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State senators hear concerns from local schools superintendents
CANFIELD
Unfunded mandates and state testing were the hot topics of debate Friday during a discussion among more than a dozen school superintendents from around the Valley and a pair of Ohio senators.
Sens. Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, and Sean O’Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, met with the superintendents at the Mahoning County Educational Services Center in Canfield to gain a better understanding of the concerns of educators in the region.
Two major concerns were shared: Districts are hurting financially from what they deem unfunded mandates; and teachers, students and districts are being hamstrung by state testing requirements.
Paul Woodard, superintendent of Newton Falls schools, shared his frustrations with the senators.
“Unfunded mandates are killing us,” he said.
Woodard described how state laws requiring school districts to provide transportation for students attending STEM schools have left the district sending a single student nearly 30 miles on a school bus every day to attend classes at the expense of the school district.
Other administrators shared frustrations with laws forcing them to provide College Credit Plus programs but providing no funding to cover the cost of the programs.
Matthew Bowen, superintendent of Campbell schools, said he believes College Credit Plus is a valuable program that should be offered, but that it should be funded differently so as to not hurt a student’s home school district.
State testing was also on the minds of the administrators during the meeting.
Joe Meranto, superintendent of the Youngstown City School District, said strict testing requirements by the state harm teachers and students’ classroom experiences.
“We’re spending our money teaching kids how to pass tests,” Meranto said. “We’ve taken the life out of these teachers and out of education. We’ve taken the creativity and imagination out of learning with these state tests.”
Traci Hostetler, MCESC superintendent, said she was also troubled that state education policy was being developed based on the results of the standardized tests, pointing to the correlation of schools in poor and minority districts often performing worse than affluent schools on state tests.
Rulli said he was blown away by the response from the administrators, and agreed with their criticicms. Rulli is a vocal opponent of open enrollment and state testing. “People in Columbus are looking for quick fixes, and these are layered issues that need layered solutions,” he said.
Rulli and O’Brien are preparing amendments to add to Senate Bill 154 and the Cupp Patterson School Funding formula that would rework how the state funds education.