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MEMORANDUM
DATE: July 9, 1997 [Emphases are added] Several major developments in recent weeks have combined to transform the context within which our work to promote and refine new academic standards for Ohio schools must take place. Consequently, we need to re-evaluate both our strategy and our time line for refining and promoting the new school standards. While we left our June board meeting with the intention of holding public meetings throughout thc state in August to collect feedback to the proposed standards, the events of thc past two weeks demand that a broader public engagement process and a more integrated communications plan be developed. The critical new developments include the following:
First and foremost, this past week Governor Voinovich unveiled his proposal for responding to the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling in thc DeRolph school funding lawsuit. The proposal, which was announced at the final meeting of the School Funding Task Force, contains both constitutional and statutory changes. Thc Governor has asked the Ohio General Assembly to place constitutional amendments on the November ballot to raise certain taxes and lower others, authorize thc issuance of debt for local school construction purposes, and to give the General Assembly exclusive jurisdiction over Ohio's public school system. Public hearings on these proposals, as well as other components of the Governor's plan begin in both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives this week. Final legislative action must be taken by August 6 if the issues are to appear on the November ballot. The Governor's proposal also speaks of "the need to assure voters that their money will be used as effectively as possible to produce better results. " To meet this need, he has pledged to work with the General Assembly to develop a new "school improvement and accountability package" that includes increased academic expectations for all students, higher standards for high school graduation, more rigorous tests of academic achievement, and report cards profiling school district performance. Assuming that the legislature puts one or more resolutions on the ballot, we can reasonably expect lawmakers to work intensely between now and November to enact some form of "accountability" legislation that will give voters a reason to support the ballot issue(s). 2. Senate Bill 55 The continued progress of Senate Bill 55 (Senator Watts' bill), which calls for increasing the number of units required for high school graduation, is a sign that the legislature is serious about raising academic standards. Given this determination on the part of the legislature, it is incumbent on the State Board to find common ground with Senator Watts' bill and to work to merge our own proposed new graduation requirements with his proposal. 3. Changes in thc House Education Committee Changes in the leadership of the House Education Committee also will directly impact our work with school standards. Representative Randy Gardner will serve as acting chair of the committee through the end of July; at the current time, however, a permanent committee chair has not been identified. 4. Editorial Commentary Statewide In the last two weeks, editorials in major Ohio newspapers have reflected certain common messages: It is clear we need to improve education results in our state, and it is equally clear that it will cost more money to achieve those improved results, At the same time, we need to be certain we are going to get substantive improvements for any new investments in education that we make. People want to know what they are going to get in return for increased investment in public education. In light of these developments, we need to rethink our plan for promoting the proposed standards. In particular, we must devise a communication strategy that places the needs of our constituents -- both the children and the voters of this state -- first. With all the talk in the media and on the streets about the Governor's school funding proposal, potential legislative action on school accountability, the State Board's proposed new school standards, and whole-cloth reform packages being promoted by groups such as Ohio's BEST, it will be easy for the average citizen to become confused and even disillusioned. The responsibility lies with groups like ours to bring these seeming disparate strands together into a coherent integrated whole that can be understood by all Ohioans who neither understand nor care about the institutional boundaries that exist between the various parties involved. By accepting that responsibility, we will be exercising the leadership our constituents expect us to provide -- and we will take a major step toward generating statewide support for the important work we are doing. Furthermore, the State Board's long-term mission will be best served if we step back, consider the "big picture," and acknowledge that school funding reform, education program reform, academic standards, graduation requirements and school accountability are all converging into a single, comprehensive education improvement effort. It has become increasingly clear that citizens statewide want to see funding reform accompanied by improved results and increased accountability. The work we have done on building a framework for new academic standards can play a pivotal role in ensuring better results, providing increased accountability, and securing public support. Toward that end, we are preparing a draft outline of a comprehensive communication strategy (including a revised time line for public meetings) that will be presented for discussion at our July Board meeting. The communication strategy will:
Thc State Board of Education is in a unique position to help incorporate higher academic standards and increased accountability into the bigger picture of statewide education funding reform. To be successful, we must engage all Board members in the process of defining the most effective plan for ensuring that Ohio makes the most of this historic opportunity. Because our time frame for action is limited, our work must be accelerated; at the same time, we must proceed in a manner that recognizes and respects the full dimensions of the opportunity we've been given. In the end, the success of our work to implement higher, more rigorous academic standards may well be the bottom-line measure of this Board's legacy to the children of Ohio. The fact that our work will inevitably be evaluated in the context of Ohio's response to historic school funding challenges presents both an enormous responsibility and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The questions are: Will we rise to the occasion? Will we demonstrate adequate leadership, resolve and commitment? Will we as a Board stand up and declare, unequivocally, that Ohio schools, teachers and students must achieve better results if funding for public education is increased? Now is the time to step forward and embrace both the responsibility and the opportunity we have before us. |
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