Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > July > 28
Friday, July 28, 2006
Happy Ape-aversary!
One of my favorite teacher/bloggers, Mrs. Cornelius at A Shrewdness of Apes, is celebrating her one-year anniversary as a blogger today.
I can’t believe her blog is so young. It seems so polished that I would have guessed it had been around much longer. But the Apes aren’t much older than Get on the Bus. (Hint: Watch for an upcoming anniversary at an edublog near you.)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: The Carnival of Education
What if there was a “Dayton Promise?”
Back in November, I wrote about the Kalamazoo Promise, a program funded by an anonymous donor in Kalamazoo, Mich., through which every student who completes all his or her schooling and graduates from that city’s public school system is guaranteed free tuition at any Michigan public university or college.
Last night, I went to a meeting of an anti-sprawl group that raised the idea of a similar Dayton Promise here as a way to bolster home values in the city and slow outward growth.
Before I go any further I want to clear up some confusion. The headline suggests this is a Dayton schools proposal. It is nothing of the sort. As the story states, this was one of three ideas suggested for discussion by a group called Grassroots Dayton. So nobody actually proposed anything at all. As For Dayton schools, the district sent a representative to the meeting in response to an invitation by Grassroots Dayton who merely spoke about the district’s issues. The headline was off base.
But back to the idea of a “Dayton Promise:”
Could it work here in Dayton? I don’t see why not.
Our fair city certainly has enough financial might to fund it. We’ve got Boonshofts, Schusters, Mathiles and other individuals who are philanthropic, well-heeled and interested in the well-being of the city and its youth. Plus there are foundations, like the Kettering Foundation.
What are the advantages? Bob Steinbach from the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission said he has spoken to the Kalamazoo area Realtor’s group and it reports improved home values and inquiries from every state about moving there.
At the meeting, the anti-sprawl folks talked about the disadvantages of the way the Miami Valley is growing away from the core city. Population is mostly steady but construction continues to push further outward. This spreads out the taxpayers over a wider area. Less density means fewer taxpayers in each school district, which raises each taxpayer’s burden.
There were three ideas proposed at the meeting for combating this problem suggested by Grassroots Dayton. The others were allowing more district-to-district student transfers and creating one large consolidated school district for the entire Miami Valley.
Those two things, frankly, are very unlikely to happen. The districts that need fewer students, like Beavercreek and Springboro, would probably draw more students under the transfer plan, while the districts with capacity, like Dayton and Fairborn, would likely lose more kids. Besides, most school districts right now won’t play the transfer game and have policies against accepting them.
Consolidation of school districts also is wildly unpopular, as voters prefer greater local control, not less.
But the “promise” idea could work. The question is whether the benefit is worth the cost and if significant donors would be willing to step up to the plate and lead such an effort.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Colleges and Universities, Dayton Public Schools, School Construction
Free tuition “promise” discussed as sprawl remedy
By Scott Elliott
Dayton Daily News
Suppose every child who completed all their schooling and graduated in Dayton was guaranteed free tuition at any Ohio pubic college.
What effect might that have on housing patterns in Dayton?
In Michigan, where the Kalamazoo Promise makes such a guarantee, realtors report improving home values in that city and inquiries about moving there from every state.
A copycat “Dayton Promise” was just one idea for attacking suburban sprawl and the problems it creates for school districts discussed Thursday at a meeting sponsored by Grassroots Greater Dayton.
About 45 who attended heard John Carr, Dayton school construction chief, describe how falling enrollment in the city schools has caused the district to reduce its construction program by eight schools.
Meanwhile, Beavercreek Superintendent Dennis Morrison said exploding growth there already has the schools over capacity and are creating a desperate need for new buildings.
Dayton’s lack of wealth made it eligible for 61 percent matching funds for its $627 million building program. Beavercreek won’t be eligible until 2112 and then can only receive 9 percent state money for its projects.
The group discussed three ideas for a regional solution — allowing more students to transfer between districts, consolidating area school districts under one umbrella and a Kalamazoo-style promise.
Perhaps the least complicated option is the donor-funded scholarship program, such as that in Kalamazoo.
“It’s not really an education initiative,” said Bob Steinbach, of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. “The people who funded it see it as an economic development initiative to stabilize neighborhoods in Kalamazoo and attract middle class families with educational aspirations for their kids.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
