News

This month, the budget process continues with the Conference Committee expected to meet June 23-30 to reconcile House and Senate policy priorities and finalize the budget bill.  The budget must be signed by Governor Kasich by June 30. 

While revenue results for the month of May have not yet been released, the Senate expects an even bigger budget shortfall than the $800 million previously announced.  Significant funding cuts are expected.  The Senate has received approximately 1,500 budget amendments, which they will be reviewing over the next week.  Asked about school funding, Senate President Larry Obhof recently explained “we are doing as much as we can to make sure that the number of schools that are net losers compared to FY 17 get smaller.  I think in the current version of the bill it’s a couple hundred, and we’re trying to get the number lower.”

Following are the Career-Tech budget priorities: 

CTE Licensure: Ohio ACTE has been working with ODE and the General Assembly on budget language that would replace the licensure process for CTE instructors.  In discussions Ohio ACTE has emphasized the need to keep the university program at the “state university” level and to maintain the minimum 24 semester hour requirement for such programs.  We have been receiving positive feedback from state legislators and anticipate the licensure framework to be in final form by mid-June.

Tech Prep Funding Cuts:  Ohio ACTE, through its tech prep administrator/coordinator members, has rigorously advocated against funding cuts to the CTE enhancements or “tech prep” line item in the budget bill.  Tech Prep professionals and career-tech educators have testified at every opportunity in several different committee hearings and have provided necessary information and guidance to legislators unfamiliar with the issue.  Career-tech educators and Ohio ACTE leadership have been advocating strongly and sharing the importance of Tech Prep support to Ohio’s Senators and members of the House and Senate Finance Education Subcommittees.  Senators Manning and Lehner offered to submit an amendment that eliminates the funding reductions.  State revenue projections are (still) far lower than expected, but we are confident that the Senate now understands the importance of Tech Prep and will attempt to restore funding.

Short Term Certificates: The budget bill contains a $5,000,000 earmark for community colleges to offer “short term certificates.”  Given that Ohio Technical Centers already offer numerous short term certification programs, Ohio ACTE has been advocating for OTCs to also be eligible for the funding.  We have met with legislators as well as the Office of Budget and Management for the Majority Caucus on the issue. The Senate is considering our position and will be deciding on a resolution shortly.  Given the tight budget and limited state funds, it is also very possible the earmark will be eliminated altogether.

Ohio ACTE will continue to work with legislators and advocate for CTE and our budget priorities.

Will Vorys, ESQ

Dickinson Wright, LLC

Superintendent DeMaria convened the Advisory Committee on Assessments this past Spring to focus on the full range of testing issues — including state-required tests, as well as district-level tests. Ron Matter and Jamie Palma served as representatives from career-technical education on the Committee.

“The (Advisory) Committee worked long and hard to come up with recommendations on testing that benefit Ohio students.  The group, made up of educators from all different areas, were receptive the ideas/recommendations regarding the CTE assessments,” said Ron Matter, Superintendent of Penta Career Center and member of the committee. “I think the other Committee members learned a lot about what CTE entails and the challenges career-tech educators face – especially in terms of testing.”.

The Superintendent's Advisory Committee on Assessments, formed by DeMaria and lead by Deputy Superintendent John Richard, voted informally at a meeting last week on a range of recommendations. Based on results of that vote, Richard brought forth five "first tier" recommendations June 6 reflecting options that got the most support last week.

The first, most popular recommendation, receiving 21 votes, calls for eliminating fourth and sixth-grade social studies assessments, American history and American government end-of-course exams, and one of two end-of-course exams in both math and English. It also urges elimination of the fall administration of the third grade English test, contingent on repeal of the retention mandate under the third grade reading guarantee.

The third-ranked and fourth-ranked recommendations both received 12 votes. One urges replacement of end-of-course exams with a single-sitting general content exam covering English, math, science and social studies. The other urges elimination of the fourth and sixth grade social studies assessments.

Second-tier recommendations, those receiving four or fewer votes, call for the following:

- Develop adaptive assessments that measure above grade-level items so state tests can be used to identify gifted students.

- Eliminate stand-alone social studies tests but integrate the content into the standards and assessments for English.

- Eliminate the third grade reading guarantee's retention mandate and the fall administration of the third grade English assessment.

- Eliminate WorkKeys as an assessment for graduation purposes.

- Maintain the end-of-course exam system but without the English language I, geometry/math II and American history exams.

- Replace the statewide ACT and SAT administration with a voucher system to pay the costs for students who choose to take the tests.

- Require return of data within a week or two, with detailed reports to guide implementation.

A report is to be sent to DeMaria later this week, pending final edits submitted Tuesday by committee members.

The advisory group also discussed and reached consensus Tuesday on recommendations for ways to streamline local assessments. The group recommended that the state provide assistance and training to local districts on the use of assessment audits; develop a comprehensive list of approved assessments for state requirements so districts can see which ones fulfill multiple purposes; and a unified communication plan to explain the details and purposes of state and local assessments. Richard said he would draft a section of the report encompassing those suggestions and send it to committee members for edits quickly.

The group spent the final portion of its meeting brainstorming long-term reforms and changes to assessments, as a springboard for the strategic planning effort DeMaria launched earlier this year.  One of five workgroups formed as part of that strategic planning effort is to focus on standards, assessments and accountability.

Join Ohio ACTE President-Elect, Nate Bishko, on Sept. 1 at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland to discuss leadership in CTE, including philosophies and how to cultivate relationships with partners, leaders and others.

The meeting is hosted at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, home to the MC2 STEM High School.

Click here for more information and registration.

The Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council (OFCF) is looking for school districts interested in a two-year pilot program to address student truancy, created as part of last year's overhaul of truancy statutes in HB410 (Hayes-Rezabek).

The new law, which took effect in April, aims to establish the pilot program of multi-disciplinary truancy teams for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school year. Participating in the pilot program will count towards compliance with some of the new law's requirements regarding forming absence intervention teams.

To be eligible for the pilot program, schools must form a partnership with at least one of the following four organizations in their areas:

- County family and children first council

- Educational service center with which the district contracts for services

- Board of county commissioners

- Mayor of the school district's largest municipality

Schools looking to participate in the program should submit a letter of interest no later than 5 p.m. Friday, June 2. The letters must include a statement of commitment to develop a districtwide multi-disciplinary truancy team; statement of need for such a team; and identification of required local partners.

Questions about the pilot program can be directed to chad.hibbs@mha.ohio.gov.

Following the conclusion of the pilot program, the Joint Education Oversight Committee will work with OFCF to develop a report on the program by Oct. 31, 2019 to be sent to leadership of the education committees of the House and Senate.

Erica Stammen, a senior at Tri Star Career Compact and CTE student testified before the Finance, Primary and Secondary Sub-Committee on May 9th.

Erica and State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria at the Ohio Statehouse

Erica, a student in the early childhood education program at Tri Star, shared with legislators  how Career-Technical Education has prepared her to further her education and her future career. Through Tri Star's program, she has has received hands-on, real world experience. She credits Career-Technical Education  with helping her find the right career path and giving her learning opportunities she might not have had elsewhere. 

To read Erica's full testimony click the link below.

 Erica Stammen Testimony

Ohio ACTE members have testified at the Statehouse to share with Senators the importance of continued support for Career Technical Education before the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education on May 9.

Career Technical educators Kelly Broscheid,  Cincinnati Public Schools and Michelle Patrick from Mid East Career Center testified on the services provided students and CTE through Tech prep.

Judy Wells, Superintendent at Apollo Career Center, and Joyce Malainy, Superintendent at C-Tec of Licking County also testified in support of CTE and offered insight into funding.

These hearings are part of the budget process and Ohio ACTE leadership will continue to advocate for career technical education with Ohio's legislators.

Michelle Patrick and Kelly Broscheid at the Ohio Statehouse

To read their full testimonies click the links below 

Michelle Patrick Testimony

Kelly Broscheid Testimony

Judy Wells Testimony

Joyce Malainy Testimony 

Ohio ACTE Secretary  -  Serves a two-year term beginning Sept. 1, 2017

Lisa Tuttle-Huff - Grant Career Center

Lisa Tuttle-Huff started her career as a middle school English Language Arts teacher, with most of her teaching career at Middletown City Schools for 11 years and then as a counselor for MCSD.  She served as an assistant principal and principal at Butler Technology Career and Development Schools before becoming Superintendent at Grant Career Center.

"I have enjoyed the opportunity to positively affect career technical education for the past 14 years at the counseling, satellite supervisor, assistant principal, principal levels.   I have a strong commitment to academic and career technical excellence, the expectation for student and staff success, and a willingness to participate in community and civic activities," she said.

Lisa graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in English Education in 1988 and obtained a Masters of Art of Teaching in 2001 from Marygrove College, Detroit.   In 2003, she earned the National Board Teaching Certification for the Teaching Standards.  In 2004 I obtained a Masters of Science in Counseling from the University of Dayton and in 2006 earned Administrative Licensure at the University of Dayton.   In 2009, she earned Superintendent’s Licensure from the University of Dayton and her  doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati in 2015.

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act could continue to evolve with the introduction of legislation May 4 called the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.  This Bill is like legislation passed in the House of Representatives last year that grants states more flexibility.   

Although the House passed a Perkins bill last year, the re-authorization legislation was stalled in the Senate, because lawmakers couldn't agree on how much to limit the authority of the education secretary in any new Perkins Act.

Key differences between that 2016 bill and the legislation introduced Thursday, according to an Education Week article:

• States have to set performance targets based on the process in their state plans.

• The bill says that two accountability indicators in the bill, those for "nontraditional" students and for program quality, now only apply to CTE "concentrators" who have taken two sequential CTE courses of study. In general, the bill defines CTE concentrators as those students who have "completed three or more career and technical education courses, or completed at least two courses in [a] single career and technical education program or program of study." Last year, advocates expressed concern that this definition of a concentrator wouldn't accurately measure CTE programs' effectiveness.
• Maintenance-of-effort language has been changed that would now allow states to decrease their CTE funding by up to 10 percent in the year immediately following implementation of the new Perkins law.
• The U.S. secretary of education now has 120 days to review the plans, not 90 as in last year's bill. Under the legislation passed last year, in fact, a state CTE plan would have been deemed approved if the education secretary had not responded to it within 90 days of its submission.

“Because of the renewed attention on CTE in Ohio and throughout the country, I am glad that this legislation has been introduced and is being considered by our Federal lawmakers,” said Christine Gardner, Ohio ACTE Executive Director.   We will continue to work with our Federal lawmakers any way we can and share how CTE is contributing to Ohio’s economy and student success, she added.

For more information, read the entire article in Education Week.

The Ohio House of Representatives on May 1 passed substitute House Bill 49, an amended version of the state budget bill originally proposed by the Kasich Administration. The substitute bill contains numerous education-related funding and policy changes to the original proposal including:

• Increasing the per pupil amount of school funding from $6,000 per year to $6,020
• Increasing the gain cap from 5.0% to 5.5%
• Removing the internship requirement for teachers
• Eliminating of the requirement for additional non-voting members of the business community to be placed on local school boards
• Ordering the creation of standards of operation for school advisory councils
• Specifying that minor labor laws do not apply to CCP pre-apprenticeship programs
• Modifying several aspects of the College Credit Plus program

            Ohio ACTE continues to advocate for budget language impacting the quality and delivery of CTE, including proposed funding reductions to CTE enhancements or “Tech Prep” expansion grants. Ohio ACTE also advocated in support of amendments that would allow Ohio Technical Centers to 1) participate in and offer college credit plus, and 2) offer Associate Degrees under certain circumstances, as approved by the Chancellor of Higher Education. We will continue to advocate for these budget modifications as the budget bill makes its way through the Senate in upcoming weeks.

            Ohio ACTE also continues to work with the Ohio Department of Education to modify and improve the CTE alternative licensure language contained in the budget bill. 

            Substitute HB 49 now heads to the Senate for consideration.  The Senate will hold hearings and make additional modifications to the bill throughout the month of May and into June.  We expect the Senate to pass the bill sometime mid-June, where it will then move to conference committee for further deliberation.  The Governor must sign the bill into law by June 30, 2017.

- by Will Vorys, Dickinson Wright, LLC and Ohio ACTE Legislative Counsel

The Department of Higher Education is looking to encourage more Ohioans to earn their high school diplomas and prepare for careers by rebranding its adult basic education program.

On April 17, the agency  unveiled a new name and logo for the Adult Basic and Literacy Education program, which provides free skills courses, including English for speakers of other languages and GED prep. ABLE will now be known as Aspire and the program's new tagline is: "Learn More. Earn More."

 "For me, Aspire is really about the students here today and helping you to understand we are all there with you. We're here to support you," Chancellor John Carey said during a rebranding event at Great Oaks Career Campuses in Sharonville. "We want to help you find your path; whatever's next, whether it's high school diploma and going right into the workforce, military or university or community college or adult career tech. We want to give you that opportunity."

Chancellor John Carey

"For all of us to be successful, we have to give you the opportunity to be successful," he added.

The rebranding was led by Miami University's Pi Sigma Epsilon, which is a professional marketing and sales fraternity. As part of rebranding research efforts, fraternity members who worked on the project interviewed ABLE participants in four regions of the state to determine what the program signifies to them, faculty adviser Don Norris said.

They found that participants favored a more forward-looking program brand that didn't focus as much on its basic skills aspect. "What I found was that all these participants came into these programs to enhance their lives," project manager Sam Wilkes said.

Office of Workforce Transformation Director Ryan Burgess said the state's goal is to prepare the nearly one million Ohio adults without a diploma or GED for careers in a constantly changing economy. He pointed to U.S. Census data that show the poverty rate among those who had a full-time job and worked year round in 2015, the poverty rate was 2.4%.

"What Aspire does is it helps people move into those full-time, year-round jobs," Burgess said.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer was also on hand to tout the program's name change. "Education begets jobs and jobs beget dignity," he said.

Monica Posey, president of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, said she's confident the fresh moniker better describes the programs mission and the goals of those enrolled. "I believe individuals need a sense of pride and hope in what they're doing. That's why this rebranding initiative is appreciated. It helps us say to all our individuals that we care, that you're important to us, you're important to the community and we have confidence in your ability to excel," she said.