A 50 to 1 class ratio ought to solve Ohio's school budget crisis, right? You know, a "blended learning environment"...
From John Curry, March 25, 2011
....isn't that a cute phrase?
Sommers suggested that in a "blended learning environment" class sizes could go to a 50-to-1 ratio. "We have schools, both in the urban centers and in other settings, that have found how to get high-performance results, treat staff very well and do it for less than what we currently do."
Schools can adjust to cuts, Kasich education official tells lawmakers
More money, hiring not the solution, Kasich official testifies
Columbus Dispatch, March 24, 2011
By Jim Siegel
By Jim Siegel
Ohio schools are looking at potentially significant funding cuts over the next two years, but Gov. John Kasich's top education adviser told lawmakers yesterday that doesn't mean they should have to increase class sizes or head to the ballot for new tax revenue. Robert Sommers, director of the Office of 21st Century Education, testified for more than two hours about the governor's education plans, which include a major expansion of vouchers and charter schools, a new way to evaluate school districts, and a new process for parents to take over failing schools.
Schools are facing at least a $1.3 billion funding cut in basic state aid over the next two years. A number of lawmakers pressed Sommers about the reduced revenue, part of Kasich's effort to fill an $8 billion budget shortfall.
Rep. John Patrick Carney, D-Clintonville, relayed the message he got from Columbus City Schools officials, who anticipate losing $60 million in reimbursements the state is no longer covering. That, he said, could push high-school class sizes to 36 students.
"It would appear we're going to be putting school districts in a position where they're either going to have to go back to the voters early, or they're going to have to start firing a lot of (teachers) to make the budget work," Carney said.
Sommers said schools must learn to adjust to a tough budget and argued that class size "for the most part" does not correlate with student performance.
"Whenever I hear conversations around schools saying they either have to raise taxes or (go to) larger class sizes, I would suggest those people are not thinking in terms of the creativity we already have in place across the country," he said.
"What we face is this notion that the only way we can get better results is spend more money or hire more people. In the last decade, we've spent more money but have not gotten any better result," he said, pointing to factors such as ACT scores.
Sommers suggested that in a "blended learning environment" class sizes could go to a 50-to-1 ratio. "We have schools, both in the urban centers and in other settings, that have found how to get high-performance results, treat staff very well and do it for less than what we currently do."
School-district funding is hit in two major ways: loss of federal stimulus money, which totaled $457 million in basic aid payments this year, and a major cut in reimbursements for the elimination of the tangible personal-property tax, which totaled nearly $1.3 billion this year.
Districts also are losing hundreds of millions in federal stimulus money that was earmarked for poor and disabled students. Local leaders were told to use that money only for short-term expenses, such as bus purchases, said Barbara Mattei-Smith, assistant policy director of education for the governor's office.
"There are districts that put in long-term programs, and they may not be able to continue those," she said.
Kasich wants to increase the number of vouchers from 14,000 to 60,000 by 2013 and will remove the current statewide limit on the number of districts where students are eligible to attend a charter school. His plan allows parents to take over a district that for three years ranks in the bottom 5 percent of student achievement in the state, potentially transferring the school to a charter school operator with a "proven-track record."
"The one thing we know about these schools is they're failing children in a big way in the current structure," Sommers said. "At the very worst, we give them the chance to try something different."
posted by Kathie Bracy at 10:14 PM
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