Career TEchnical AND Adult Education News

Voters across Ohio approved 121 of 175 public school district tax issues during the Nov. 7 general election. Sixty-nine percent of the school tax issues on the ballot passed, a decrease from the 2017 general election. Ohio voters approved 89 of 122 school tax issues in November 2017 for a passage rate of 73%.

Forty-three of 94 new school tax issues were approved Tuesday, a passage rate of 46%. This is a decrease from the 2017 general election when 51% of new tax issues passed.

Voters approved 78 of 81 renewal school tax issues on Tuesday’s ballot, a 96% passage rate. This is a slight increase from the 2017 general election when voters approved 90% of the renewal issues. 

Election results are complete but have not been officially certified by the Ohio Secretary of State. Ohio School Boards Association maintains a comprehensive online database on the outcome of school tax issues across the state. The database is available on the association’s website at http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/19699

 The mid-term election saw Ohio Republican statewide executive office candidates win by large margins.  Mike DeWine & running mate Jon Husted defeated Richard Cordray / Betty Sutton 50.66%-46.54%*.  All four “down-ticket” Republican statewide candidates—Dave Yost (Attorney General), Frank LaRose (Secretary of State), Keith Faber (Auditor), and Robert Sprague (Treasurer)—defeated their Democratic opponents by similar margins. 

            Republicans also maintained control over the Ohio General Assembly.  Although Democrats gained five seats in the Ohio House of Representatives, Republicans retain a supermajority of 62-37.  The Democratic pick-ups included 3 seats in Franklin County and two in Northeast Ohio.  In the Ohio Senate, Republicans gained 1 seat, increasing their supermajority to 25-8.  

            Republican victories at the state level did not, however, extend to the Ohio Supreme Court. Democrat Melody Stewart unseated incumbent Justice Mary DeGenaro, and Democrat Michael Donnelly defeated Craig Baldwin to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice Terrence O’Donnell.  The state’s currently all-Republican high court will now be 5-2.

            At the Federal level, Democrats are projected to gain roughly 37 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and take control of the majority.  However, Republicans are projected to gain 2 seats in the U.S. Senate, increasing their majority to 53-47. All federal congressional incumbents from Ohio retained their seats, and those running to replace incumbent Republicans emerged victorious as well.

Ohio Governor / Statewide Races: Republicans swept all five statewide executive office races.

Governor/Lt. Governor: Republicans Mike DeWine/Jon Husted defeated Richard Cordray/Betty Sutton.

Attorney General: Republican Dave Yost defeated Steve Dettelbach

Secretary of State: Republican Frank LaRose defeated Kathleen Clyde.

Auditor: Republican Keith Faber defeated Zack Space.

Treasurer: Republican Robert Sprague defeated Rob Richardson.

*Projections not yet confirmed and are subject to change.

Jim’s career in Education spanned 50 years. He began his career as a teacher aide and progressed through the ranks as an academic, career & technical teacher and special needs teacher earning degrees at Miami University, Kent State University, and Bowling Green State University.

Jim served over twenty years as a high-level administrator in the Ohio Department of Education before becoming Principal & Director of the Tolles Technical Center in Plain City. He became the first person promoted to the rank of Clinical Associate Professor in The Ohio State University, College of Education & Human Ecology for Career & Technical Education. His OSU graduate program was ranked first among American graduate schools for 2017, 2018 and 2019 by USNWR. He was a leading advocate for Vocational Education and Career Development known throughout the nation and world. Near the end of life, he became a participate and supporter of “adaptive” and wheel chair sports.

He is preceded in death by his parents, two infant bothers and his loving wife Deborah Jane Paul. He is survived by his incredible son Nicolo (Nico) Paul Pinchak, Nico’s partner Kelly Holmes and numerous friends, students and extended family.  Jim believed he was able to continue to teach and live a full life for so long because of the heroic efforts of the physicians and staff of The OSU Wexner Medical Center and Hospitals.

“Jim was one of those people who challenged you to be your best and you enjoyed taking on the challenge.  He was principled, hard working, incredibly thoughtful, and a fighter.  These are rare qualities to find in people singularly.  He represented them all in one incredible human being.  Students who didn't even know him benefited from his commitment to those oft forgotten in the rush to implement favored policy.  Our lives are better for his presence.  His personality and focus on students allowed for reasoned spirited conversations guided by a desire for best in class solutions.  His passing means we will all have to work harder to continue the traditions of student focus, data-driven decisions, and human decency he exemplified.  He will be missed, but more importantly he will be remembered in our conversations moving forward.  I, for one, will be eternally grateful for his presence in my life.” - Bob Sommers, Friend and Colleague

A celebration of Jim’s life was held October 27 at The Tolles Technical Center.  The Department of Educational Studies and the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University established The G. James Pinchak Scholarship fund.  The funds will be used to provide scholarships and research support to students pursuing higher education in Career and Technical Education, and Workforce Development in Education.  Contributions can be made at www.osu.edu/giving/  (search under “Pinchak”.) Contributions can also be made by check, payable to The Ohio State University;  write “The G. James Pinchak Scholarship fund” in the memo line. Checks should be sent to:

 Ohio State University Office of Advancement

110 Arps Hall, 1945 North High Street, Columbus, OH  43201

Click here for the tip sheets.

Community stakeholders, including schools, districts, parents and businesses, may submit credentials to the Ohio Department of Education for addition to the list of approved industry-recognized credentials. Applications are due Dec. 31, 2018, for consideration for addition to the list for the 2019-2020 school year.

Click here for more information.

Computer science opens more doors for students than any other discipline in today’s world. Learning even the basics will help students in virtually any career—from architecture to zoology. Just as we teach students how to dissect a frog, or how electricity works, it’s important for every 21st century student to have a chance to design an app or an algorithm or learn how the Internet works.

Join Battelle to learn ways to bring computer science to your school. Here are the upcoming Computer Science Workshops for Administrators and School Counselors workshops. You must RSVP to participate.

Two dates: Oct. 26 and Nov. 16.  Click here for more information/registration.

Young students and workers will be invited to submit questions for the candidates by using #TalkJobsOH on social media and by interacting with the livestreamed forum on Facebook, YouTube and ideastream.org/talkjobs.

“Talking Jobs with Ohio’s Next Governor” is funded by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through a grant for the “American Graduate: Getting to Work” initiative. “American Graduate” is public media’s long-term commitment to help young people succeed in school, career and life by supporting community-based solutions, including national and local reporting, town halls and public forums, like “Talking Jobs.”

During the forum, the candidates will appear individually in back-to-back segments and will be allotted 45 minutes each to interact with young Ohioans and respond to their questions and comments about education, workforce development and job creation. Andy Chow of the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau will serve as the forum moderator.

Co-produced by a statewide public media collaborative of CET in Cincinnati, ideastream in Cleveland and WOSU Public Media in Columbus, “Talking Jobs with Ohio’s Next Governor” provides a rare opportunity for young adults across the state to engage with the leading candidates in this year’s Ohio gubernatorial race.

“Ohio’s next governor can have a major impact on education, training and the opportunities that will be available to the state’s next generation of workers,” said David Fogarty, President and General Manager of CET. “This forum is a unique chance for students and young workers to ask their questions about the future and to hear directly from the candidates.”

“This forum creates a direct connection between the candidates and young Ohioans,” said ideastream Chief Executive Officer Kevin Martin. “The social media and livestream components of “Talking Jobs” offer students and young workers across the state a familiar, accessible way to address their priorities with Cordray and DeWine.”

Tom Rieland, WOSU Public Media’s General Manger, agrees: “We’re proud to partner with our public media colleagues for an innovative look at workforce development for a demographic that is often overlooked — but will have a major impact on the jobs of tomorrow in Ohio. This interactive forum is a significant kickoff to an initiative that will give a voice to 16 to 26-year olds who are wondering about job security, just like the candidates themselves.”

The forum will be recorded and created into a one-hour television special to be broadcast by WVIZ/PBS ideastream on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:00pm.

About CET

CET is a service of Public Media Connect (PMC), a regional public media partnership with Think^TV, Dayton, serving the more than 3 million people in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton communities.

About ideastream

The mission of ideastream is to strengthen our communities. ideastream pursues this mission as a multiple media public service organization by providing distinctive, thought-provoking programs and services that enlighten, inspire, educate and entertain.

About WOSU Public Media

WOSU Public Media is a community-supported, noncommercial network of public radio and television stations, and digital services, serving central Ohio.

About American Graduate

American Graduate is public media’s long-term commitment to supporting community-based solutions to help young people succeed in school, career and life. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), more than 125 public television and radio stations have joined forces with over 1,700 partners to elevate the stories of youth and the supportive adults that help them succeed. Through American Graduate, public media, with its unique position as a trusted resource and important partner in local communities, provides a critical platform to shine a light on pathways to graduation and successful student outcomes. National and local reporting, on air and online is helping communities understand the challenges and community-driven solutions associated with education and future successes. Public forums, town halls and community conversations are activating discussions between community leaders, educators and more.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit http://www.cpb.org, follow on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.

Each Child, Our Future is Ohio’s shared plan for ensuring that each student is challenged, prepared and empowered for his or her future by way of an excellent prekindergarten through grade 12 (preK-12) education. The plan’s purpose: to lift aspirations, create hope and excitement, guide development of state-level education policies and promote high-quality educational practices across the state.

The five-year plan recognizes that equity continues to be Ohio’s greatest education challenge — making sure each child has access to relevant and challenging academic experiences and resources across race, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, family background and/or income. The plan also stresses the importance of partnerships and quality schools. It identifies one goal focused on student success after high school and 10 supporting strategies that address excellent educators, standards for students, accountability for learning, supports for the whole child, expanding early learning and transforming the high school experience.

Click here for more information/to view the complete plan.