Support from the North Olmsted City Council

On May 6, the North Olmsted City Council passed a resolution urging Ohio’s Governor and General Assembly to ensure both greater accountability for the state’s charter schools and responsible funding for traditional public schools.  Below is the full text of the resolution.

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CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED RESOLUTION NO. 2015— 36

By: Council Member Kearney and Council members Barker, Brossard, Hemann, Limpert, Schumann & Williamson

A RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR OF OHIO AND THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CHANGE OR ENACT STATE LAW THAT ENSURES GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OHIO’S CHARTER/COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AND RESPONSIBLE FUNDING FOR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, AS AMENDED.

WHEREAS, good local schools are critical for attracting and retaining residents and employers in Ohio’ s communities; and

WHEREAS, a fully funded system of public education is mandated by the Ohio Constitution; and by $515 million dollars in 2014 2015 compared to aggregate state funding in 2010 2011; and

WHEREAS, aggregate state funding for Ohio’ s traditional public school districts remained relatively flat from 2010 to 2014 while aggregate state funding for charter/community schools increased approximately 33% during the same time period to more than $900 million dollars per year; and

WHEREAS, annual aggregate state funding for charter/community schools would increase to more than approximately $1 billion dollars under HB 64 ( the State’ s biennium budget bill) as it is currently proposed; and

WHEREAS, the North Olmsted City School District (“NOCSD”) received $ 1, 642. 58 per student in basic state aid in 2013- 2014, but lost $7, 179.87 in state aid each time a student left the NOCSD to attend a charter/community school, creating a deduction of $5,537.29 from the district’ s General Funds per transferred student; and

WHEREAS, of the 19 different charter/community schools that students from the NOCSD left to attend, only one outperformed the NOCSD academically as reflected in the overall Performance Index grade for each school/district; and

WHEREAS, two independent reports released in December of 2014, by leading national evaluators of educational performance and processes, revealed that Ohio has one of the least accountable and least effective systems of educating charter/community school students in the United States; and

WHEREAS, HB2, legislation to improve community school sponsorship and management practices, passed by the Ohio House of Representatives in March of this year, did not include recommendations from the State Auditor that would have further and more adequately strengthened the financial accountability and transparency of Ohio’ s charter/community schools.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED, COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA, AND STATE OF OHIO:

SECTION 1: The City of North Olmsted urges the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly to change current, or enact new, state law that ensures the same levels of academic and fiscal accountability and transparency for charter/community schools that are required by the State of Ohio for traditional public schools.

SECTION 2: The City of North Olmsted also urges the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly to place a moratorium on any additional funding for charter/community schools, compared to funding approved in the previous biennium budget, until and unless current changes to existing state law, or newly enacted state law, ensuring equal levels of charter/community school academic and fiscal accountability and transparency are deemed effective by Ohio’ s State Board of Education.

SECTION 3: The City ofNorth Olmsted further urges the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly to correct the disparity in basic state aid received by, and General Funds lost from, a local public school district when a student leaves the public school district to attend a charter/community school.

SECTION 4: That this Resolution is hereby declared to be an emergency measure immediately necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare and for the further reason it is necessary to convey the messages herein to the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly while legislation affecting charter/community school accountability and transparency measures are being discussed by state legislators, and before the State of Ohio adopts its next biennium budget; and further provided it receives the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all members of Council, it shall take effect and be in force immediately upon its passage and approval by the Mayor.