PD article slams STRS

Making Ohio schools better isn't just a question of money
Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 11, 2007

Maybe someone ought to tell the PD editor that the president of the Fordham Foundation (Chester Finn) has been affiliated with charter schools and who is willing to stand by and see that charter schools are more than happy to turn education taxpayer dollars into profits for executives who will smile all the way to the bank! This article continues -- in a not so subtle way -- to "toot the horn" for those who deem privatization as the cure for education ills and to profit off the spoils of the education reform movement. These are the same executives who don't even manage to return to the school environment for a "period or two" in an entire school year! The "right wing" continues to flutter....doesn't it? [John Curry]

Today, Gov. Ted Strickland starts the tortuous process of trying to fix school funding.

He is to meet this morning with education groups, including members of the coalition that proposed a sweeping constitutional amendment that Strickland himself opposed.

This session is expected to be the first of many constituent meetings; the governor has vowed to talk with a wide range of groups - not just educators - as he crafts a new plan.

Today's meeting is likely to focus squarely on increasing appropriations. But the importance of education to Ohio's future requires a far more sophisticated approach to education policy. For example:

Performance pay: Long opposed by teachers unions, the concept has gained enough political ground that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama actually announced his support for it last week at the annual convention of the country's largest teachers union.

Sustainability of the State Teachers Retirement System: As a new report from a conservative education group notes, the average retirement age for Ohio teachers is 58, well below the private-sector average. Couple that figure with increasing life expectancy, and STRS faces a fiscal crisis. STRS officials have proposed increasing employer and teacher contributions, but that would be just a start.

Innovation: Other states use creative approaches to attract top talent - loan forgiveness, reduced housing costs and programs to bring professionals to the classroom for a period or two every day.

This list is just a beginning.

Strickland's chief challenge will be to convince Ohio that its education debate must go beyond mere dollars.