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State Representative Jim Buchy...
Cleveland School Plan
an Achievement of Compromise
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s proposal to reform the Cleveland City
School District has received a lot of attention in the Ohio House over
the past several weeks. I am encouraged that it has not only been an
area of extensive discussion, but also an item of bipartisan
cooperation and agreement. A pair of jointly sponsored bills recently
has been introduced before the Ohio House and Senate with this
cooperation in mind, which has been inspired by a compromise from Mayor
Jackson and the Cleveland Teachers’ Union.
Throughout this process, I advocated for the Cleveland Teachers’ Union
to get involved. In order to enact appropriate reform, it is important
to have all sides present and willing to cooperate. Therefore, I was
happy to hear that Mayor Jackson and the Cleveland Teachers’ Union had
come together and reached an agreement on legislation. This cooperation
has extended to the legislature, as the new proposal has a long list of
support on both sides.
In recent years, the Cleveland Teachers’ Union has been collaborating
with the school district to increase professionalism and teacher
performance. Their support of this bill is a continuation of that
work. Over the past few months, I have worked closely with
the President of the Cleveland Teachers’ Union and become familiar with
strategies they have put into place to increase rewards for high
quality teachers. Their work was limited by laws that needed
updating and the State Legislature is prepared to work in a bi-partisan
manner to make those changes.
Among other changes in the new version includes the ability for the
school district to quickly intervene in low-performing schools and
states that teachers even at these low performing schools will be
assessed on merit and their qualities will determine their future not
an arbitrary rule that says all teachers in a low performing school
will be fired. Another feature of the agreement establishes a
performance pay model based on a variety of factors, such as
specialized training and experience. Furthermore, teachers will be
assigned to fill positions using input from principals, teachers and
parents, rather than the current seniority based system.
Regarding school layoffs, decisions will be made based on teacher
evaluations and quality. Tenure and seniority will still be considered,
but only as a tie-breaker. Finally, under the agreement the school
district will have management control of decisions that affect the
school’s spending.
It is important to note that this legislation will only affect the
Cleveland City School District, which is the only district in the state
operated by the mayor. While obviously not all of Ohio’s school
districts are set up the same, I feel strongly about the Cleveland plan
and believe it can be used as a benchmark down the road for other
districts seeking to make changes. I will be a co-sponsor of this
important piece of legislation.
Rep. Buchy may be reached by calling (614) 466-6344, e-mailing
District77@ohr.state.oh.us, or writing to State Representative Jim
Buchy, 77 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
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