From:  Joan Platz
Education Update for May 12, 2008

1)  127th General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate will hold
hearings and committee meetings this week.  Last week the Ohio House
and Senate announced that the dates of May 28 & 29, 2008 were being
added to the legislative calendar.  The calendar also includes "as
needed days" in June.

*The Ohio Senate approved the special education scholarship bill, SB
57 (Coughlin) by a vote of 17-15.  All Democrats and three Republican
Senators, Senators Schuring, Stivers, and Grendell, voted against the
bill.  The bill now moves to the Ohio House Education Committee where
hearings have been scheduled this week.

*Last week Governor Strickland signed into law HB 544 (Hottinger),
which ended the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation, but not the
controversy around the Foundation's $270 million in tobacco funds.
Lawmakers intend to divert $40 million of the remaining fund to the
Ohio Department of Health to support anti-smoking programs, and $230
million for a jobs package.  Legislation that includes the details of
the jobs package is expected to be introduced this week.  However,
the funds are now tied up in a legal struggle in the Franklin County
court.  A hearing has been set for June 2 & 3, 2008.

2) This Week at the Statehouse
*The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by
Representative Hottinger, will meet on May 13, 2008 at 1:30 PM and
May 14, 2008 at 9:30 AM in hearing room 313.  The Committee will
hear, pending introduction and referral, testimony on an economic
stimulus package and a joint resolution for the Clean Ohio Fund.

*The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Padgett, will
meet on May 13, 2008 at 4:00 PM in the North Hearing Room.  The
Committee will hear testimony on SB331 (Roberts) School Evaluations,
which requires regular on-site evaluations of community schools,
requires certain community school teachers to be "highly qualified,"
and makes other changes regarding public schools; and SB332 (Roberts)
Community Schools, regarding application of Public Records Law and
Public Audit Law to community school sponsors and operators and
sanctions for community schools in arrears on workers' compensation
payments.

*The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Setzer,
will meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 4:00 PM in hearing room 116.
The Committee will hear testimony on SB 57 (Coughlin), which
establishes the Special Education Scholarship Program, and HB421
(Miller E.), which is a proposed law to eradicate nuisance properties
from around schools.

*The Partnership for Continued Learning will meet on Wednesday, May
14, 2008 at noon at the Ohio Board of Regents, 30 E. Broad St.,
Columbus, OH, Rhodes State Office in the 36th floor main conference
room.   For more information please visit http://www.pcl.ohio.gov/

*The Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, chaired by
Senator Carey, will meet on May 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM in the Senate
Finance Hearing Room.  The Committee will hear, pending introduction
and referral, testimony on an economic stimulus bill and a joint
resolution for the Clean Ohio Fund.

3)  Charter School Bills Introduced:  Four bills affecting charter
schools, SB331 (Roberts), SB332 (Roberts), SB333 (Roberts), and HB552
(Luckie), were introduced in the Ohio House and Senate last week.
These bills focus on charter school accountability, charter school
access to public school facilities, and compliance with public
records.  Sponsor testimony on SB331 (Roberts) and SB332 (Roberts) is
scheduled for the Senate Education Committee this week.  SB333
(Roberts) - School Property, is assigned to the Senate Finance and
Financial Institutions Committee.  HB552 has not been assigned to a
committee as yet.  Highlights of the four bills are provided below:

*SB331 (Roberts) Community School Evaluations.  This bill requires
traditional public schools to gather and report information from
parents of students returning to traditional public schools from a
charter school, about why they left the charter school; removes
dropout recovery schools from certain exemptions granted to them
related to students not taking state assessments; prohibits a charter
school to receive a performance rating if it does not have grades in
which students take state assessments; requires the ODE to issue a
report card for a school building, regardless of the length of time
that it has been open; requires the ODE to report the performance of
sponsors of charter schools; requires charter school teachers to
comply with current teacher licensure laws; requires charter schools
to maintain and promptly provide student education records when
requested; and adds new Sec. 3314.39 (A) - (G), which requires the
ODE to conduct on site evaluations of charter schools and post the
results, and allows the ODE to revoke a sponsor's right to sponsor
community schools.

*SB332 (Roberts) Public Records Law and Public Audit Law.  This bill
requires the auditor of the state to annually conduct an audit of the
accounts, reports, records, and files of operators and sponsors of
charter schools and their receipt or expenditure of public funds
related to the operation or sponsorship of a community school;
requires the Bureau of Worker's Compensation to confirm that a
community school does not owe workers' compensation premiums as a
condition to renew its contract with a sponsor; requires a sponsor to
immediately suspend operations of a community school that does not
comply with certain rules and laws; requires each nonpublic operator
of a community school and each nonpublic entity that sponsors a
community school to comply with section 149.43 of the Revised Code as
if it were a public office with respect to all records pertaining to
the management or sponsorship of the school.

*SB333 (Roberts) Sale School Property.  This bill rescinds provisions
in law regarding the sale of school district property to community
schools, and makes other changes.

*HB552 (Luckie) Start-Up Community School.  This bill revises the
exceptions to the cap on new start-up community schools by
prohibiting contracts with community operators that manage other Ohio
community schools that have report card ratings of academic watch or
academic emergency.

4)  State Board of Education to Meet:  The State Board of Education
(SBE), Jennifer Sheets president, will meet on May 12 & 13, 2008 in
Columbus, Ohio.  The State Board of Education's School Funding
subcommittee met on May 11, 2008 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in
Columbus.

MAY 12, 2008
The State Board of Education will hold its meetings on May 12 & 13,
2008 at the Ohio School for the Deaf, 500 Morse Road, Columbus, OH.
On May 12, 2008 the  Capacity Committee, Rob Hovis and Jane
Sonenshein co-chairs, will meet at 8:00 AM, and the Achievement
Committee, Michael Cochran and Ann Womer Benjamin co-chairs, will
meet at 8:30 AM.

The Capacity Committee will discuss a resolution to refile Rule
3301-8-01, Payment of Debt Services Charges; discuss Personalized
Learning Plans; discuss Rule 3301-9-01, Block Parent Programs;
discuss Community School Fiscal Officer Requirements; and discuss the
Community School Sponsor Evaluation.

The Achievement Committee will discuss a resolution to refile Rule
331-51-13, Operating Standards for Children with Disabilities; an
intent to amend Rule 3301-61-18, Career based Intervention Programs;
hear a presentation on international benchmarking; and hear a
presentation on personalized learning plans.

Both the Achievement Committee and Capacity Committee will discuss
legislative recommendations for FY10-11 starting at 10:15 AM.

The State Board will recognize Ohio Middle Schools to Watch at 11:15
AM.  Sixteen Middle Schools have been selected this year based on
their academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social
equity, and organizational structures.  The Board will then break for
lunch.

After lunch at 1:15 PM the Achievement Committee and the Capacity
Committee will present reports on their work to the full Board.  The
Board will also hear an update on legislative activities and bills
before the Ohio General Assembly; hear a presentation from the School
Readiness Solutions Group Implementation Subcommittee, chaired by
Eric Okerson; and hear reports from State Board members on liaison
activities.  At 4:00 PM the Board will hold a Chapter 119 Hearing on
the following rules and then adjourn.

Chapter 119 Hearing
-Amend OAC Rules 3301-26-01 Educator Examinations
-Amend OAC Rules 3301-71-01 Poverty Based Assistance

SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS
The State Board of Education's Subcommittee for Education in the New
Global Economy (EDGE), chaired by Colleen Grady and Steve Millett,
will meet from 4:30 - 5:45 PM.  The SBE's High School and Middle
Schools Subcommittee, chaired by Sue Westendorf and Carl Wick, will
meet at 7:30 PM at the Embassy Suites, 2700 Corporate Exchange Drive.

MAY 13, 2008 BUSINESS MEETING

On May 13, 2008 the State Board of Education's Coordination Committee
will meet with the full Board starting at 8:30 AM, and discuss
legislative and budget recommendations and "Transforming Education in
Ohio" documents, and preview the goals of the June 2008 retreat.
The Board will convene its business meeting at 11:15 AM and
immediately proceed into executive session.

Following lunch at 1:30 PM the Board will continue its business
meeting starting with the report of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction and public participation on agenda items.  The Board will
then take action on ten personnel items and the resolutions included
below.  The Board will then accept public participation on non-agenda
items and adjourn.  The next meeting of the State Board of Education
will be its annual retreat, which will be held on June 8 -10, 2008 in
Columbus.

AGENDA ITEMS

*Approve a Resolution regarding public participation at the June 2008
State Board business meeting.
*Approve a Resolution of Intent to consider the proposed transfer of
school district territory from the Madison Local schools District,
Richland County, to the Lexington Local school District, Richland,
County, pursuant to Section 3311.24 of the Ohio Revised Code.
*Approve a Resolution to refile proposed amended OAC Rule 3301-8-01
Payment of Debt Service Charges under the State Credit Enhancement
Program
*Approve a Resolution of Intent to rescind and adopt OAC Rule
3301-61-18 Criteria for Career Based Intervention and Work and Family
Studies Programs
*Approve a Resolution to amend OAC Rule 3301-61-17 Emergency Service
Telecommunicator Training
*Approve a Resolution to amend OAC Rule 3301-83-04, 06, -09, -10, and
16 Pupil Transportation Operation and Safety
*Approve a Resolution of appointment to the Educator Standards Board.

5) eSchoolNews Article on "Ready to Innovate":  eSchoolNews assistant
editor Meris Stansbury writes that there is a disconnect between what
employers and educators say and do when it comes to promoting
creativity and innovation.  According to an eSchoolNews article
published on May 2, 2008, "Study:  Creativity is Important but
Neglected", both educators and employers agree that creativity is
important in the workplace and classroom, but are not doing enough to
help students or employees become better at it.  That was one of the
findings in the report, "Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and
Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce?,"
which was released on March 31, 2008 by the Conference Board and
Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the American Association
of School Administrators (AASA).

The author writes, "'We believe it is time for employers to evaluate
how well their corporate support of education and the arts, as well
as their own employee training programs, stack up against the
strategic value they themselves place on innovation and its creative
underpinning,'" said Jonathan Spector, chief executive officer of the
Conference Board. "It is also time for greater dialogue within and
across all sectors to better understand and align efforts to foster
creativity in current and future employees.'"

To read the article please visit
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53690.

To read the "Ready to Innovate" report please visit
http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=3357

6)  Bills Introduced:

-SB331 (Roberts) School Evaluations:  Requires regular on-site
evaluations of community schools, requires certain community school
teachers to be "highly qualified," and makes other changes regarding
public schools.
-SB332 (Roberts) Public Records - Community Schools:  Regarding
application of Public Records Law and Public Audit Law to community
school sponsors and operators and sanctions for community schools in
arrears on workers' compensation payments.
-SB333 (Roberts) Access to School Property:  Regarding the sale of
school district property to community schools.
-HB552 (Luckie) Start-up Community Schools:  Revises the exception to
cap on new start-up community schools by prohibiting contracts with
operators that manage other Ohio community schools that have ratings
of academic watch/emergency.