By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As the state is scrambling to find solutions to the EdChoice dilemma, Bowling Green City Schools is working to make sure it rises above the designation from the state.
Superintendent Francis Scruci said at Tuesday’s school board meeting that he and Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Angie Schaal will testify in Columbus Thursday about the harm caused by the EdChoice program.
Board member Norm Geer said the state legislature is working hard to resolve problems with the program that requires public schools to pay for student vouchers to private schools, if the public school does not score high enough on statewide third grade reading tests.
“This has gotten the Ohio House and Senate working overtime on education,” Geer said.
Three years ago, there were 257 schools in Ohio designated as EdChoice. The next year, the number jumped to 517 schools. This year, the number has exploded to 1,277 schools.
“That finally got the attention of everybody,” Geer said.
After being bombarded by school officials asking for the EdChoice program to be re-evaluated, the legislature put a moratorium on the voucher program until April 1.
Geer said Wood County’s legislators – State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, R-Perrysburg – have been very helpful.
Angie Schaal, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning, also reported Tuesday evening on curriculum changes that are already showing results at Kenwood Elementary. Kenwood was placed on the EdChoice list last year, and Crim Elementary joined it this year.
The new curriculum has been fully implemented by teachers dedicated to ridding Kenwood of the EdChoice designation, she said.
“The initiatives we started are showing really good progress,” Schaal said. “Our kids that are struggling are moving up.”
Scruci thanked Schaal and the teachers for working so hard to bring up reading scores.
“That’s a credit to the teachers, and a credit to what you’re doing,” he said to Schaal.
Citizen Ken Rieman compared working with EdChoice to “trying to wrestle an octopus.”
He questioned the state’s requirement for public schools to pay private school vouchers that cost twice as much as public schools get from the state per student.
EdChoice also does nothing to help struggling students, Rieman said.
“It doesn’t identify kids who need help, and help them,” he said.
One positive of the uproar by educators has been a renewed attention to public education by state legislators, Geer said. They are examining not only EdChoice, but also the state report card system, and the funding of education in Ohio.
Scruci reported that Ghanbari will host a meeting about school funding on Monday, at 6 p.m., in the Bowling Green City Schools Performing Arts Center.
