Ohio CORE program

The CORE proposal is on the fast track. We shoudl and support it with a few reservations.
A compromise plan would get rid of foreign language requirements, make sure that will not require additional funding or if so that the state can support it wihtout placing on the shoulder, ensure that communities without two year colleges are not punished. Youngstown State for example is one of three institutions in the state where those not passing the core curriculum would still be allowed admittance.
Outgoing Ohio Gov. Bob Taft wants to get one more thing -- something very important to future generations -- done before he leaves office. We encourage state legislators to make it happen.
Nearly a year ago, Taft proposed that high school graduation requirements for college-bound students be increased substantially.
His ''Ohio Core'' program calls for requirements that, in many respects, are similar to those already in effect in West Virginia.
Taft would increase mathematics and science requirements, making algebra II, chemistry and biology mandatory. The governor's contention -- a valid one -- is that college-bound Ohio students need to be prepared better for higher education and careers. Allowing them to slide through high school does them a great disservice.
Taft is absolutely, positively correct. However, there already have been complaints about his proposals. One is that they are too restrictive.
Supporters of the Taft plan have bowed to some complaints. The governor's proposals concerning foreign language classes have been diluted. But legislators should not bow to those who are not giving Ohio students enough credit -- and not insisting that public schools prepare them better for the future. Lawmakers should approve ''Ohio Core.''
OUNGSTOWN -- The president of Youngstown State University said he strongly applauds Gov. Bob Taft's focus on strengthening the core academic curriculum in Ohio high schools.
But Dr. David C. Sweet expressed concerns about other aspects of the governor's plans for education as presented in Taft's State of the State address Wednesday.
Taft proposed that four-year state-funded colleges and universities should no longer offer remedial courses for students. That should be relegated to Ohio's two-year schools where costs are lower, Taft said.
YSU is spending about 1 million a year on remedial programs now, Sweet said, money that he would like to put into scholarships and other financial support for students who take core curriculum courses in high school designed to prepare them for college work.
However, in the meantime, there are no two-year community colleges in this area to fill the gap by providing remedial courses, Sweet said. It's a service that YSU should be allowed to continue to provide, he said.
Other concerns
Sweet is also concerned about a Taft suggestion that funding for higher education be tied to the number of graduates they produce, not just the number of students who show up for classes.
That might be acceptable for a university that has selective admissions policies, but there are also universities like YSU have an & quot;open access & quot; admission policy, designed to make college more accessible to everyone.
Open access schools should be held accountable, but the state has to recognize their different mission, Sweet said.
Enough tests
Local superintendents were less than thrilled with Taft's suggestion for additional testing for high school students.
& quot;We overtest the kids now as it is, & quot; said Frank Lazzeri, Boardman superintendent. Taft suggested that high school juniors take a college and work-ready test to determine if they are on the right academic course to be prepared for life after high school.
A Taft proposal to add another measurement to the Ohio School Report Card to indicate how well high schools are preparing students for college and work didn't get much sympathy either.
Superintendents pointed out that the state keeps expanding the Report Card requirements, which have grown from 21 to 30 specific items.
& quot;When we meet the benchmark, they do something else to make us miss the benchmark, & quot; said Richard Buchenic, Hubbard superintendent. & quot;We can't keep up with it. It's time to draw the line. & quot;
Dante Zambrini, Canfield's superintendent, said the state needs to reassess the Report Card program.
His district has been rated as & quot;excellent & quot; for six consecutive years, but Zambrini said there are better ways to test student performance than a one-day, one-test examination.
In today's computer age, it should be possible to examine students' total school performance through their regular tests and quizzes to get a picture on how well a school district is doing, he said.
The superintendents said the majority of their students are already taking rigorous core curriculum classes, although Taft would like to increase requirements in math, science and English. He also proposed that completion of a rigorous core curriculum be required for admission to Ohio's state-funded four-year colleges and universities.
Not enough resources
The governor's heart might be in the right place, but schools don't have the resources to keep implementing new programs without additional state funding, Zambrini said.
There's no money coming for technology programs, which are very expensive for schools to run, he said, adding, & quot;We're very much tired of being forced to go back to our property owners & quot; for more funding.
Lazzeri said the state isn't putting enough emphasis on the importance of skilled trades. Not everyone should go to a four-year college, he said.
The state and local schools need to form partnerships with business and industry to find out what high school students are lacking when they graduate so education can be adjusted to meet the needs of the skilled trades job market, added Zambrini.
The superintendents also were critical of Taft's claim that state funding of public schools has risen by 56 percent since 1999.
Local public schools are seeing that money siphoned off by charter schools and open enrollment programs in other districts, the superintendents said.
Zambrini said the state needs to re-examine how it funds public education. All schools should be funded at a basic level to provide a sound education, with additional allocations for costly programs such as special education. If a district wants to expand its offerings, that district should be willing to pay for it, he said
Thursday marked the deadliest day of sectarian violence since the start ofritics fear plan will cost schools
Ohio Core program could require districts to add labs, teachers, but who will pay for it?
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS - It's news to Jerry Pecko that Ohio Core -- the plan to amp up requirements so students take additional math and science classes to get into state universities -- will cost the Springfield Local School superintendent no more than his district is now spending.
Springfield is facing hard times. The district is in ``fiscal caution,'' with a 1.5 million budget deficit. A hiring freeze in place, a dozen teaching jobs eliminated, 10 bus drivers gone and no bus service for 1,000 students are not enough to balance the books.
For the third time, voters rejected a levy on Election Day. In the last two years, Springfield has had little or no increase in state funding and may need to ask for an emergency loan.
So Pecko was surprised to hear Gov. Bob Taft -- a lame duck leaving office in January who asked lawmakers to pass Ohio Core during their lame-duck legislative session -- reiterate that schools can handle the new requirements without state assistance by shifting spending priorities within their budgets.
``I disagree with them,'' Pecko said. ``I'm sure there will be additional costs.''
Taft unveiled Ohio Core in his final State of the State address in January.
For students now in the seventh grade to enroll in all but three state universities after graduating in 2012, they would need four years of English; four years of math, including Algebra II; and three science classes with labs. Until lawmakers loosened the options, they also would have needed two years of a foreign language.
No one -- including lawmakers, school officials, teachers' unions and even Gov.-elect Ted Strickland -- seems to disagree with the idea behind Ohio Core.
But there are major differences emerging over the cost -- whether property owners or the state will be paying the bill, and whether Ohio is creating a two-tiered school system that labels students as college material or blue-collar bound by the time they finish their sophomore year in high school.
Then there is the timing of its passage, which sparked the first minor political skirmish between ensconced Republican legislators and the incoming governor.
Lawmakers were in no hurry to move Ohio Core to Taft's desk for signature throughout 2006.
No one introduced legislation until April and a few hearings were held before lawmakers recessed for the elections.
Republicans back plan
Ohio Core's biggest supporters, however, are also some of the Republicans' largest contributors, so the legislation now appears to be on the fast track.
On Tuesday, Strickland asked lawmakers to wait until he takes office before tackling major education initiatives. The same day, lawmakers unveiled a substitute version of the bill softening the foreign-language requirement, calling for a study of the idea and prohibiting students from opting out of Ohio Core until finishing their sophomore year.
House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, said the legislature cannot delay passage until January for a number of reasons.
``Frankly, it should have been done before now,'' he said. ``It should have been done six months ago, but it wasn't. So we were already behind schedule on getting this done. The longer you wait, another generation of students or another grade of students misses introduction to what we expect them to do.''
According to Husted, lawmakers have worked behind the scenes for months ironing out problems with the legislation.
``I'm fearful that if we wait, that if it gets bogged down, that people that might not want this public policy -- for various reasons that are in their self-interest and not in the best interests of students -- will attempt to weaken it or derail it,'' Husted said.
Analysis of cost
Lawmakers rely on analysts in their Legislative Service Commission to review legislation and determine whether the ideas will cost the state, local governments or school districts any money.
In the commission's fiscal note for Ohio Core, districts will have to spend some money to adjust their course offerings and administer a college entrance exam to all 11th-graders by 2010.
But commission staffers, hired by the legislature, stopped short of saying how many new teachers and courses would be needed or putting a dollar figure on the cost.
Without specific data available to them, staffers estimated only 14 percent of Ohio high school seniors have taken four years of math.
The analysts also noted schools would be able to contain costs by shifting resources from elective to required courses.
But Springfield Township's Pecko said his district will have to hire more teachers.
``Math is a problem for us in terms of staffing because we have enough teachers to teach up to three units of credit of math,'' Pecko said. ``That is all we offer and we will need to beef up the math department with additional staffing if we're going to have four units of math.... ''
The commission's analysis points out that schools may have to consider alternatives to save money, such as teacher sharing, distance learning, online courses and sending students to take courses at local colleges.
School districts can also increase class sizes in the newly required courses, although this may have a more dramatic financial impact on smaller districts, according to the analysis.
Taft and lawmakers earmarked 13.2 million earlier this year to train and retain math and science teachers with signing bonuses and promises to forgive student loans. Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, said the total investment will be 115 million over the next five years.
But that is not expected to help districts like Pecko's pay the day-to-day bills of implementing Ohio Core.
Science lab needed
Pecko said Springfield High School has two ``ancient'' science labs; the district would need at least one more lab to meet the new requirements.
``There ought to be some money if we're going to take this seriously so all students are trained in up-to-date facilities with up-to-date equipment,'' Pecko said.
The fiscal note does not address the cost of new labs to meet the requirements, but Akron Public Schools estimated spending 160,000 for a science lab in 2000 in response to demands by the state to increase science coursework at that time.
Jerry Jurgensen, Nationwide Insurance chief executive, appeared with Taft last week as co-chairman of a business, education and community leaders group to urge lawmakers to pass the plan by year's end.
Jurgensen said he has seen no evidence that the state is asking districts to spend large amounts of money for Ohio Core.
``It isn't clear to me that it is an unfunded mandate,'' Jurgensen said.
He said Nationwide has 1,000 open jobs awaiting qualified, educated workers, but he cannot find the ``raw material'' in Ohio.
A review of Nationwide's Web site indicates the company has about 600 jobs posted dating back to Aug. 1. More than half of those positions are not in Ohio. Only a few in the state, such as unarmed security guards, called for high school graduates while most required college educations and three to eight years of experience.
Jurgensen did not respond to a request for a follow-up interview.
Tom Mooney, Ohio Federation of Teachers president, said schools will be forced to spend more on teachers, equipment, labs and other expenses to meet the Ohio Core requirements.
Mooney said he is troubled that the same business community pushing for the stricter academic standards continues to pressure lawmakers for tax breaks that shift the burden of paying for schools onto local property taxpayers.
``They are challenging us to raise the bar and we want to do it. I'd like to challenge them to step up to the plate and pay their fair share of the investment,'' Mooney said.
A two-tiered system?
Strickland expressed concerns about Ohio Core last week, saying it forces schools to determine by the 11th grade whether a student has the math and science skills needed for college.
``I don't want us to set a system that will forever consign a student who may have unique gifts and abilities to a secondary place within our society simply because they do not have the ability to function in other areas,'' Strickland said.
Strickland also said he wants to ensure that Ohio Core applies to charter school students, including thousands enrolled in online courses.
``I don't want this core curriculum to be used as an incentive for people to take their child out of the public schools and enroll them in the charter schools,'' Strickland said.
Husted denied Ohio Core creates a two-tiered system.
``We need to give the parents and the students of this state a realistic bar of what they need to achieve if they want to be successful academically. If you don't let them know, how can you expect someone to achieve if they don't know where the bar is?'' Husted asked.
S.B. 311 moves our efforts to ensure a quality education for every child in the right direction. With the appropriate changes and attention to critical details mentioned previously, S.B. 311 will be a good public policy for the state of Ohio.

Finally, this is not just about college entry and reducing the need for remedial classes at the college level, while I believe that is certainly a worthy goal. It is also about ensuring that all of our young people graduate from high school with choices--the choice to enter and succeed in higher education or the choice to enter the workforce with the opportunity to earn a living wage. It's also about the future of this state. Requiring the Ohio Core for all students and financially supporting its implementation will help to make Ohio a more attractive option for business and industry.