Eight to join Ohio Board of Education today | The Columbus Dispatch

Repub. or Dem. Board of Ed. is vile.

It would be nice to know what this board does and what these new appointees have as their major objectives as members of this board. Will they be asked to analyze the current 600 plus school districts and determine a potentially more efficient and cost effective structure that would deliver a better quality education process? The days of individuals just getting of boards and doing nothing should be over. We saw first hand what that approach did to our global financial system and that should have been a wake up call for boards at all level.

interesting John's appointees are from central, mostly rish, white, suburbanized Ohio. They should really know what's best for the poor, centralized schools. Whey to go Johnny...

Why do have 612 school districts in this state when we only have 88 counties? If they really wanted to have an impact on improving education in this state, they would make some MAJOR overhauls that would tick off many parents and students -

1. Grade Point Averages - lets cut out the crap of throwing in additional points for taking honors or AP classes. An 'A' is worth four points when calculating the GPA. You're expected to take the toughest courses that the school offers if you want to go to college. Quit this weighting of GPA's. One district weights by 2 points, another by 1 point and a third by only one-half point.

2. Raise the grading scale - make 70 the cut-off grade for a 'D'. Below that and you fail. Make an A = 93-100, B=85-92, C=77-84, D=70-76, and F=60 and below.

3. Institute an attendance policy -if you want to pass Ninth grade, you can not miss any more than 10 days of school. Same for Tenth, Eleventh,and Twelfth grade. These students that miss thirty or forty days a year and make A's in their classes - it's time to end that crap. If you can't be in school, then you don't pass. An exception could be made for a student that has a medical situation. No need for an excused or unexcused absence. You are either PRESENT or you are ABSENT. If you are not in class, you are ABSENT.

4. Merge school districts. Maybe the large cities should have their own districts (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown). But merge these other 600+ districts. County-wide? Not sure what the answer is, but I know it's not 612 independent districts.

Then tackle the problem of higher education and letting everybody with a pulse into the four-year public universities (and giving them scholarships just because they filled out the application and spelled their name correctly). Cut the cost of higher ed and award scholarships to those who truly EARN the money.

It's a dream. If only we could ever get a governor - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Tea Party, or Independent - that would do what is right instead of worrying about get re-elected.....

The board of education should have about three members at most who's pay is an average of all employed educators in Ohio.

Rick wrote:

Why do have 612 school districts in this state when we only have 88 counties? If they really wanted to have an impact on improving education in this state, they would make some MAJOR overhauls that would tick off many parents and students -
1. Grade Point Averages - lets cut out the crap of throwing in additional points for taking honors or AP classes. An 'A' is worth four points when calculating the GPA. You're expected to take the toughest courses that the school offers if you want to go to college. Quit this weighting of GPA's. One district weights by 2 points, another by 1 point and a third by only one-half point.
2. Raise the grading scale - make 70 the cut-off grade for a 'D'. Below that and you fail. Make an A = 93-100, B=85-92, C=77-84, D=70-76, and F=60 and below.
3. Institute an attendance policy -if you want to pass Ninth grade, you can not miss any more than 10 days of school. Same for Tenth, Eleventh,and Twelfth grade. These students that miss thirty or forty days a year and make A's in their classes - it's time to end that crap. If you can't be in school, then you don't pass. An exception could be made for a student that has a medical situation. No need for an excused or unexcused absence. You are either PRESENT or you are ABSENT. If you are not in class, you are ABSENT.
4. Merge school districts. Maybe the large cities should have their own districts (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown). But merge these other 600+ districts. County-wide? Not sure what the answer is, but I know it's not 612 independent districts.
Then tackle the problem of higher education and letting everybody with a pulse into the four-year public universities (and giving them scholarships just because they filled out the application and spelled their name correctly). Cut the cost of higher ed and award scholarships to those who truly EARN the money.
It's a dream. If only we could ever get a governor - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Tea Party, or Independent - that would do what is right instead of worrying about get re-elected.....

And anyone who scores a grade of 61-69 gets a "Rick".
Sorry. I couldn't help it.

whyohwhy wrote:

interesting John's appointees are from central, mostly rish, white, suburbanized Ohio. They should really know what's best for the poor, centralized schools. Whey to go Johnny...

Apparently, what ever school you attended didn't emphasize spelling.

whyohwhy wrote:

interesting John's appointees are from central, mostly rish, white, suburbanized Ohio. They should really know what's best for the poor, centralized schools. Whey to go Johnny...

The man has let it be known that he has no intention to have a diverse group of individuals providing input into any decisions. He does not value diverse thinking and only wants individuals with common thinking, common values, common solutions etc. He knows best and nothing else matters.

Jim wrote:

<quoted text>The man has let it be known that he has no intention to have a diverse group of individuals providing input into any decisions. He does not value diverse thinking and only wants individuals with common thinking, common values, common solutions etc. He knows best and nothing else matters.

We've tried it your way and look at the mess we're in. Ohio government is bloated, wasteful as a result of the out of control political correctness. John is going about things the right way in my opinion and he's idnetified the problems going in and he's attacking them one by one.

Wilhelm Klink wrote:

<quoted text>
Apparently, what ever school you attended didn't emphasize spelling.

Or critical thinking.

Jim wrote:

<quoted text>The man has let it be known that he has no intention to have a diverse group of individuals providing input into any decisions. He does not value diverse thinking and only wants individuals with common thinking, common values, common solutions etc. He knows best and nothing else matters.

Define "diverse thinking"

Race Baiters wrote:

<quoted text>
Define "diverse thinking"

Try this http://www.lmcm.com/pdf/DiverseThinking1.pdf

Need to communicate with these folks too! They need to hear that we are not getting a "bang for our buck". Big challenge!

Centerville and New Albany...

Two of the most lavish, most well heeled public school districts in Ohio.

If most Ohioans could see how disgustingly well funded schools like Centerville are, we'd have statewide riots.

The less influence we have from state and especially federal government and the more interest and influence we have from the local school district voting taxpayers, the better off we are. As for financing schools, for every buck we send to the state in taxes we may get back $.70, the fed $.50 if we are fortunate. Local tax money allows $.90 plus to return to fund our schools. Doesn't that give us a better "bang for our buck"? You bet! Plus we have control over our own destiny! Sounds good to me!

I can't say where the money comes from, or if it's just old generational money like Cincinnati.

But Suburban Dayton has a lot of posh public school districts and they all behave like they're offshoots of Miami University.

Bellbrook, Beavercreek, Centerville, Oakwood, Springboro... And then if you go up north of Dayton it's the same thing.

It would be nice if Kasich could work to bust the intense nepotism that engulfs most of Ohio's school districts. Both nepotism in hiring and nepotism in the preferential treatment of children of school employees.

Take a look at our public schools, and you'll see that the children of school employees enjoy a country day quality education. But 70-80 percent of the kids are just cranked through the system like factory workers.

Parents either don't know any better or else they're scared of retaliation if they speak up.

Rick wrote:

4. Merge school districts. Maybe the large cities should have their own districts (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown). But merge these other 600+ districts. County-wide? Not sure what the answer is, but I know it's not 612 independent districts.

Look at states where school districts are county wide and/or merged, particularly in the Sunbelt...

> the quality of most district's is super low.
> the best school districts are about as good as Ohio's mediocre districts.
> you see "Triple Sized Sprawl Patterns" where practically everyone of means moves outside the county to avoid sending their kids to school with less affluent kids.
(Like it or not... White Flight is still a powerful force everywhere.)
Think Delaware County is an obnoxious example of urban planning ??? Imagine 4-6 counties surrounding Columbus being as built up and sprawled as Delaware County.

Sure they have lower property taxes in the Sunbelt, and much of it is due to consolidation. But it comes at a huge price. Schools suffer. Real estate values suffer. And quality of living suffers when people spend 2 hrs a day in the car driving everywhere because the metro area is so sprawled out.

Rick... If you live in California, you of all people should know first hand what it's like when most of your state's public schools offer low quality education.

I wonder how many Creationists he appointed....

Rick wrote:

Why do have 612 school districts in this state when we only have 88 counties? If they really wanted to have an impact on improving education in this state, they would make some MAJOR overhauls that would tick off many parents and students -
1. Grade Point Averages - lets cut out the crap of throwing in additional points for taking honors or AP classes. An 'A' is worth four points when calculating the GPA. You're expected to take the toughest courses that the school offers if you want to go to college. Quit this weighting of GPA's. One district weights by 2 points, another by 1 point and a third by only one-half point.
2. Raise the grading scale - make 70 the cut-off grade for a 'D'. Below that and you fail. Make an A = 93-100, B=85-92, C=77-84, D=70-76, and F=60 and below.
3. Institute an attendance policy -if you want to pass Ninth grade, you can not miss any more than 10 days of school. Same for Tenth, Eleventh,and Twelfth grade. These students that miss thirty or forty days a year and make A's in their classes - it's time to end that crap. If you can't be in school, then you don't pass. An exception could be made for a student that has a medical situation. No need for an excused or unexcused absence. You are either PRESENT or you are ABSENT. If you are not in class, you are ABSENT.
4. Merge school districts. Maybe the large cities should have their own districts (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown). But merge these other 600+ districts. County-wide? Not sure what the answer is, but I know it's not 612 independent districts.
Then tackle the problem of higher education and letting everybody with a pulse into the four-year public universities (and giving them scholarships just because they filled out the application and spelled their name correctly). Cut the cost of higher ed and award scholarships to those who truly EARN the money.
It's a dream. If only we could ever get a governor - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Tea Party, or Independent - that would do what is right instead of worrying about get re-elected.....

Most of what you suggest is in the hands of the legislature.