Week in Review > Week in Review – 09/27/2019

Posted by on September 27th, 2019

EDUCATION

Should an ideal report card for Dropout Prevention and Recovery (DRP) schools measure a given school’s climate and culture? If so, how? Those were two of the central questions facing members of the State Board of Education’s Dropout Prevention and Recovery Workgroup Monday, as they crafted a list of priority changes they would like to see made to the state report card.

Upgrades and additional training resources are completed or in the works for the Education Management Information System (EMIS) to adopt recent recommendations of an advisory group, Ohio Department of Education (ODE) staff told members of that advisory group Monday. The EMIS Advisory Council met to review progress toward the 13 recommendations it submitted to Superintendent Paolo DeMaria in June. The council was created in 132-HB21 (Hambley) as a successor to the EMIS Advisory Board.

The Senate Education Committee called off plans Tuesday for a hearing to consider more changes and possibly vote on HB154 (Jones-J. Miller), which would change the state’s academic distress law. The committee had released two substitute bill drafts Monday that added an emergency clause and shifted the funding source for school turnaround efforts, but committee chair, Sen. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering), said those two matters are far from the only issues to be resolved as senators continue to raise additional questions.

Reports, issue briefs and other work produced by staff of the Joint Education Oversight Committee (JEOC) will be kept by the Legislative Service Commission as a resource for legislators, JEOC Chairman Rep. Bob Cupp (R-Lima) said Wednesday at the panel’s final meeting. The biennial budget, HB166 (Oelslager), shuttered the committee, effective next month. The committee operated for about four years after its creation in a previous budget bill.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking submissions from students in grades K-12 to name the next Mars rover. Students are encouraged to submit a name and a 250-word essay advocating for their choice, and teachers are encouraged to inform students of the naming opportunity. In addition, NASA is seeking adult judges to select the winning name. Students can submit their suggested names along with their essays through Nov. 1, 2019 at https://www.futureengineers.org/nametherover .

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Rep. Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) announced Thursday that he will be resigning effective Thursday, Oct. 3, to become president of the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College. Smith is in his final term in the Ohio House and is ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. He was elected House speaker in the 132nd General Assembly after former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigned in the wake of stories of an as-yet unresolved FBI investigation into Rosenberger’s travel.

One current and one former House member are asking Senate Republicans for the appointment to Sen. Lou Terhar’s (R-Cincinnati) soon to be vacant seat. Terhar recently announced he will retire at month’s end. Rep. Lou Blessing III (R-Cincinnati) and former Rep. Jonathan Dever both applied to replace Terhar, as did Judith Boyce, a former municipal clerk who lives in the village of Cleves.

Posted by on September 27th, 2019

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