Latest news with #ModelSchoolsConference
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Moline-Coal Valley School named Innovative District for 2nd time
Moline-Coal Valley School District has been designated as an Innovative District for the second time at the distinguished 2025 Model Schools Conference, according to a news release. Moline-Coal Valley previously received this same designation at the June 2024 Model Schools Conference. Hosted by the Center for Model Schools, this annual gathering will take place June 22-25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. This nationally renowned event celebrates visionary school systems that drive meaningful change and implement bold strategies to improve student achievement. Chosen from an exceptional field of districts across the country, Moline-Coal Valley earned thisrecognition two years in a row through its steadfast focus on collaboration, instructional leadership, and continuous improvement. The district's commitment to creating equitable,rigorous, and student-centered learning environments has made a measurable impact onstudent outcomes. 'We are honored to be recognized as an Innovative District once again at MSC 2025,' said Rachel Savage, superintendent of Moline-Coal Valley School District. 'This recognition affirmsthe incredible work of our educators, leaders, and students who are relentlessly committed toensuring all learners have access to ambitious instruction in supportive and engaging learningenvironments.' As part of this honor, district leaders will present a featured session titled 'Moline-Coal ValleySchool District, Moline, IL: Building a Culture of Ambitious Instruction and CollaborativeLearning Teams.' Presenters include Dr. Brian Prybil, Deputy Superintendent; Robert Beem, future Director of Secondary Education; and Steven Etheridge, Director of Elementary Education. The session will explore how the district has strategically used the 5 Essentials framework toanchor a continuous improvement process that connects district-level initiatives directly to classroom practices. Central to this work has been the emphasis on Ambitious Instruction,achieved by building leadership capacity and fostering teacher collaboration. A hallmark of the district's approach has been the creation of Learning Teams—partnerships oftwo or three schools engaging in classroom visits and feedback cycles. These teams use theCenter for Model Schools' Rigor/Relevance rubrics to provide actionable feedback and identify areas for growth. This powerful peer-driven process has helped cultivate a district-wideculture of reflective practice and rigorous teaching, resulting in notable gains in student learningand instructional coherence. About the CenterThe Center for Model Schools, a division of HMH, is the only organization devoted to providingyear-round leadership support through its namesake Model Schools Conference, leadershipcohorts, and 1:1 consulting. Each team member at The Center for Model Schools has a proven history of successfullydriving student growth – with specializations that include creating equitable and inclusivelearning environments and building cultures of collaboration. Leaders who engage with The Center can expect personalized partnership to create a Model School environment, where students can realize their greatest potential – because every child deserves a Model School, and leaders make it happen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
I-Team: Hard questions for Cleveland Schools CEO
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The CEO of Cleveland schools finally faced questions from the FOX 8 I-Team about big spending on travel. We recently revealed how much of your money was spent on travel, even as the Cleveland Metropolitan School District asked taxpayers for more money. Police: Toddler shot in Akron, appears unintentional The District also plans more cuts that will affect kids. For months, Dr. Warren Morgan avoided the I-Team, but he agreed to sit down with us for 15 minutes. We found him defiant as he scolded us, 'You talk about fair and factual reporting. Report the facts.' We reminded him, 'These are the facts,' and asked, 'Shouldn't you be watching every penny?' To that, Dr. Morgan replied, 'And, we are.' Dropped doughnut contributes to 3-car crash on Rock Creek Road in Thompson: OSHP In 2024, voters approved a new levy for Cleveland schools. Yet records show in the year leading up to the vote on the levy, the School District spent more than $800,000 on travel. Teachers, administrators and even secretaries flew around the country to conferences and fact, more than 100 people went to one conference. The I-Team reminded Dr. Morgan, 'In June, more than a hundred people went to the Model Schools Conference, and November was the levy. Just making sure I have that right.' He responded, 'Yeah, 0.06 of the budget, and that was also last year's budget. And, we continue to make restrictions on that.' We followed up with, 'When the District is saying it has no money, didn't somebody say, 'Well, maybe we shouldn't send 100 some people to one conference?'' Monument planned to honor Superman as Cleveland's own The CEO said, 'Mr. Gallek, I want to first talk about our need for professional development.' Dr. Morgan defends travel for employees to go and learn. But, he also says, now, travel has been cut in half. At the same time, the district is still struggling with money. Considering saving more money by cutting a half-hour out of every school day for a couple of dozen schools. Polly Karr, a mother and school district watchdog, spoke about the cuts in school days saying,'I'm very disappointed. He will save less than one penny for every dollar the school district spends, and he's taking away instructional time for it.' We asked, 'Why are we shortening that? Parents are concerned there's less time.' GOP lawmakers' push for fluoride ban in Ohio getting pushback The CEO responded, '30 minutes in 24 schools. It costs us over $4 million. That is what we have to look at.' We also took a look at the latest spending on travel. Those records show a lot less travel than before. Yet, we still saw a couple of more trips for secretaries and one for the CEO. On that we asked, 'Why are there six hotel rooms under your name for that conference if you're watching every penny?' Dr. Morgan said, 'We're watching every penny. You want to know how many people went the year before that in prior years?' The District faces more hard decisions on spending your money. You decide how much you agree with the CEO claiming, 'I think a lot has been done since the moment I've taken office.' Dr. Morgan told us, simply passing the levy last November is not enough. So, we keep watching for what cuts might be next. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hamilton Elementary, Moline, chosen as Model School
Hamilton Elementary School, Moline, has announced its selection as a Model School at the 2025 Model Schools Conference in Washington, D.C., June 22-25, a news release says. Hosted by the Center for Model Schools, this highly anticipated event honors forward-thinkingschools that drive transformation, inspire change, and implement groundbreaking strategies toimprove student outcomes. Chosen from a competitive group of schools nationwide, Hamilton has demonstrated anunwavering commitment to student success and innovation. By fostering a culture ofcollaboration, ambitious instruction, and continuous improvement, the school exemplifiesexcellence in education. 'We are honored to be recognized as a Model School,' said Lynsy Oswald, principal atHamilton Elementary School. 'Every child deserves a learning environment that is welcoming toall families, has high expectations for student achievement, and has a strong sense ofbelonging. Our staff goes above and beyond to provide this. I feel very fortunate to work with the best.' As part of this recognition, Hamilton Elementary School will present at MSC 2025, engaging with more than 5,000 educators to share insights on their success. Last year, the Moline-Coal Valley School District was designated as an Innovative District at the 2024 Model Schools Conference held in June. Three district leaders presented on 'Prioritizing Culture to Drive Student Achievement,' engaging with educators and enabling them to learn how to embrace the power of creating culture led by data to maximize personalized learning. The three presenters included Brian Prybil, deputy superintendent; Oswald, and Steven Etheridge, former principal of Bicentennial Elementary and now director of elementary education. About the Center for Model Schools The Center for Model Schools, a division of HMH, is the only organization devoted to providingyear-round leadership support through its namesake Model Schools Conference, leadershipcohorts, and 1:1 consulting. Each team member at The Center for Model Schools has a proven history of successfully driving student growth – with specializations that include creating equitable and inclusive learning environments and building cultures of collaboration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I-Team: Cleveland schools CEO dodges questions on travel costs
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team caught up with the head of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, trying to get him to explain how your tax dollars are being spent on school employees traveling around the country. But district CEO Warren Morgan dodged most of our questions. School taxes in Cleveland just went up. Voters approved a levy in November. But according to public records obtained by the I-Team, the district spent nearly a $1 million on travel in just one year. Student loan borrowers could see 'massive' payment spikes The I-Team has tried for months to talk to Morgan. We've tried arranging something through district spokespersons, yet the CEO has never sat down with us. In fact, last year, we had an interview arranged and at the last minute, the district canceled. So we went to a school board meeting Tuesday and we tried to speak to the CEO before the meeting started. 'We'd like to get a word with you. We've been trying for months,' I-Team Reporter Ed Gallek said. Morgan did not stop and talk to us. Instead, he opened a door and walked into a room where all school board members were gathered prior to the start of the meeting. One woman yelled and said we were interrupting a meeting. When the I-Team asked why board members were meeting in private without calling an executive session, the school board attorney said the members were eating prior to the meeting and not discussing official business. We recently showed you that in one year Cleveland schools spent more than $855,000 sending employees on trips out of state. The district sent well over 100 people to one conference. Even secretaries have gone on trips. We asked the CEO why he keeps avoiding us. But he said, 'We're not avoiding.' The records also show the CEO took nine trips, even as the district put out a desperate call for more tax money. During our encounter, Morgan said, 'Right now, we're about to start our Board meeting. I'll talk to you later.' We responded with, 'What's later? Because you've never done it.' We turned to Polly Karr, a mother and school district watchdog. 'I'd like them to stop traveling,' she said. She wants smarter spending now, with higher taxes. 'I wouldn't mind paying it if it was going to the students, to the classroom,' Karr added. 'Cleveland students need more. I want to see the kids get stuff instead of the administrators.' The I-Team also has been trying to ask about district travel going forward. Cleveland schools sent 118 people last year to the Model Schools Conference. So, what about this year? We asked the CEO, 'For the Model Conference, are you changing anything this year for the Model Conference?' Morgan responded with, 'We can talk later. We have a board meeting.' 'Dried blood, dirty pawprints:' Local vet arrested, 110 animals seized Weeks ago, a district official promised tighter controls over travel. On Tuesday, Morgan referred to that but did not offer any specifics. 'Since we've put in our travel restrictions, all of our costs have actually decreased. But we're about to start a meeting,' he said. Weeks ago, Lisa Farmer Cole, chief external affairs officer, answered questions about more than 100 people from Cleveland schools going to one conference. She said, 'So I think of that 118, about 16 were principals and assistant principals. And, about 100 teachers went. So, that is a conference that is chock-full of best practices. School districts from all over the country go to the Model Schools Conference because this is about model schools.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cleveland schools spent nearly $1M on travel before tax hike: I-Team
CLEVELAND (WJW) – A FOX 8 I-Team investigation uncovered Cleveland Metropolitan School District spent nearly a million dollars in a year traveling, sending teachers, administrators and secretaries around the country on your dime. The spending was made just months before district taxpayers were asked to approve a levy that resulted in higher taxes. Click here for more on district's funding request We found last year the district sent well over a hundred people to one conference in Florida. The school CEO, Dr. Warren G. Morgan II, has gone on trip after trip and we asked to talk to him to find out what he gained at those conferences that helped school students. Morgan, however, declined to meet with us. We even went to a school board meeting hoping to talk to him but were told he was going to be late and would not be available. Records the I-Team obtained after filing a public records request show the district even sent secretaries around the country. What happened to child on school van? Cleveland taxpayer Patricia Crutchfield is frustrated by the amount school district officials paid on travel. She explains that she is swamped with bills, on a fixed income, and now must pay more for school taxes. 'That's unacceptable,' Crutchfield said. 'Travel should be the first thing cut when you're looking at cutting your budget.' We asked district officials about the spending. 'The district just said to taxpayers, 'We have no money,' why is the district spending so much money to send people around the country,' asked I-Team Reporter Ed Gallek. We specifically asked about sending 118 people to Florida for the Model Schools Conference. 'So, I think of that 118, about 16 were principals and assistant principals,' said Lisa Farmer-Cole, Chief External Affairs Officer. 'And about 100 teachers went. So that is a conference that is chock full of best practices. School districts from all over the country go to the Model Schools Conference because this is about model schools.' 'That is a conference that is chock full of best practices.' Lisa Farmer-Cole, CMSD Chief External Affairs Officer The I-Team reviewed records from out-of-state trips for the school system for a one-year period. We added up expenses, such as airfare and hotels. A total cost of more than $855,000. Watch: Cleveland city worker confronts suspected attacker A lot of travel appeared to be for conferences. Kevin Stockdale, the district's chief financial officer, suggested grant money can help pay but he could not tell us how much. When we pressed him, he said he couldn't tell us, 'sitting here talking to you right now.' The district set up the interview a week in advance and Stockdale and Farmer-Cole knew we would be asking about the travel expenses. One person who traveled was a substitute secretary. 'We will come for you': Parents fight back against sextortion 'In Cleveland for a while now, we've said that all staff are educators,' said Stockdale. 'Anyone that is working in the school or central office plays a vital role in making sure students get the most that they can.' Our findings even alarmed the head of the teacher's union. School officials told us many Cleveland teachers have traveled, but the union president argues most have not. She added that many schools do not have supplies or sports uniforms. Farmer-Cole stressed that 'our families and kids' are our primary focus. She said the district has put new spending controls in place . She also added that there were controls in place last year as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
