1)  127th General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate will hold
committee hearings this week.  The next sessions for both chambers
are scheduled for March 2008.

One of the major pieces of legislation that Governor Strickland and
lawmakers have been working on over the past year is an energy bill,
SB 221 (Schuler).  This bill has already been approved by the Ohio
Senate, and is now being considered by the Ohio House Public
Utilities Committee.  SB 221 revises state energy policy to address
electric service price regulation, advanced energy standards, and
energy efficiency standards, and will replace the current electric
Rate Stabilization Plans, which were developed by PUCO and utility
companies in 2005 and expire on December 31, 2008.

A stable and efficient energy system for Ohio is an important
component of the Strickland administration's plan for economic
development.  Progress on the approval of SB 221 was sidetracked this
past week when another energy bill, HB 487 (McGregor) was introduced
on February 21, 2008.  This new energy bill establishes alternative
energy benchmarks for electric distribution utilities and electric
services companies, provides for use of renewable energy credits, and
establishes energy efficiency standards for electric distribution
utilities.  It is expected that some compromise legislation will be
developed incorporating elements from both bills, to ensure that Ohio
has a stable energy policy to support job growth and the economy.

2)  This Week at the Statehouse:

*The State Board of Education's School Funding Subcommittee, chaired
by Virgil Brown, will meet on February 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM in the
ODE's 7th floor main conference room, 25 S. Front St., Columbus.

*The Committees of the Educator Standards Board will meet on February
25, 2008 at 6:00 PM at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 2700 Corporate
Exchange Drive, Columbus, OH.  The Educator Standards Board will meet
at 8:30 AM at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Capitol Room, 2700 Corporate
Exchange Drive.

*The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by
Representative Hottinger, will meet on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at
1:00 PM and February 27, 2008 at 9:30 PM in hearing room 313.  The
committee will hear a presentation from OBM Director Pari Sabety and
hear public testimony on budget cutbacks.

*The House Healthcare Access and Affordability Committee, chaired by
Representative Raussen will meet on February 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM in
hearing room 017.  The committee will continue to hear testimony on
HB456 Ohio Care (Raussen), which is a comprehensive health bill that
establishes Ohio CARE, and addresses issues related to the Hospital
Care Assurance Program, health insurance programs, tax provisions and
tax exempt hospitals, pharmaceuticals, nurse instructors' salaries,
etc.

HB 456 also includes provisions affecting boards of education.  The
bill requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules pertaining
to the types of food and beverages and the price of food and
beverages sold on any school premise.  Each local board of education
would be required to adopt rules approved by the State Board of
Education.  The bill also prohibits a public or community school from
selling a food or beverage that contains artificial trans fat, or is
inconsistent with the rules adopted by the State Board of Education.

3) ODE Budget Cuts:  The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released
additional information regarding FY08-09 budget cuts on February 22,
2008.  (Hannah Report 2/22/08)  The ODE was asked to reduce their
FY08-09 budget by $101 million through an executive order issued by
Governor Strickland on January 31, 2008.  This executive order called
for all state departments and agencies to reduce spending to avoid a
potential budget shortfall in FY08 and FY09.   According to the
budget reduction plan approved by the Office of Budget and Management
on February 8, 2008, the following reductions will be made in the ODE
budget:

-Alternative Education Programs, Urban Alternative Education:
$129,760 in FY08 and $300,779 in FY09
-Alternative Education Programs, Rural/Suburban Alternative
Education:   $128,380 in FY08 and $297,580 in FY09
-Tech Prep Consortia Support:   $58,030 in FY08 and $99,943 in FY09
-Academic Standards and Model Curricula:   $1,450,836 in FY08 and
$314,690 in FY09
-Academic Standards, Project Lead the Way:   $180,584 in FY08 and
$19,416 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Business and Industry Credentialing
Program:   $345,579 in FY08 and $67,500 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Early College High School/HS
Transformation:   $402,048 in FY09
-Education Management Information System EMIS Subsidy:   $195,749 in FY09
-Education Management Information System, Information Technology
Center (ITC):   $31,737 in FY09
-Bus Purchase Allowance:   $3,692,259 in FY08 and $486,864 in FY09
-Bus Purchase Allowance, Special Education & Nonpublic Bus Purchase:
$1,435,879 in FY08 and $189,336 in FY09
-Postsecondary Adult Career-Tech Education Adult Workforce Ed.:
$1,896,000 in FY08 and $1,944,187 in FY09
-Foundation Funding ESC Funding: $5 million in FY08 and $5 million in FY09
-Reading/Writing Classroom Grants: $1,788 in FY08 and $582,610 in FY09
-Personal Services Personal Services: $25,000 in FY08 and $479,569 in FY09
-Maintenance & Equipment: $60,000 in FY08 and $191,130 in FY09
-Professional Development, National Board Certification: $2,026,659
in FY08 and $2 million in FY09
-Professional Development, Administrators Training: $4,750 in FY08
and $65,250 in FY09
-Professional Development, Ohio University Leadership Program: $12,600 in FY009
-Professional Development, Ohio School Leadership Institute: $45,000
in FY08 and $5,000 in FY09
-Professional Development Knowledge/Skill-Based Compensation: (TAP)
$33,591 in FY08 and $6,409 in FY09
-Technical Systems Development: $22,892 in FY08 and $129,841 in FY09
-Alternative Education Programs, Administration: $2,380 in FY08 and
$25,226 in FY09
-Alternative Education Programs, Toledo Tech: $10,819 in FY08 and
$9,181 in FY09
-Alternative Education Programs, Cincinnati Arts & Tech Center:
$7,506 in FY08 and $12,493 in FY09
-Alternative Education Programs, Improved Solutions for Urban
Students (ISUS): $200,000 in FY08
-Policy Analysis Policy: $26,887 in FY09
-Ohio Educational Computer Network, OECN Building Connectivity:
$1,318,696 in FY08 and $1,470,551 in FY09
-Academic Standards, Partnership for Continued Learning: $29,580 in
FY08 and $420 in FY09
-Academic Standards, Arts Academy of Cincinnati: $9,000 in FY08 and
$1,000 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Regional Technical Assistance:
$203,173 in FY08 and $501,732 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Project Grad: $14,963 in FY08 and
$32,288 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, JOG: $94,419 in FY08 and $105,581 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Educational Media Centers: $120,233 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Ohio's Rural Appalachian Leadership:
$83,229 in FY08 and $6,771 in FY09
-School Improvement Initiatives, Southern State Community College:
$15,000 in FY08
-School Improvement Initiatives, Amer-I-Can: $26,805 in FY08 and
$23,195 in FY09
-Reading/Writing Improvement, State Institutes for Reading
Instruction (SIRI): $203,774 in FY08 and $500,000 in FY09
-Reading/Writing Improvement, Literacy Network: $186,309 in FY08 and
$241,500 in FY09
-Reading/Writing Improvement, Literacy Admin Support: $5,898 in FY08
and $10,867 in FY09
-Reading/Writing Improvement, Contemporary Arts Center: $100,000 in
FY08 and $100,000 in FY09.
-Reading/Writing Improvement, Reading Recovery Training Network:
$180,000 in FY08.
-Student Assessment: $3 million in FY08 and $3 million in FYO9.
-Accountability/Report Cards Local Report Card: $100,000 in FY08 and
$250,918 in FY09
-Accountability/Report Cards Value-Added Training: $100,000 in FY08
and $505,708 in FY09
-Education Management Information System, EMIS Operations/Data
Exchange: $45,625 in FY08 and $156,121in FY09
-Educator Preparation: $100,000 in FY08 and $100,000 in FY009
-Postsecondary Adult Career-Tech Education, Ohio Young Farmers:
$4,000 in FY08 and $4,000 in FY09
-Ohio Core Support, Supplemental Postsecondary Enrollment: $567,500 in FY09
-Funds budgeted that will revert to General Revenue Fund (through
lapses): $17 million in FY08 and $17 million in FY09
-Release of Prior Year Encumbrances: $12 million in FY08 and $12
million in FY09
-Total Reductions $51,578,163 in FY08 and $49,594,410 in FY09.

4)  Federal Update

*Bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
known as the No Child Left Behind Act, are expected to be introduced
in House and Senate committees in March 2008 with support from
Senator Ted Kennedy, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions, and Representative George Miller,
chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor.  However, it is
anticipated that Congress will not approve an amended law until after
the November 2008 election.

*The U.S. Senate approved S. 1642, its version of the Higher
Education Act (HEA), in July 2007, and the U.S. House approved its
version, H.R. 4137 - called the College Opportunity and Affordability
Act, on February 7, 2008.  The two versions now go to a conference
committee.  Both versions increase reporting requirements for
institutions of higher education regarding tuition and fees, and
increase Pell Grants from $5000 to a maximum of $9000.  The House
version also streamlines the federal student aid application process.

5) Achieve Releases New Report:  Achieve, Inc., Michael Cohen
president, released on February 20, 2008 its third annual report
called "Closing the Expectations Gap 2008", which notes the progress
that each state has made to align high school policies with the
demands of college, careers, and citizenship.

According to this report, more than a third of states have raised
high school standards and graduation requirements, and several states
are involved in the American Diploma Project, which focuses on
aligning standards, graduation requirements, assessments, data and
accountability systems with college and career expectations.  18
states require students to complete a college ready or career ready
curriculum, including four years of mathematics and English language
arts, and 19 states report that their high school standards are
aligned with college and workplace expectation.

However, the report notes that only nine states have implemented
college ready assessments; four states hold high schools accountable
for the college readiness of graduating students; and only eight
states have longitudinal data systems to track students preK-16.

According to Matthew Gandal, executive vice president for Achieve,
"The pace and the progress of high school reform efforts are
encouraging, but no state has done everything that is necessary to
close the gap between what is required of students in high school and
what will be expected of them after they graduate. Higher standards
must be accompanied by better assessments and next generation
accountability systems if we are to realize the goal of all students
graduating college and career ready."

The ratings for Ohio are summarized below:
*Participates in the American Diploma Project:  Ohio is among 32
states participating in the American Diploma Project.
*Aligns standards with college and career expectations:  Ohio is
among nineteen states that has aligned its academic content standards
to college and industry expectations for math and English language
arts.
*Requires a college and career ready diploma:  Ohio is among 18
states that require students to graduate with a college and career
ready diploma.  (First class 2014)
*Administers college or career ready exams:  Ohio is among 23 states
planning to administer college or career ready exams (such as end of
course exams) in the future.  Nine states currently have college or
career assessments in place.
*Administers an end of course exam in Algebra II:  Ohio anticipates
administering an end of course exam in Algebra II in 2008.
*Uses a P-20 longitudinal data system:  Ohio is among ten states
planning to implement a P-20 data system in 2009-2011.
*Uses a four year or equivalent cohort graduation rate:  Ohio is
among 22 states planning to use a cohort graduation rate by 2009-2010.
*Factors college remediation into its accountability system for high
schools:  Ohio is among six states planning to implement this
component, but the date is to be determined.

For more information about the report, please visit http://www.achieve.org.

6)  Instructional Time and NCLB:  The Center on Education Policy
(CEP) released on February 20, 2008 an analysis of the effects of the
No Child Left Behind Act on school curriculum since 2002 called
"Instructional Time in Elementary Schools: A Closer Look at Changes
for Specific Subjects" by Jennifer McMurrer.  This report is based on
another report the CEP released in July 2007 called "Choices,
Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era".
The following are the findings of this latest study:

-"The shifts in instructional time toward English language arts (ELA)
and mathematics and away from other subjects were relatively large in
a majority of school districts that made these types of increases and
decreases. Districts that increased instructional time for ELA and/or
math did so by 43%, on average. Districts that also reduced
instructional time in other subjects reported total reductions of
32%, on average."

-"Eight out of ten districts that reported increasing time for ELA
did so by at least 75 minutes per week, and more than half (54%) did
so by 150 minutes or more per week. Among districts that reported
adding time for math, 63% added at least 75 minutes per week, and 19%
added 150 minutes or more per week."

-"Most districts that increased time for ELA or math also reported
substantial cuts in time for other subjects or periods, including
social studies, science, art and music, physical education, recess,
or lunch."

-"Among the districts that reported both increasing time for ELA or
math and reducing time in other subjects, 72% indicated that they
reduced time by a total of at least 75 minutes per week for one or
more of these other subjects. For example, more than half (53%) of
these districts cut instructional time by at least 75 minutes per
week in social studies, and the same percentage (53%) cut time by at
least 75 minutes per week in science."

-36 percent of districts reported decreasing time for social studies
by an average of 76 minutes per week since 2002; 28 percent reported
decreasing time for science by an average of 75 minutes per week
since 2002; 16 percent reported decreasing time for art and music by
an average of 57 minutes per week since 2002; 20 percent reported
decreasing time for recess by an average of 50 minutes per week since
2002; and nine percent reported decreasing time for physical
education by an average of 40 minutes per week since 2002.

The report and the analysis are available at
http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=234

7)  Bills Introduced

HB484 School Facilities Assistance (Garrison)  Calculates an
alternative equity list for fiscal year 2009 funding under the
Classroom Facilities Assistance Program and the Exceptional Needs
School Facilities Assistance Program for certain districts.