• • Notes from CEO Bill Sims
• • Legislative Update
• • School Leader Consortium
• • Community School Transportation Meeting
• • Is School Closed?
• • KidsExpo on April 30th, 2011
• • Ohio Benefit Bank offers free services
• • OAPCS Membership News
• • Assessment Updates
• • Extended school hours proposed for Dohn Community School
• • Customized Insurance Package for OAPCS Members
• • Online course for AP and other classes
• • Ohio Charter School Teachers: Resources Available for Your Classroom!
• • Parent Involvement Coordinators' Meeting
• • Apple in Education

Editorial
Charter schools are public schools; they should work together.
For the full article click here

Department of Education
Funding Opportunity:
The Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD)
For the full article click here

Department of Education
Funding Opportunity:
Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems program
For the full article click here

Advocacy

Events

Quality Values and Principles

Why School Choice Matters For Ohio Public Education

I have always appreciated the axiom that life’s journey and its consequences are the result of every personal decision we make, day-in and day-out. There’s a definite sense of personal responsibility implicit in this adage but there’s also an unspoken public responsibility to make sure good choices are available that can lead to good outcomes.

As head of the Ohio charter school association, one might suspect that my biases would be to turn all public schools into charter schools. Not so. My bias is choice. 

Imagine for a moment a statewide scenario for all Ohio parents and students where they could choose locally from a portfolio of school options that fit their particular individual or family needs. That choice might be a traditional elementary, middle or secondary school within the boundaries of the district. But it could also be a “magnet” school, a STEM school (science-technology, engineering and math) or a single-gender school offered up by the district. Further choices might include charter schools created by or sponsored by the district or independently sponsored charter schools close to home, or distance-learning charter schools in an at-home environment.

What persuades me about a true school-choice environment for all Ohio families is two-fold. First, school choice helps to resolve the one-size does not fit all, or, “How can I find the right fit for my child?” dilemma facing many parents. Second, it encourages all schools within the portfolio of options to be the best that they can be. Parents do vote with their feet and schools that meet parental needs will prevail. The flip side demands certain accountability. Charter schools and district schools not meeting clear performance expectations or the unique needs of families must by due process be closed down.

Of this I am certain. In the future, public education in America will inevitably acquire the characteristics of portfolio design and management. Ohio has its own “life journey,” replete with decisions that will be the measure of its leadership and success. Decisions that Ohio makes in the immediate future will determine whether Ohio chooses to be a bellwether state in education reform or chronically behind the proverbial curve. The competition will only get tougher nationally and internationally.

A prescription for success with Ohio’s education reform should include and end to the zero-sum antics and polemics that have dominated the state’s public-school discourse and stunted the contemporary progress of the state’s education reform efforts. This is not a question of which local tribe wins; it’s a question of how Ohio matches up with the world.

To make school choice and portfolio frameworks work requires a commitment to equality of funding for all school options.  Equality of choice and opportunity knows no difference between children attending dropout recovery schools, special needs schools, STEM schools, distance-learning schools, charter schools or traditional district schools. Our precious public dollars need to follow children into their classrooms. School principals must then be given the entrepreneurial autonomy to create the most flexible and contemporary learning environments that today’s world demands. At the end of the day, there is both personal and public responsibility for Ohio’s educational circumstances and we’ll be judged by the decisions we have made on our watch and in our lifetime.

Bill Sims
President and CEO
Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools
614-744-2266

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Despite protests that brought over 8,000 people to the statehouse, Senate Bill 5 made it through the senate last week by a 17-16 vote. The bill aims to save Ohio money by limiting collective bargaining rights for public employees. Now the bill has moved to  the House of Representatives, with hearings to be held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. OAPCS submitted a white paper to policymakers explaining why autonomy is so important to charter schools success and advocating that charter schools be exempt from the collective bargaining requirements.

In other news, it seems more likely that Teach For America—the highly regarded teacher recruitment and preparation program—will finally come to Ohio. Teach For America brings outstanding recent college graduates to teach in some of the most underserved areas of the nation.  More than 1,800 Ohioans applied to be part of Teach For America this year but none will be teaching in Ohio, as Ohio’s rules for alternative teacher certification would restrict TFA to only certain grade levels. SB 81 would help bring TFA here, and it would help those people who’ve already done TFA to more easily find other teaching jobs here. That should be encouraging news to Ohio’s charter schools, who can benefit from the highly-motivated TFA teachers. OAPCS has also been working with Teach For America and its supported to help bring this much-needed program to Ohio. A version of SB 81 already passed in the House.

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May 20th, 2011 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

26 SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY REGISTRATED

OAPCS School Leader Consortium is an informal gathering of professionals. Its agenda is the product of its members. The OAPCS provides meeting facilities and a conference bridge for those interested in participating by phone. There are no costs with consortium membership other than membership in the OAPCS.  

OAPCS School Leader Consortium was created to provide a forum for charter school operators to discuss common advocacy, operational, technical, and academic issues. It is also a forum for sharing best practices and school innovation.

Contact Jennifer Wall at jwall@oapcs.org for the registration form.

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You are invited to attend the annual Community School Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, March 10, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. at the Northgate Center located at 6655 Sharon Woods Blvd. This will give us a chance to share very important information that will be helpful to you in planning the 2011/2012 school year.

Applications for Pupil Transportation for the 2011/2012 school year will be distributed, as well as other forms and information. As in previous years, the deadline for applications is June 15, 2011 to allow sufficient time to route your students for the first day of school.

Please contact Jenny Wall at jwall@oapcs.org for the registration form and agenda. Please make plans to attend the workshop. If you have any questions, please call 614-365-5074.

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Is School Closed? Need a way to notify parents and students of school closures, events, and emergencies at NO COST to your school?
 
Ohio Alerts is a FREE text and email alert system for Ohio’s school districts and community schools.  Find out more at http://ohioalerts.org. An audio demo on the page (way on the bottom) explains the service. You can contact your ITC or info@ohioalerts.org to get set up.

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KidsExpo on April 30th, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Great Lakes Expo Center 1200 Babitt Road Euclid, OH The inaugural 2011 KidsGO Expo is a unique opportunity for one-stop shopping for parents to explore the best products and services for their families. It’s fun for the parents AND the kids, because there are lots of activities and new things to see. There will be schools and sports, music and food, all in one convenient place for parents to discover. Be a part of this experience by presenting your company or organization to an audience that is anxious to see what you have to offer. Don’t miss this captive audience. This is your chance to enroll new students, sign-up more kids for your activities or demonstrate your product or service.

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The Ohio Benefit Bank offers a free service to apply for public benefits, file a tax return or FAFSA, and register to vote. Check out the Programs and Services offered – including FREE Tax Preparation assistance to families making under $60,000/year. A great deal of assistance can be provided online, and in person assistance can be found via The Benefit Bank Locator — https://secure.thebenefitbank.com/ums?task=locator.
 
The Ohio Benefit Bank is supported through a public-private partnership between the Office of Governor, the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) and Ohio’s foodbanks as well as over 1,100 faith-based, nonprofit, governmental and private partners. The creation of this service as a tool to assist those in need has put the state of Ohio in the forefront of fighting hunger and poverty, while linking those in need to the supports that help in their day to day lives.

To learn more visit: http://www.ohiobenefits.org

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Test Administration in 2011
The OAA test administration in 2011 will begin on April 25. In 2011, Easter is on April 24 and many districts have scheduled, or are considering scheduling, spring break the week of April 25. Spring break during the week of April 25 will mean the district has the week of May 2 for the initial administration and the week of May 9 for make-up testing only.

Districts cannot use the week of May 9 for initial administration. To meet the results deadline in June, the scorable materials need to be picked up during the “rolling” pickup period: May 6, May 9 and May 10. If this does not happen, the return of test results in June would be jeopardized.

Please consider scheduling spring break the week before Easter. If time off is required after Easter, perhaps the Monday following Easter also could be included in the spring break. This still would allow districts time to administer tests the week of April 25.

Reminder – Suspension of Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) in Writing and Social Studies
The development and administration of the OAA grades 4 and 7 writing assessments and the grades 5 and 8 social studies assessments will continue to be suspended for the school year 2010 – 2011 due to budget cuts. The OAA-Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities in the areas of writing and social studies also will continue to be suspended for the school year 2010 – 2011. At this time, we do not know if these tests will be returned to the assessment program. Development and administration of assessments for these subjects is dependent upon funding available in the next state biennial budget.

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Dohn Community School has proposed a new program called "Healthy Lifestyles Education Program," in response to a growing problem of crime rates increasing between the hours of 4 to 8 p.m. The school has proposed extending it's traditional eight hour day to a twelve hour day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and provide students with three healthy meals and a snack.

After school students will receive additional tutoring, help with their homework, and extra instruction in reading and math. At 4:00 p.m., they will go to the local YMCA for physical activity and fitness training. At 6:00 p.m. dinner, followed by a healthy living session that covers the importance of regular exercise, good nutrition and watching one's diet.

The goal is to provide all students, including those living in poverty, the educational support, nutrition and safety to succeed in all classes where there will be a structured environment surrounding them. The plan should help narrow the achievement gap between affluent neighborhoods and economically challenged neighborhoods where parents are more likely to work nights.

The first-year goal is to target 100 students in the ninth and tenth grades. The program would be free, provide transportation for students and could start as early as next year.

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OAPCS members have access to an exclusive program for their schools’ insurance needs. CharterSafe is the first insurance program designed specifically for charter schools by school leaders and school insurance experts. CharterSafe was created as a direct response to schools’ needs of finding insurance options that provided the correct coverage at group reduced rates.

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Offering online course for AP and other classes not offered in your school

Options for online AP courses and other classes not available through your school can be found at the “Ohio Learns Gateway” at http://www.ohiolearns.org.
 
OhioLearns! is a catalog of distance learning courses offered in Ohio at both the high school and college level. Students in grades 9-12 who are interested in high school courses including Advanced Placement courses… are eligible for AP Course Fee waiver. For additional information please contact: Deb Segner, OhioLearns Manager, Ohio Learning Network, dsegner@oln.org. Phone: (614) 485-6737

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Need classroom materials to teach and support your students this year (lab equipment, calculators, novels, etc.) Sign up for a free teacher account on DonorsChoose.org to begin requesting these resources now!

How do I participate?
1.    First, log in to your teacher account on www.donorschoose.org  DonorsChoose.org (if you don't have one, any public school teacher can sign up at www.donorschoose.org/teacher).
2.    Once you're logged in, submit a request for the classroom materials you need (microscopes, math manipulatives, models, notebooks – you name it!).

Note: Teachers are especially encouraged to submit projects this summer, as many DonorsChoose.org funders are eager to support requests in the late summer and early fall.

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The Ohio Department of Education invites you to attend a Parent Involvement Coordinators’ Meeting on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, from 3 – 5 p.m. (NOTE: TIME CHANGE FOR THIS MEETING). This meeting will occur before the start of the Ohio Association of Administrators of State and Federal Education Programs conference, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
 
There is no registration fee for this meeting. Two contact hours will be available for those who attend the entire session.
 
Join us to review the parental involvement requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind). We will share new ideas to increase the engagement of families in the education of their children.
 
We encourage you to stay for the entire conference set for March 30, 31 & April 1, 2011. Please go to www@oaasfep.net and click on the “conferences” button for information.
 
For more information, please contact:
Ann Bohman, Educational Consultant
Federal Programs and Parent Involvement
Ohio Department of Education
Center for School Improvement
Office of Federal Programs
ann.bohman@ode.state.oh.us

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Apple offers special education pricing on Apple computers, software and select third party products to College Students, or Teachers, Administrators and Staff of all grade levels. Call 1-800-MY-APPLE for more information and to register your school and start saving today.

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