio. Speaking out at rallies like this and taking it to the voters in Ohio is what defeated his landmark start to governing our state. A 20-point loss is not just a loss, it’s a horrific flameout.
So, what we’re doing today is a great, great thing. It’s our constitutional right. Be proud to say you were here. Give yourself a round of applause.
One last thing: for me, it’s about the kids. It always has been about the kids. I didn’t get into teaching to get rich. I became a teacher because I love working with kids. I speak for the 3rd grade teacher who, day in and day out, loves a classroom of 8 and 9 year olds. I speak for the middle school teacher who deals with a special group of children at a bizarre age. I speak for the high school teacher who prepares teenagers for adulthood. It’s what we do; it’s our passion. We just want to provide our young students’ the opportunities they deserve, those opportunities are fast being lost under this Governor’s watch.
This evening I will attend this State of the State address in our public school auditorium. It was a tough decision, one that I didn’t make until just last week. I want to be the person in the audience who represents you. I want to be the person in the audience that when Governor Kasich looks out and sees me, he sees you and thinks of our children. I want to be the person who reminds all of our public officials that we are not silent.
I respect the office of the governor. I respect the offices of our public officials. I learned that from a teacher of mine a long time ago. Respect the office and don’t be afraid to be a voice. It’s the same message that I teach my students. I can only hope that our governor will learn by our example. Give public education, our teachers, and most importantly, our students the very same respect.
Thanks. You have been a great audience.
Politics: the alternative to burnout
Today’s educator works feverishly to stay on top of a barrage of education reforms and mandates. Pair that with the everyday work of lesson planning, delivering instruction, and grading — it’s a wonder that teachers have energy left for anything else.
It’s all too easy for educators to get bogged down in the morass of day-to-day classroom requirements, focusing only on the most immediate tasks. However, I’m hoping that teachers take the time to step back, see the bigger picture, and refocus their energies on systemic change that will eventually lead to better public school environments for students and staff.
I’m talking about thinking outside the box. In this case, “outside the box” means putting energy and effort into questioning the status quo and changing the political situation. The alternative is burning out by trying to rise to mandates that are deemed “education reform.”
Unless the presidency is up for election, people tend to ignore “politics,” but they miss out on the “political” issues that are impacting our schools the rest of the time. Consider the funding crisis public schools face.
Districts across the state have been feeling the effects of Governor Kasich’s budget cuts for years. These cuts have led to fewer teachers, less course offerings and increased class sizes. Teachers have grumbled about the cuts, but still soldiered on, working harder, spending more time grading and dedicating more of their own resources into their classrooms.
These are only short-term solutions, as teachers cannot sustain this intense effort without burning out. These patches are not the answer.
In the event that a teacher is miraculously able to help students achieve high-test scores, despite huge cuts, the public is led to believe there is no reason to increase funding to bring back more teachers and courses. They think, why give schools more money when students are succeeding with current funding levels?
Levies are “politics.” The Governor’s budget is “politics.” These “political” things have a great impact on our classrooms, yet we too often ignore them and focus only on the most immediate things, like lesson planning and delivering instruction. To sustain our careers and the integrity of public schools, we can’t ignore the politics.
Think outside the box for a moment. Wouldn’t we be better off in the long run if we put some efforts into our local levies and urged the Governor and other legislators to adequately fund public schools? Then, we would have appropriate resources and class sizes for years to come.
But to truly think outside the box, we must also develop positive, trusting relationships with administrators, parents and community members who care about schools as much as we do. From these relationships, grassroots community organizations can form, which can exert political pressure and change people’s negative perceptions about schools.
These organizations are springing up across the country. Education expert Diane Ravitch has founded a national group called the “Network for Public Education.” In February, a group called “Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education” (NEIFPE) hosted a conference that brought together parents teachers and administrators from four states. In Ohio, the group “Strong Schools Strong Communities” is gaining membership and momentum.
Joining groups like these, building community partnerships, will eventually produce better results for students, teachers and public schools. Merely having teachers work harder and harder to comply with state and federal mandates and restrictions is just an express train to burnout and the quality of students’ education is the casualty along the way.
By Dan Greenberg, Sylvania Education Association
Kasich's new budget is more of the same
Two years ago, Governor Kasich introduced a budget that drastically cut funding for schools, overburdened the middle class, and added terrible education policy. Unfortunately, the Governor’s newest biennium budget proposal is basically more of the same.
Two years ago, the Governor claimed there were huge budget shortfalls that he had to fix. Now, he can’t claim that, but he can still continue to push a budget that provides no relief to the middle class, and weakens public schools. Somehow, though, there’s plenty of money to expand the voucher system.
It’s disgraceful.
What makes it worse is that the Governor plans to raise revenues on the backs of low and middle class families, while giving the wealthiest Ohioans get a 20% tax cut. He’s selling this as a fair plan that will grow business and help all Ohioans.
Governor Kasich’s budget is another tool to increase the space between the haves and the have-nots.
He considers the sales tax increase “fair” because people will pay it on the goods and services they purchase. However, countless sources consider sales tax “regressive,” because it places more of a burden on middle and lower class individuals than on the wealthy. With an income tax, the first several thousand a person earns aren’t taxed, but a sales tax is collected on every dollar you spend. Also, wealthy people spend a smaller percentage of their money on goods and services than lower class individuals do, according to economics professor Mike Moffatt.
Statistics from Policy Matters Ohio show that Kasich’s proposal would translate into an average cut in taxes of $10,369 for the top 1%, a $1524 cut for the next 4%, and a $63 increase for the lowest 20%.
Unbelievable …
The pain low and middle class families will feel from Kasich’s budget proposal won’t stop with the tax plan. The Governor’s school funding plans are also grossly inadequate, and will be harmful to Ohio’s children. Since the Governor took office, he has slashed funding for public school, while increasing money for charters and placing unrealistic expectations and counterproductive mandates on principals, teachers and students.
For two years, schools have scrambled to cut costs while continuing to provide quality education to all students. For two years, school districts have been forced to plead with the public to pass more levies to counter the Governor’s budget.
These policies have hurt schools, and the Governor’s new proposal is more of the same. In fact, Governor Kasich has addressed the funding issues, saying his new budget was not meant to determine what it would cost to adequately pay for education, just what would be an equal level of funding.
“Ohio Public Schools – Equally Inadequate no matter where you live” does not sound like a slogan that anyone wants to embrace, yet that’s the slogan that fits the Governor’s school funding policy.
Put additional tax burdens on lower and middle class families.
Cut taxes for the wealthiest Ohioans.
Underfund public schools.
Increase spending and vouchers to unproven, under-performing charters.
These are disheartening statements to consider, knowing that the Governor’s budget proposal is an injustice to hard-working Ohioans and their families.
By Dab Greenberg, Sylvania Education Association
Invest to help meet the needs of students
Eddie Murphy’s new film, “A Thousand Words,” was released on March 9. Judging from the reviews, it will not be a box-office hit, and I will probably not pay a babysitter to watch my kids so my wife and I can go see it. However, the premise of being able to speak only a thousand words before dying, is intriguing. In my daily routine of teaching, spending time with my family and interacting with my colleagues, I am sure I wouldn’t last for more than a few hours. With only a thousand words, I wouldn’t be able to express all the things I want to say to all the people I want to say them to. Even if I cut my conversations to the most minimal interactions, I would still quickly run through my quota of words.
The theme of having many valuable ways to use resources, but far too few resources at hand, is something that educators deal with every day. With state funding cuts and levy failures, programs of study are eliminated, class sizes are increased, and jobs are cut in school districts everywhere. There isn’t enough money allocated for districts to accomplish all their goals. It’s not about “trimming the fat,” since there often is no fat to trim.
With the current funding crisis in mind, it’s hard for me to think about where, specifically, I’d like to see more money allocated for schools, because every facet of public schools is in need of more funding. We could use more teachers, newer computers, improved facilities, more supplies….the list is endless. Despite this long list, if I had to prioritize, there are a few integral areas where I would like schools to invest to help meet the needs of students.
I would start by investing in the guidance office. Many students come to school with emotional burdens that need to be addressed before they can focus on learning. Children are dealing with their parents’ divorces, family money troubles, social issues and substance abuse. Increasingly, the responsibility of dealing with these problems has fallen on schools, which fortunately are filled with many caring people. Unfortunately, guidance counselors, the people who are best trained to offer advice and solutions, are overburdened with handling standardized tests and scheduling students. Elementary schools share counselors between several buildings, so when a student needs guidance, a counselor may not even be on site to talk to the student.
Continuing with the idea of helping students deal with the difficult issues they face in life, I would invest in resources that would help students develop life skills. Many students leave high school with a solid understanding of how to write a good essay for their freshman composition class in college. However, far fewer go off to college knowing how to manage their time and money. Even fewer go off to school with an understanding of what path they should pursue towards earning a degree. They major in business because it “sounds good,” not because it is an area of strength or interest. We can’t assume that parents are going to provide kids with direction. Part of my high school’s mission statement is that we will “…prepare our students for responsible citizenship, lifelong success, and productive employment in a global community.” In order to attain our mission, we must invest in programs that help students acquire life skills.
Not only would I invest in the high school curriculum, I would also invest in the primary grades. I’m not an expert in the elementary-school world, but my wife teaches first grade and my daughter is in first grade, so I get their insights daily. From that knowledge, I would invest in smaller class sizes in kindergarten up to third grade. I realize that class sizes need to be reduced at every level, but it’s most crucial in the early years. When I hear about the wide range of knowledge students have when they enter school, I can’t help but believe the children would be better serviced with a student-to-teacher ratio of 15 to 1 maximum. When there’s a group of kindergarten kids that includes children who can read at a second grade level and students who can’t recognize their name in print, I can’t imagine how hard it is to meet all their educational needs simultaneously. By reducing the number of students per class, each child can get the necessary help and also feel challenged at a time when learning and being in school is new and exciting.
Just as trying to express yourself in only 1,000 words for a lifetime is a nearly impossible task, so is trying to adequately invest in all the crucial programs that schools offer. Hopefully, state and local funding will soon increase, so that, like Eddie Murphy’s movie, we can have a happy resolution.
By Dan Greenberg, Sylvania Education Association
Issue 2 only continues budget cuts to our school district
People always ask me why I chose to be a teacher. I decided on this profession because I wanted to inspire students and prove to them that they can learn, despite their difficulties—just like I did. I became a teacher to show my students that quality education is the one thing that no one will ever be able to take away from them.
Now my students and I are getting a painful lesson in life. Some people in positions of power can take away your rights, no matter how unfair, unsafe, or how badly it hurts.
Because of Senate Bill 5, which is now Issue 2 on the November ballot, some people are telling me that I’m the enemy and it’s my turn to help balance the budget. They claim this economic situation is my fault. They say I’m greedy for caring—and fighting—for my students. They don’t understand the facts.
Through the collective bargaining process, Pickerington teachers recently have made many sacrifices. Teachers, staff and administrators have made concessions in salary and insurance. Class sizes have increased, while our professional development budgets have decreased. Due to the failure of a levy last August, 130 teachers and staff were laid off. Our programs have been drastically altered for this school year—resulting in reduced wrap-around services, electives and other course offerings for students.
Issue 2 only continues budget cuts to our school district, leaving us in even more dire financial straights. It baffles me how it’s fair to blame teachers, school employees and other public workers for the budget mess we didn’t cause, while politicians create loopholes to exempt themselves. That’s not fair. And that’s why I am voting NO on Issue 2.
—Erin Salzer, high school special education teacher, Pickerington
School Levies: Imperfect But Necessary
There is a lot at stake in the upcoming elections on November 2. Many Ohio school districts brace for more budget cuts if their levies fail at the polls. You might wonder: Why do school districts rely on property taxes to foot the bill for education, especially when the DeRolf decisions have ruled this method of funding unconstitutional by the Ohio State Supreme Court? What alternatives are there for property tax owners?
Funding for schools come from a variety of sources. Property taxes are just one source, but they have been closely tied to funding models in most states for many years. Some think this is a nightmare (see Lincoln Institute of Land Policy), while others think this facilitates efficient local decision-making, that local voters will take the time to evaluate local school boards and their decisions about spending.
Some voters are willing to pay if their children get a good return on their investment. Interestingly, those states that are funded the heaviest through local tax dollars are those that are considered to have the best educational systems in the country. Ohio spends 4.3% of its total taxable resources on education, higher than the national average of 3.7% — though that may change if governors change at the state level — and was ranked sixth in the nation in 2009.
It is important to note that Ohio’s tax base is more reliant now on residential and agricultural properties than it has ever been. The biggest reason is tax abatements, which are granted by local municipalities. Cities argue that tax abatements draw industry to their communities, but the reality is that property tax abatements mostly benefit large businesses, many that have made huge political contributions to locally elected government entities. Many property tax abatements are granted beyond the view of voter’s radar, during special meetings of city councils. The benefits are minimal in that they are given to companies that pay minimum wage and do not affect the income of their administrators one iota. In other words, the only beneficiaries in tax abatements are the cities’ income tax coffers, and CEOs of large companies. Small businesses are never given abatements and school districts lose out entirely.
Ohio school districts also lose local dollars to charter schools. For every child that leaves the public school system, a district loses $5720 in foundation formula funding from the state. In 2009, $585,238,079 was sadly lost to charter schools in Ohio. Schools that have no better record of educating our children than public schools.
Another reason is the funding of the No Child Left Behind Act, an ill-conceived idea that if we spend more money on testing, it will, somehow, increase student learning. Some studies have found that the nation will spend $6.1 – 8.5 billion annually on testing.
At least we know that property taxes will not change with the political winds. Still, they are a huge burden for those on fixed incomes. Our legislators need to step up to the plate, analyze our funding problems, and pass laws to protect our small businesses, our property owners, and our schools. Ohio needs to eliminate property tax abatements and charter school funding statewide. Local levies are imperfect, but for the time being the reality remains: Ohioans needs to pass their local levies for our public schools to continue operating and have any chance of offering a quality education for every student.
By Susan Ridgeway, Streetsboro Education Association
Ohio Education Budget Shortfall and the Consequences of Inaction
Ohio GOP Senators Claim They Can Delay Resolving Education Funding Shortfall until Next Year
If the Ohio Senate fails to act on House Bill 318 by December 31, state aid to local school districts will be cut by $50 million per month, approximately 10% cuts for every district, the largest education cutback in state history.
Click here to see the impact on your local school district.
But the Legislative Ability to Freeze Income Tax Rates at 2008 Level is No Longer an Option After December 31
In early October, the Governor proposed what we believe is the best solution for closing this budget gap immediately. This proposal, House Bill 318, passed the Ohio House on October 21, 2009. The bill would freeze income tax rates at 2008 levels for tax years 2009 and 2010 in order to restore $851 million in support for public education.
Without Legislative Action, Ohio Schools Will Automatically Lose Budgeted Funding Staring in January
Recently, the Senate canceled several House Bill 318 hearings as a compromise between legislative leaders has yet to be reached. On December 10, Governor Ted Strickland’s staff informed the statewide education associations that unless House Bill (HB) 318 or its equivalent is passed by December 31, 2009, public education funding in Ohio will be drastically reduced. Because the $851 million budget hole is in the Lottery Profits Education Fund, leaving the shortfall unresolved will result in an automatic funding reduction for Ohio’s K-12 schools.
Ohio Will Fail to Meet Race to the Top Eligibility Requirements If the Shortfall Is Not Resolved
The source of the budget shortfall, combined with the Ohio’s Constitution requirement to balance the state budget, will result in the reduction of approximately $50 million of state foundation aid each month for the next 18 months. That means every school district — and Ohio’s pubic colleges and universities — would lose at least $2.3 billion in funding. According to the Ohio Department of Education, that size of a cut would put at risk the state’s ability to receive federal funds. This reduction in state aid drops Ohio below 2006 school funding levels, which is an eligibility requirement to receive federal stimulus funds. Ohio would need to receive a federal waiver in order to still qualify for federal funds, which is highly unlikely. Iowa’s request for such a waiver was just refused.
Taken together, the reduction in state and federal aid to Ohio schools will exceed a$5 billion. This would amount to the largest reduction in aid to public education in Ohio’s history.
The OEA implores members and friends to call, write and meet with your state senator immediately. We must stop Ohio lawmakers from making the single largest cut to school funding in the history of the state.
Click here for more information on HB 318 and how to contact your state senator.
House Bill 1: FAQ
If you have any questions about House Bill 1, the educational provisions contained in it, or its implementation, please post them here.
Lottery Funds: What happened to the money and how much is going to schools?
Since 1974, the Ohio Lottery has provided more than $16 billion to public education. Annually, lottery profits provide about 4.5 percent of the funding needed for public education. In FY 2008 the lottery provided $668 million to public education.
5.78% Increase: Explain federal and state funding over the biennium.
HB 1 appropriations in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 represent a 5.78 percent increase over FY 2009 appropriations. Over the biennium (FY 2010 and FY 2011), support will increase by 5.54 percent. These percentages represent both state support and federal stimulus funds.
Federal Stimulus Funds: Can they be used for teacher salaries?
Yes. ARRA IDEA Part B has an exception included for districts who receive a “meets requirements” designation from ODE’s Office of Exceptional Children. If the district is designated as “meets requirements,” it may use up to 50% of IDEA Part B and ARRA IDEA Part B dollars received, in excess of the amount received for the prior year, to replace local and state education funds, provided they are used for activities authorized by ESEA (Elementary & Secondary Education Act). This link to ODE’s website provides the language that is mentioned above. If a district is planning to RIF positions and those positions meet IDEA requirements, the district should consider maintaining the positions and pay for them with ARRA IDEA Part B funds.
ARRA Title I Part A Funds – If a school district can provide documents showing a teaching/specialist position previously paid with state and local funds will be eliminated in the current year due to state and local budget cuts, then it may be able to utilize ARRA Title I Part A dollars if the position is in a Title I school or meets Title I Part A requirements. Click here to download a document from the US Department of Education titled “Non-Regulatory Guidance: Title I Fiscal Issues.” Page 39 of this document goes into detail concerning the information above (pages 37-41 goes into detail concerning Supplement, not Supplant).
School Funding Advisory Council: Makeup of committee, is there OEA representation, and who appoints?
HB 1 creates a 27-member School Funding Advisory Council to review the adequacy of the funding system every two years. Two public school district teaching employees and two non-teaching school district employees are to be appointed by the Governor. OEA will be submitting names of recommended candidates for the School Funding Advisory Council to the Governor for his consideration.
$1,833 in Professional Development Funds: Requirements, mandate, who receives funds, when does it start?
The new funding formula in HB 1 includes a category designated “Professional Development” which is funded at the rate of $1,833 per full-time teacher beginning this school year. That money will be distributed to districts as part of the total state funding package. HB1 requires, beginning in FY 2012, that school districts use these funds to provide teachers with professional development that is aligned with the standards developed by the Educator Standards Board and approved by the State Board of Education. Furthermore, HB1 directs ODE to provide guidance to districts and schools in aligning professional development with the standards. Leaders and members need to be aware of the funding change and be prepared to advocate for appropriate spending of this money by the district.
Praxis 3: What happens to teachers who finished Praxis 2 this year?
HB 1 eliminated the previous entry year program and Praxis III assessment with the new four-year Resident Educator Program scheduled to begin in fall 2011. During the 2009-10 and 2010-2011 academic years, teachers with two-year provisional licenses will be required to participate in the Resident Educator Transition Program with a state-trained mentor. Mentor training will begin in September in all 16 regions (www.ode.state.oh.us keyword: Resident Educator). ODE has requested that educators interested in serving on the Resident Educator Program Development Committee submit their application online here.
Educator Standards Board (ESB) and Peer Evaluation: What safeguards is OEA taking to ensure that we don’t erode unions and sustain membership?
HB 1 requires the Educator Standards Board to develop a model peer assistance program. Ohio has some of the most successful and longest running peer assistance programs in the country, including Brunswick, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo. OEA’s policy is that mentor programs and other professional peer support systems, if or when adopted, should be utilized solely for the development of professional expertise. The planning, implementation, and evaluation of such programs must be cooperatively negotiated and developed with the local affiliate. It is critical that, if a local association chooses to bargain a peer assistance program, that it build in safeguards for teachers that protect their job security and ensure effective peer support to address areas for improvement in practice. HB 1 also requires the Educator Standards Board to develop model teacher and principal evaluations. OEA is committed to helping to create fair and comprehensive evaluation systems that include multiple measures of performance and are based on the Standards for Ohio Educators. OEA’s policy is that the sole purpose of teacher evaluation is the improvement of instruction and advocates for a formal evaluation system for every teacher in every school district. Consistent evaluation of on the job performance is the only appropriate way to assess and assure the competency of practicing teachers. ODE has requested that educators interested in serving on the Teacher Evaluation Writing Team submit their application online here.