State official: Upgrade our schools

The state official visited a high school digital photography and journalism class.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NEWTON FALLS -- Like many educators across the state, Ohio Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Tave Zelman hopes the governor's panel devises a better way to fund public schools.
Gov. Bob Taft appointed a committee last year to recommend ways to fund public schools. The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled the system unconstitutional.
Zelman, who spent Thursday touring the Newton Falls school district, pointed to an Education Week grade of a D for Ohio's equity and a B- for adequacy in schools.
"In Ohio, it's still where you live is what you get," she said.
The state's public education system earned a C for school climate and A's for standards, assessment and accountability, Zelman said.
"I want Ohio to get A's in all of the areas," she said.
Bullying bill
Zelman hoped to meet with state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, on her visit to Trumbull County to discuss legislation he is sponsoring to discourage bullying in schools. She pointed to bullying as an aspect of school climate.
Unlike many states, Ohio doesn't have laws to discourage bullying in school and Zelman said that when she talks to elementary school children about ways to improve schools, they say something needs to be done about bullying at recess.
Zelman stopped in teacher Jon Hill's digital photography class where juniors Mindy Thomas, Jessica Kohute and Abbey Paisley and senior Cathy Hardman demonstrated how to download and tweak a digital photograph the students had snapped of the state superintendent.
"Can you make me look 20 pounds thinner?" Zelman quipped.
"We can do that," Cathy chuckled.
From there it was on to teacher Carole Mazanetz's journalism class, where seniors Mariah Harris, Stacy Hartman, Trissa Bordas, Frankie Dillion and Dan Stypa explained the finer points of assembling the Tiger Tattler, the school paper.
Zelman also visited Arlington Elementary, and viewed the new third-through-sixth-grade school under construction.
Reason for visits
"I visit 20 to 25 school district a year," Zelman said. "I like to go out to listen to and learn from superintendents, principals, teachers and students. I think that's an important role for a state superintendent."
She's visited several Mahoning Valley schools in the last months but says she isn't campaigning for office.
Zelman wants to ensure that the latest academic standards help to "produce the next generation of Ohio students to be global entrepreneurs, and that they create jobs here in Ohio so that businesses want to come here because we have the best-educated work force."
denise_dick@vindy.com