Outraged by proposed cuts for charter schools, two organizations teamed up to unveil a public relations campaign Thursday that says Gov. Ted Strickland's education plan would push Ohio back to the days of Jim Crow.
My School, My Choice Executive Director Sue Westendorf, who was president of the State Board of Education in 2005 and 2006, said her group was partnering with the Ohio Black Alliance for Educational Options to draw attention to the governor's discriminatory funding proposal for charter school students.
Blasting the governor's decision to rally for his education plan with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan during the Ohio Education Association's representative assembly on Friday, she said the groups would run radio announcements that day in Cleveland, Columbus and Akron criticizing the proposal. The organizations are also taking out a full-page ad in The Columbus Dispatch.
OBAEO State Director Tracie Craft said the plan, which would reduce overall funding for charter schools, was discriminatory because most of the 80,000 students are African-American.
"This is not a time to reignite a battle over separate and unequal education," she said. "The governor's unfair budget cuts hurt the very students who have the most to gain from public charter schools and the most to lose if the state turns the lights off on them."
Under House changes to Gov. Strickland's executive budget (HB 1), charter schools would see a 26.2% decrease in fiscal year 2010 for a total of about $471 million, which would then increase to $511 million the next year. However, schools that are highly rated would be eligible for increased funding under the revised plan.
Ms. Westendorf dismissed that idea, saying lawmakers should allow time for existing charter school accountability provisions, which require closure for chronically failing schools, to work.
Noting her organization was a non-profit not required to disclose financial information, Ms. Westendorf declined to say how much the groups planned to spend on the ad campaign or who was funding the effort.
The organizations are also planning a Statehouse rally May 13 to generate support for charter schools as the Senate prepares its revisions to the education plan, which are likely to be much more favorable for the independently operated schools.
Union Support: Meanwhile, the Ohio Federation of Teachers' officers and executive committee expressed support for Gov. Strickland's education plan and the House's revisions.
The measure would better prepare students for postsecondary education and the workplace and revitalize the economy, the union said in a statement. Moreover, the proposal would reduce the over reliance on local property taxes by increasing the state's share of education funding.
"Success of this education plan will require the legislature to provide the proper support and resources to implement the educational reforms outlined in substitute HB1 including the teacher residency plan, additional learning time, professional development and other key components," OFT stated.