4/30/08
Suburban News
Khalila Perrin
While Columbus City Schools leaders insist the district has a “clean bill of health,” Auditor of State Mary Taylor released a report April 22 that seemed to say just the opposite.
The report, which covers fiscal year 2007, states the district has failed to fix 26 problems pointed out in the 2006 audit or [...]

4/30/08
Plain Dealer
Editorial
Gov. Ted Strickland and school superintendents take note: Public schools and charter schools need not be mortal enemies.
The Cleveland schools’ successful partnership with the highly touted Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, the district’s sole charter school, proves that peace can be far more fruitful for Ohio’s youngsters than war among their schools.
Of course, not all charter [...]

4/29/08
Columbus Dispatch
Encarnacion Pyle
Columbus high-school seniors will be among the first in Ohio to get a jump-start on college under a new program.
Beginning this fall, the Seniors to Sophomores program will give high-achieving seniors a chance to earn a year’s worth of high-school and college credits at the same time, at no cost.
“We strive very hard [...]

4/29/08
Columbus Dispatch
Jennifer Smith Richards
Buses by the numbers
1 million
Ohio students who ride school buses
15,000
Buses on the road statewide
8.8 years
average age of Ohio school buses
$40.7 million
state budget for bus purchases, 2001
$8.9 million
state budget for bus purchases, 2008
$50,000
average cost of a school bus, 2004
$85,000
average cost of a school bus, today
Sources: Ohio Department of Education, school districts
Severe cuts in [...]

4/29/08
Columbus Dispatch Blog
Simone Sebastian
Here’s more detail on today’s story about how a shrinking pot of state money and the rising cost of school buses is plaguing districts. (Pick up today’s Dispatch or read it on Dispatch.com.)
Some of the wealthier school districts - Bexley, Dublin, New Albany-Plain - haven’t relied much on state funding to buy [...]