MOUNT VERNON — In his 2008 State of the State address, Gov. Ted Strickland said he is committed to making sure Ohio schools rank among the best in the world and meet the needs of every Ohio child. Part of his plan to accomplish this is to take over the management of the Ohio Department of Education.
“The governor and the legislature are responsible for the success of our schools,” he said. “The voters will rightly hold us accountable for the education results we produce. Therefore, we should have authority over the management of the Department of Education.”
Strickland then called for the creation of a new position. The director of the Ohio Department of Education, appointed by the governor and subject to approval by the Senate, would have oversight over all department of education efforts.
“The existing structure,” he said, “including the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Schools, would remain in place in advisory and additional roles as determined by the director.
“The most important duty of the state should not be overseen by an unwieldy department with splintered accountability. This change in organizational structure will ensure, like higher education, that there is a direct line of responsibility and accountability in K through 12 education. It will ensure that our elected and appointed leaders are working together to strengthen education in Ohio.”
Members of the State Board of Education do not like Strickland’s idea. They unanimously support Ohio’s current public school system with an independent state superintendent of instruction and independent school board. In a letter to the governor, written Feb. 8, the president of the state board, Jennifer Sheets, said that appointing a director who would have oversight over all ODE efforts “goes directly against the will of the people who supported the idea of an education agency that is insulated form politics when they ratified the supreme document that governs our state, [the state constitution.]”
Because the state board’s meetings are public, Sheets said, its policy deliberations have a “transparency that is not seen in other parts of the executive branch of the government.
“To eliminate the public’s ability to openly interact with the people or person charged with setting our state’s education policy is a bad idea,” she said.
Sheets also said that partisanship has no place in the education system, and political agendas should not be involved in the decision-making process. She expressed continued interest in working with Strickland in partnership regarding education policy, then wrote, “The state board of education cannot, however, support any proposal that would reduce the importance of the board and state superintendent and thus take the ‘public’ out of public education.”
The Ohio Education Association said on its Web site it supports the governor’s plan.
“There is much in common between our core beliefs and the governor’s six principles for moving public education forward in Ohio. The principles show Gov. Strickland has recognized the absolute necessity for strengthening the public school system, his appreciation for the ideas and leadership of our teachers and his understanding of the clear link between a successful education system and a successful Ohio economy.”
“We believe he is committed to building a foundation that helps us attract, retain and support high-quality teachers, close the achievement gaps and prepare students for success in the 21st century. The governor’s ideas are still evolving, so we will work closely with him to make sure all Ohio children have access to caring and committed teachers and the classroom resources they need.”
Local school administrators have also weighed in on the issue, and the reaction is mixed.
“I think there has been too much ‘government’ telling education what to do,” said Dorothy Holden, Centerburg’s superintendent. “I don’t see how this is going to improve the state department of education. It just weakens the department and makes it more political.”
Knox County Career Center superintendent Ray Richardson said the governor’s plan may be helpful.
“There are some good people in the department of education,” he said, “but it is so bureaucratic that it is very, very hard to get any answers. There’s such a turnover in the department. ... I think it would be a smart move. Not that the election [to the state board] process is not good, but on the other hand, half of the board members are appointed, so it is a political thing anyway. I think it would be good to have someone at a cabinet level that’s really responsive; one person you can go to who says, ‘I’m responsible for this.’ We need to be able to have personal conversations with the person in charge.”
“Positive change,” said Johnstown superintendent Damien Bawn, “away from a status quo that has put our children and the welfare of the state in serious jeopardy, would be welcome. However, I would add the condition that positive change requires the will of policy makers to engage in effective dialogue with multiple constituencies to refrain from stifling open discussion, consider new possibilities and to work together for the good of our children and our communities.”
“The move by the governor needs to be made in such a way that there is a respect for the progress that has been made in the state as well as a thoughtful approach to improvement,” said Dan Freund, Clear Fork’s superintendent. “Relegating ODE to an advisory capacity would probably demoralize staff and create a void in accountability that the state could ill afford at this time.”
“I am in complete support of the governor’s proposal to overhaul the governance of public education in the state of Ohio,” said East Knox superintendent John Marschhausen. “Our current system often leaves public education without any allies in Columbus. If the power to lead public education was a cabinet level position, education would have support from the executive branch. Currently, public education doesn’t necessarily have the support from either branch of government or either political party. We, as an education community, have little influence in law making and policy decisions. If the educational leader was appointed by the Governor, at least education would have some political influence.
“The state board of education is now ‘out of the loop,’” he continued. “When changes are implemented in public education it is because the General Assembly has passed new laws. Nothing new comes from the state board — it is old fashioned and outdated. The state board simply ‘reacts’ to the new statutes. There is little leadership from within the state board — it is purely administrative. When Richard Lewis, OSBA’s executive director says, ‘A strong public education system, with public oversight and accountability to taxpayers, only strengthens our democratic principles,’ I think he means the state board makes it so things don’t change too quickly. The system is accountable — to our elected lawmakers in Columbus. You’d have a hard time finding 15 people, outside of school administrators, in Knox County who even know who our representative is on the State Board of Education.”
John Shepard, superintendent at Northridge, said, “I believe the current system needs to be retained as to help schools maintain some sense of stability. My fear would be four years of initiatives under one governor — then one change in the leadership and the schools are expected to implement another set of initiatives. Under the state board of education, there is some sense of continuity at the state level.
“However, I do agree that there should be a state-level cabinet position to help education in Ohio. It’s time to make a change in the funding of our schools. Perhaps if the politicians understood the inequities in the current funding formula for schools, more would be done.”
The full text of the governor’s State of the State address is available on the governor’s Web site. The state board response can be accessed through the Ohio Department of Education Web site.
