Senate Bill 316, now being discussed in the Senate Education Committee, outlines a big change in the evaluation system of Ohio’s schools. If approved, by downgrading district evaluations, SB-316 will make many more communities eligible for charter schools and more students eligible to receive “Ed Choice” vouchers to attend private schools.

Currently, a student may receive a “voucher” to attend a private school if he or she is living in a district rated either “Academic Watch” or “Academic Emergency.” And, in these low scoring districts, charter schools may be started. Right now, 134 districts are eligible for charters and vouchers, but SB-316 proposes to change the evaluation scale so that this number will more than double.

The new system uses letter grades, from “A” to “F.” Based on current data, if the new system were in place today, 281 districts would have a grade of “D” or “F,” and each of these districts would be eligible for charter schools and vouchers.

School districts and community schools are referred to as local education agencies or "LEAs"

There are big differences between the state regulations for private schools as compared to charter schools. A charter school is a public school, and must abide by rules governing public schools. Private schools are, well, private. They operate outside of public rules. They are free to create a school environment that advances their mission and they are free to select or reject students based on their own criteria.

Private schools may have very different rules for teacher qualifications, as compared to public schools, and may make demands of teachers and students that would be against the law in a public school. Over 93% of Ohio’s private schools eligible for vouchers are religious schools. (See list here.) The mission of many of these schools, as stated in their mission statements, is religious indoctrination.

It surprises me that the issue of using tax dollars to fund private religious education is seldom or never mentioned in articles I’ve read about Ohio’s voucher system. Opposition to vouchers for religious reasons evidently was squelched in 2002 when the Rehnquist Supreme Count ruled 5-4 to approve the Cleveland voucher program.  I agree with how Justice John Paul Stevens described the 5-4 ruling: “profoundly misguided.” Stevens wrote for the dissenting minority: “Whenever we remove a brick from the wall that was designed to separate religion and government, we increase the risk of religious strife and weaken the foundation of our democracy.”

The focus of opposition to Ohio’s voucher program seems to be solely its impact on the funding of local schools. For each student receiving a voucher, $5,200 is subtracted from his or her home school district. Right now, 12,988 students from 37 different schools districts receive “Ed Choice” vouchers. The cost of Ed Choice voucher to local school districts is now $38 million. The number of vouchers under current law is capped at 60,000, so, with the new evaluation system, the amount spent on vouchers can grow to almost five times its current size, to $312 million.

In the new grading scale, most of Ohio’s highest scoring school districts will be downgraded. If SB-316 is implemented, many communities, who have been told their schools are “excellent,” will soon be told that their schools only rate a grade of “B.” Right now, 382 of Ohio districts and community schools are rated “Excellent,” or “Excellent with Distinction.” Under the new system only 22 of these districts would have a grade of “A.”

• DDN School Voucher Article Fails To Point Out HB136 Will Use Coercive Taxation To Fund Religious Education

Former Dayton congressman Tony Hall was the featured speaker at Montgomery County Democrats annual “Frolic For Funds” fund raiser last Thursday, March 29. Hall said that in his work addressing world hunger, he had eight opportunities to meet Mother Teresa. He said the first time he met her, Mother Teresa explained her mission. Asking the congressman to stretch out his hand, she took his hand and counted these five words on his thumb and fingers: “For the least of these.”

Hall said he has always been proud to be a Democrat because Democrats care about the poor.

Hall said that he was deeply moved by what he saw in Calcutta, almost to the point of despair and Mother Teresa told him that not everyone can come to Calcutta, but everyone can, “Do the thing that is in front of you.” Hall built on those words in his short talk and said that Democrats in Dayton have much to be proud of for making the city better and for making people’s lives better.

Hall said that the task before us to make the world a better place seems too enormous and said that at one time a newspaper reporter said to Mother Teresa that what she was accomplishing was just a “drop in the bucket.” She corrected him, that, “It is just a drop in the ocean.” But, she said, “If I didn’t do it, it would be one less drop.”

Hall was congressman for the Dayton area for 24 years. After he left congress, he served as “United States Ambassador to the United Nations for Food and Agriculture” from 2002 to 2006.

In 1993, Hall fasted for 22 days as protest for congress turning away from its work to help world hunger.

On the eve of resuming contract negotiations, 50, or more, members of The Dayton Newspaper Guild yesterday marched in front of the Dayton Daily News building, 1611 South Main St. The Guild is protesting that the owner of DDN, Cox Media, is outsourcing jobs and is eliminating seniority rights.

In an e-mail message, the Guild wrote: “The newspaper wants to end job security for its most experienced workers by eliminating seniority-based layoffs. And even while the company gives nonunion newsroom managers raises and bonuses, it continues to deny small merit raises for hard-working union employees who kept the newspaper profitable during the recession. The newspaper and the Guild have been in contract negotiations for weeks. But so far, the newspaper has shown little interest in compromising on key elements of a potential deal.”

Lou Grieco is serving in his sixth term as president of the Guild and says that Guild members have been without a contract since 1989.

Rick McKiddy with DDN Guild President, Lou Grieco. Rick is the Democratic candidate seeking election to the Ohio Senate to represent Montgomery County's 6th District.

On the Guild’s web-site, Grieco is quoted as saying: “It’s time the Dayton Daily News be held accountable for its unjustified assault on middle-class journalism jobs. Newspaper executives have shown an unwillingness to compromise at the bargaining table that is far outside the mainstream. Their bias against the middle class must end. The Guild has tried to work toward compromise, but on key issues, the Company just wants to dictate terms. Our members are shocked, angry and hurt. They have been loyal during the toughest times in the Company’s history. They are working harder than ever, they have made sacrifices, they have successfully embraced change with genuine courage. And this is the thanks they get.”

The web-site points out that after the last protest rally, March 16, Cox Media refused to report the event: “Cox Media Ohio chose not to inform its own readers of the Dayton Daily News, viewers of WHIO-TV, and listeners of WHIO radio about the protest. The company likes to brag that it ‘covers both sides’ and is unbiased. But it abandons that philosophy if it thinks news coverage might ‘hurt the company.’ ”

It was a beautiful spring day as Newspaper Guild members met in front of the Dayton Daily News building to attempt to bring public attention to their disagreement with Cox Media.