While my initial instinct is to avoid writing about politics, I find it absolutely impossible not to address the outcome of the November 2010 elections as it relates to education in Ohio.  Many people fear that the potential impact of our new Ohio governor’s educational initiatives could prove to be another revolution of the educational reform wheel on which we have all spun for many, many years.

In 2006, Ted Strickland made a pledge to reform the “unconstitutional educational funding system in Ohio”.   He even went so far as to say that if he didn’t accomplish the task, he would be considered a failed governor.  His campaign now points to the fact that they were on the right track, but didn’t have enough time to complete all that needed to be done.  They boast that they not only reformed the educational funding structure, but also the delivery model for education in Ohio. 

So what was accomplished?  Well, districts throughout our state began by completing a common decision framework provided by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to identify their needs.  They then became accountable for developing Ohio Improvement Plans (OIPs) which focused on improving their specific grassroots goals and conveying them to stakeholders.  Key individuals were selected and assigned through the ODE to serve on State Support Teams (SSTs).  The basic idea was that although state and federal laws have required school districts to have needs assessments and improvement plans, these documents have not historically and uniformly reflected how these districts plan to make or sustain improvement.  Without knowing this, it is very difficult for Educational Service Centers (ESCs) to know how they can support schools and respond to their specific needs.

On November 2, 2010 many Ohio educators feared that their hard work could go up in smoke with a change in office.  On the ballot for governor was John Kasich who touted a plan to eliminate Strickland’s evidence-based funding model.  No specific details were offered, other than to say that more money was to be directed to the classroom.  Strickland supporters argued that no initiative could be considered anything but directed toward the classroom.  Additionally, Kasich pointed out that mandates such as increased teacher training, all day kindergarten, tutoring, and increased money to poorer schools were “over the rainbow” expectations and largely unfunded.  In spite of concerns voiced by many teachers’ unions that much hard work and positive results could be at risk with the election of a new governor, Kasich prevailed.

Although Kasich’s spokespersons have indicated that Race to the Top initiatives implemented through Strickland’s regime will remain an important part of the “new plan”, those who have worked hard to accomplish goals of the “old plan” feel like they are now left standing in the rubble.  Would more time under Strickland’s plan have yielded the much-anticipated results for which we had hoped?  Perhaps yes.  But while Strickland was touted as our “Educational Governor”, Kasich stands firm to the promise that educational reform is his foremost task. 

As a seasoned educational administrator who has seen change after change, my plea is simple:  Let’s not enter into yet another revolution of the wheel.  More importantly, let’s not reinvent it.  While you can’t just throw money at a situation and assume it is going to go away, you can’t starve it and hope that a resolution will miraculously thrive from it.  The reality of the situation is that Ohio voters tend to reject increased property taxes as the 11th highest property-taxed state.  Additionally, voters rejected a one cent sales tax increase (half earmarked for schools) to raise 1.1 billion dollars back in 1998. Educators simply can’t be asked to dig themselves out of the rubble and start again with or without adequate funding.  What has begun happening in our schools must not cease as a result of a change in political tides.  This is not exclusively an issue of political party loyalty.  We’ve worked smarter.  We’ve worked harder.  It’s time to stop the wheel from spinning, long enough to learn from one another.