Governor signs Cleveland Schools bill

Ohio Governor John Kasich was in Cleveland today, signing off on a sweeping overhaul of that city's school district. The bill will give Mayor Frank Jackson the authority to set up a committee that will set standards for students and teachers, while overseeing charter schools. It also eliminates seniority as a deciding factor in teacher layoffs, replacing it with evaluations. The Governor helped build support for the bill among fellow Republicans at the Statehouse, the Democratic Cleveland Mayor, as well as the teachers union and business community. Under the bill, applications by community school sponsors will be reviewed by the state, a panel appointed by Jackson and a charter school association. The bill also invokes national standards to assure charter school quality. Local tax money
would be shared only with community schools sponsored by the Cleveland district or partner schools.