Many high schools espouse the new "3 R's" - not Readin' Ritin' and Rithmetic, but Rigor, Relevance and Relationships. Clearly, from the survey response outlined in this article, many schools have incorporated the rigor and relationship piece, but lack the relevance craved for by students. With the explosion of information available to students at the touch of a finger, high school teachers are transforming from the givers of information to the guiders of information. With that, students want to know how the information they are learning in high school will help them when they walk out of the school doors.
Can't Get No Satisfaction: Students Say High Schools Are Failing�Them
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
What's Next for Ohio Senate Bill 5?
I can’t recall another bill that has stirred such intense reaction in Ohio as Senate Bill 5. It seems daily there are protests at the statehouse accompanied by articles in local news publications outlining the differing perspectives of the bill. State legislators are bombarded with correspondence from constituents trying to persuade them to their point of view. Public employee unions have become very powerful entities, and the typically democratic supporting organizations are under assault like at no time since their inception. Those against Senate Bill 5 cry out that this is an assault on the middle class itself and on the rights of public employees to protect their working conditions, while those in support of the bill say that it is high time to rein in the power and perks of union employees and give government officials the capabilities of controlling spending. Even private unions are wary of a possible attack on them.
A prominent former state official recently shared with me that this measure is politically bigger than public unions, but is a once in a generation opportunity for republicans in Ohio to seize control from the democrats for the foreseeable future. Clearly, this is a perfect storm of a crisis in the economy which is allowing elected officials to take radical measures that wouldn’t ordinarily be supported in prosperous times. Additionally, republicans in Ohio control both houses of the General Assembly as well as the governorship at a time when the state redistricts state and congressional boundaries which will have an effect on the outcome of the next several elections. The former official stated that weakening unions and their ability to support democratic candidates will strengthen the Republican Party in Ohio and turn the Buckeye State into a clear “red” state for the 2012 elections. The official also said that republicans would like nothing better than for public employee unions to spend all of their campaign funds on the 2011 Senate Bill 5 referendum than on state and national candidates in 2012.
As evident as it was that Senate Bill 5 was going to pass both houses of the General Assembly and receive the governor’s signature (legislative votes were secured before the bill was even introduced), is as evident that this impending law will surely end in a referendum. We have heard much about the effects that Senate Bill 5 will have on educators, police officers, fire fighters and other public workers, but what can we expect as this bill heads to a referendum?
A referendum is the right of Ohio citizens to challenge a bill passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor. If the required amount of registered voters signs a referendum petition, then the bill will go before the citizens in a statewide vote with a simple majority needed for passage or failure of the bill. This act is democracy at its finest.
Governor Kasich signed Senate Bill 5 into law on March 31, 2011 with the bill becoming law 90 days from the date it is signed. During the 90 day period, which we are currently in, signatures are collected to place the bill on the November ballot. Since the Secretary of State’s office received the bill on April 1, 2011, that places the deadline for filing the signatures with the Secretary of State at June 30, 2011. The number of signatures of registered voters must be at least 6% of the total vote cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election. Therefore, the estimated number of signatures that must be collected to place Senate Bill 5 on the ballot has been determined to be just over 230,000 signatures. In addition, signatures must be collected from at least 44 of the 88 Ohio counties.
Once the signatures have been filed, the Secretary of State’s office must determine the validity and sufficiency of the signatures no later than 105 days before the election. Therefore the deadline to determine if there are enough valid signatures to place Senate Bill 5 on the ballot is July 26, 2011. If it is determined that there are not enough valid signatures, ten additional days will be allowed to file additional signatures to the petition. If that happens, the Secretary of State has no later than 65 days before the election to determine sufficiency, which is September 4, 2011. If the deadline date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the date DOES NOT move to the next business day.
If there are any challenges to the validity of the signatures, those challenges must be filed no later than 95 days before the election, which is August 5, 2011. The Supreme Court of Ohio will rule on any challenges. If there were any addition signatures added, challenges to those signatures must be made no later than 55 days before the election, or September 14, 2011. Again, the Ohio Supreme Court must rule on those challenges no later than 45 days before the election.
Once it is determined that the bill will be placed on the November ballot, ballot language will be determined and it will be advertised statewide and voted on at the November 8, 2011 general election. If no valid referendum petition is filed by the legal requirements, Senate Bill 5 will become law on July 1, 2011. If a petition for referendum is filed and all requirements are met, it will become law immediately after the general election if it passes, or will not become law if the measure fails.
Hang on for an interesting “off” election year.
A prominent former state official recently shared with me that this measure is politically bigger than public unions, but is a once in a generation opportunity for republicans in Ohio to seize control from the democrats for the foreseeable future. Clearly, this is a perfect storm of a crisis in the economy which is allowing elected officials to take radical measures that wouldn’t ordinarily be supported in prosperous times. Additionally, republicans in Ohio control both houses of the General Assembly as well as the governorship at a time when the state redistricts state and congressional boundaries which will have an effect on the outcome of the next several elections. The former official stated that weakening unions and their ability to support democratic candidates will strengthen the Republican Party in Ohio and turn the Buckeye State into a clear “red” state for the 2012 elections. The official also said that republicans would like nothing better than for public employee unions to spend all of their campaign funds on the 2011 Senate Bill 5 referendum than on state and national candidates in 2012.
As evident as it was that Senate Bill 5 was going to pass both houses of the General Assembly and receive the governor’s signature (legislative votes were secured before the bill was even introduced), is as evident that this impending law will surely end in a referendum. We have heard much about the effects that Senate Bill 5 will have on educators, police officers, fire fighters and other public workers, but what can we expect as this bill heads to a referendum?
A referendum is the right of Ohio citizens to challenge a bill passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor. If the required amount of registered voters signs a referendum petition, then the bill will go before the citizens in a statewide vote with a simple majority needed for passage or failure of the bill. This act is democracy at its finest.
Governor Kasich signed Senate Bill 5 into law on March 31, 2011 with the bill becoming law 90 days from the date it is signed. During the 90 day period, which we are currently in, signatures are collected to place the bill on the November ballot. Since the Secretary of State’s office received the bill on April 1, 2011, that places the deadline for filing the signatures with the Secretary of State at June 30, 2011. The number of signatures of registered voters must be at least 6% of the total vote cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election. Therefore, the estimated number of signatures that must be collected to place Senate Bill 5 on the ballot has been determined to be just over 230,000 signatures. In addition, signatures must be collected from at least 44 of the 88 Ohio counties.
Once the signatures have been filed, the Secretary of State’s office must determine the validity and sufficiency of the signatures no later than 105 days before the election. Therefore the deadline to determine if there are enough valid signatures to place Senate Bill 5 on the ballot is July 26, 2011. If it is determined that there are not enough valid signatures, ten additional days will be allowed to file additional signatures to the petition. If that happens, the Secretary of State has no later than 65 days before the election to determine sufficiency, which is September 4, 2011. If the deadline date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the date DOES NOT move to the next business day.
If there are any challenges to the validity of the signatures, those challenges must be filed no later than 95 days before the election, which is August 5, 2011. The Supreme Court of Ohio will rule on any challenges. If there were any addition signatures added, challenges to those signatures must be made no later than 55 days before the election, or September 14, 2011. Again, the Ohio Supreme Court must rule on those challenges no later than 45 days before the election.
Once it is determined that the bill will be placed on the November ballot, ballot language will be determined and it will be advertised statewide and voted on at the November 8, 2011 general election. If no valid referendum petition is filed by the legal requirements, Senate Bill 5 will become law on July 1, 2011. If a petition for referendum is filed and all requirements are met, it will become law immediately after the general election if it passes, or will not become law if the measure fails.
Hang on for an interesting “off” election year.
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