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Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Education Association president speaks out against bill that could close low-performing schools
(Stock photo from Getty Images) The head of a statewide Ohio teachers union on Tuesday slammed a proposed bill that would automatically close low-performing Ohio public schools, saying it would harm students and communities, and force districts into counterproductive situations and decisions. Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro testified against Ohio Senate Bill 127 Tuesday morning during the Ohio Senate Education Committee meeting. The bill would revise Ohio's public school closure law and require a poor performing school to either close or take remedial action. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'S.B. 127 proposes a heavy handed and overreaching state approach to local schools that receive low ratings on state report cards,' DiMauro said. 'The impact of the actions compelled by S.B. 127 would harm students and communities. The harsh measures required by the bill ignore mitigating factors, forcing districts to make counterproductive decisions that could harm well-functioning schools.' Senate Education Committee Chair Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, introduced the bill last month and no one has submitted supporter testimony for the bill yet. Five people submitted opponent testimony while the Buckeye Institute and the pro-charter-school Thomas B. Fordham Institute submitted interested party testimony. S.B. 127 defines a poor performing school as a school (district-operated, community or STEM), serving grades four and older, that has performed in the bottom 5% among public schools based on its Performance Index Score for three consecutive years, and is in the bottom 10% based on its Value-Added Progress for three consecutive years. A poor-performing school would have the option to close at the end of the school year or replace its principal and a majority of licensed staff. Another option is the school could get the help of an Ohio Department of Education and Workforce management organization, charter management organization, education service center, or an Ohio public or private university with experience in school improvement. Ohio charter schools are automatically closed if they have three straight years of poor performance. 'Instead of offering significant support, S.B. 127 proposes significant punishments that will most likely destabilize schools where many great things are happening, even if those successes are not revealed on data printouts of standardized test scores,' DiMauro said. 'The barriers to learning caused by under-resourced schools and communities do not disappear when a state punishes a school district. Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at the Buckeye Institute, said the bill addresses chronic underperformance in public schools. 'Critics worry that closures may disrupt communities, but trapping students in the status quo cycle of underachieving schools is far more disruptive to students and their futures,' he said. Thomas B. Fordham Institute's Vice President for Ohio Policy Chad Aldis said he would support the bill if a few tweaks were made including revising the growth measure to the Ohio report card one-star rating on Value Added Progress. 'This is a clearer and more stable indicator of inadequate growth, and it better reflects the state's own definition of 'low performance,' Aldis said. 'Combining this with a bottom 5% Performance Index score would ensure that only schools with sustained low achievement and weak student progress are flagged— exactly as intended.' Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio schools face uncertainty as federal funding threatened over DEI programs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Public schools and universities across the nation have been told to end all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming before next Friday or they could lose federal funding. The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter out late on Feb. 14th notifying all 50 state education departments of this decision. The letter said schools must stop using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in admissions, hiring, scholarships, and more. If they don't comply, they could lose federal money used for Title I and special education programs. Ohio Education Association president Scott DiMauro said the letter has caused confusion and anxiety among educators. 'It's completely unclear what the impact is going to be. The letter is vaguely worded, it uses references to law that don't make any sense, it says in the letter itself that there is no force of law,' said DiMauro. Referee saved by bystanders after collapsing at game On the other side of the aisle, Republican strategist Terry Casey said ending DEI programs in schools is about keeping education as the main focus. 'The question is, is the focus in the schools on kids having the reading, writing, and math skills they need? Are they focused on the job skills so they can get employment so we can have workforce development that fits the 21st century?' said Casey. The letter from the Department of Education said ending the use of race preferences in schools is an important step toward ending discrimination. However, a local school administrator and DEI consultant who wished to stay anonymous said ending DEI programs will not end racism. 'Serving the diversity of the human experience is what DEI is in these institutions and organizations and so taking that away, removing that ideology really takes us back hundreds of years,' said the administrator. She also said kids and teachers have been coming to her with questions but she doesn't have an answer for them. She said the letter was very unclear. Right now, the administrator said public schools are trying to figure out how to move forward, but it's difficult. 'It is very vague and that is part of the issue in parsing out and figuring out what we can do and what we cannot do and what we have to change and what we can continue to do to serve our students to the best of our ability,' she said. Schools and universities have until Friday, Feb. 28th to comply and end all DEI programming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
