At the time of our release of this issue of Insight Online, the Ohio Senate’s version of Amended Substitute House Bill 1 was still pending. Senate leadership has been forthright with its intentions to maintain full funding for Ohio’s charter schools in spite of gaping state budget deficit projections- as much as $900 million for the current year and $2 billion for the biennial (2010-2011) budget.
The Legislative Services Commission release of Amended Substitute House Bill 1 is imminent. Within forty-eight hours of its release, the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools will provide an initial impact report for our members, perhaps by Monday or Tuesday of next week.
The next step in this legislative process will be for the Senate and the House to work out their compromises and consensus in Conference Committee. This is the most critical phase and your advocacy support will be essential. Because support for charters is most prevalent in the Senate, your attention should be focused on your representatives in the Ohio House. We have made communicating with them easy for you. Just click HERE for instant access to our web site’s VoterVoice system where you can craft messages to your representatives simply by entering your name and zip code.
On another note, the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools is extremely pleased to report that our membership, in two short years, has broken through the century barrier with 104 schools and 25 associate members.
Finally, we are also delighted to announce that the Honorable Jabar Shumate will deliver the first of two keynote addresses at the Alliance’s state charter school conference, November 16-17. Representative Shumate is a three-term member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and he serves on the board of Tulsa’s Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) College Preparatory Academy. In 2007 Rep. Shumate passed legislation that allows higher education institutions to authorize public charters in Oklahoma, and in 2008 he helped draft the first authorizing contract between the state’s only historically black university and the state’s first public charter. Rep. Shumate is a charter school supporter with both wit and wisdom and will surely get us off to a thoughtful and entertaining start. A more complete bio will be available on our web site www.oapcs.org.
Please contact your elected officialin the Ohio House and encourage other charter school supporters to do so! Our “action alert” is a quick and easy process with the potential to have a profound impact on the outcome of the budget debate – but only if we can generate strong participation.
It’s been several weeks since the Ohio House of Representatives passed Sub. H.B. 1 – the state’s biennial budget bill – which dramatically reduces charter school funding.
Conventional wisdom suggests that charter school supporters shift their focus to the Ohio Senate as deliberations over the legislative proposal continue in that chamber. But Senate leadership is firmly committed to restoring charter school funding, so our highest priority is continued communication with House members who must be convinced to abandon their proposal to slash funding for charter schools.
It’s critically important that charter school supporters voice their concern to members of the House of Representatives who voted for Sub. H.B. 1, which would result in charter school closures, and to thank those who opposed it.
Pending Legislation speeds up Charter School Closure Provisions making it critical that Charter Schools thoroughly know their Accountability Data. Attend this hands-on workshop to work directly with ODE Staff to assure your school’s accountability data is complete and correct. Participants will log onto the Secure Data Center and work with their school’s 2009 data, including the Preliminary Report Card.
Attending this workshop will enable you to proactively address reporting errors prior to the close of EMIS reporting on July 17th and avoid any fiscal penalties for EMIS Out of Compliance.
The Workshop will be held June 30, 2009, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the State Library of Ohio, 274 E 1st Ave, Columbus, OH 43201.
Click here for registration form, or call Marianne at (614) 744-2266 ext. 201. A limited amount of seats are available, so please cofirm your reservation as soon as possible.
Cost:$50 for OAPCS members, $100 for non OAPCS members.
As your fiscal year comes to a close and a new one begins, don’t forget to make plans to attend our 2009 State Conference “Transforming Education” on November 16-17 in Columbus. This year we are offering a full CEU credit to anyone who attends all sessions of the conference and are excited to offer even more workshops especially designed for teachers.
The cost of this year’s conference remains the same as last year, $250 for early-bird OAPCS members, $350 for early-bird non-members. When early-bird registration ends October 26th, registration fees will be $350 for members / $450 for non-members)
For some schools planning to bring several staff and/or board members, your savings in “member” costs could override the cost of m embership. For information on becoming an OAPCS member please visit our website at http://www.oapcs.org/?q=become-a-member. Registration for the conference will open later this summer. For information on exhibiting or sponsorships, please contact Becky.Leija@gmail.com. Stay tuned for more exciting details!
The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education partners with teachers to provide hands-on learning in citizenship education and to help students develop problem solving and analytical skills.
The Center’s 19th annual Law & Citizenship Conference delivers valuable citizenship education programs sponsored by the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Attorney General of Ohio, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the ACLU of Ohio. These and other high quality workshops are aligned with the state’s academic content standards, benchmarks and indicators. Ashland credit is available for an additional fee.
At the conference, the Center will unveil its new elementary activity book filled with original, interactive lessons and resources aligned with the standards and not available anywhere else.
Congratulations to King Academy Community School, the only school in Ohio to receive a Love Your Veggies™ school grant, sponsored by the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings in partnership with School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) and supported by Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH). The $15,000 nutrition grant will help increase access to, and consumption of, fresh fruits and vegetables at a time when schools are required by federal mandate to strengthen nutrition and exercise programs as part of local wellness policies.
King Academy Community School will use the grant funds to launch the “Healthy Me Habits” program. The school will purchase two salad bar stations for fresh vegetable and fruit choices to be offered to the students.Lesson plans about nutrition education will include field trips to local markets so that the students gain experience in choosing vegetables and fruits.The winning grant proposals were chosen based on need, innovation, greatest likelihood of sustainable impact on the students they are serving, and potential for community involvement.Great work King Academy!
