Kasich proposal would close schools that stay in bottom 5 percent for three years

May 7, 2011

Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s education adviser has told school officials that schools that remain in the state’s bottom 5 percent for three years will be closed if the governor’s proposals pass the legislature.

”We believe in ranking schools,” said Robert Sommers, director of the Governor’s Office of 21st Century Education, on Friday. ”We feel it’s time to end a school that is not providing the resources and support for students to succeed.”

Sommers spoke to a regional conference in Akron organized by the Summit County Educational Service Center to discuss alternative ways to evaluate and pay teachers.

Akron Public Schools announced plans on Wednesday to overhaul three schools that are ranked in the bottom 5 percent of the state: Buchtel High School and two alternative schools for children with disabilities and/or social and emotional problems, Bridges Learning Center and the Akron Opportunity Center.

The district is transforming Buchtel High School into a New Tech High School, based on a model developed in California that has been used in 62 schools across 14 states.