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Remembering civil rights activist during Women’s History month

As Women’s History Month celebrations continue, this column will focus on Dr. Dorothy Height, whom former President Barack Obama called the “godmother” of the civil rights movement. My generation probably remembers Height best for strategically reaching out and encouraging us to commit to social activist work as we were coming of age during the 1990s. By this time, Height was in her 80s, but she still tirelessly worked to help those struggling to find better job opportunities in Washington, D.C.’s urban areas while advocating for more support to assist young people battling the ...

Schools, taxpayers lose with HB1

There are many bills being debated in Columbus that will present a variety of financial challenges to public schools and local governments. Whether it be not updating to current financial data the components of the Fair School Funding Plan, to increasing by some estimates over $1 billion in costs to taxpayers to fund non-public schools, there is a great deal at stake for schools and communities. One proposed bill that would have a negative impact on both schools and taxpayers throughout Ohio is House Bill 1. House Bill 1, or HB1, of course, sounds good since it is being portrayed as a ...

Twin towns of tragedy in neighboring states

East Palestine, Ohio, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Fire and flood. Tragic twins? Acts of God? Acts of man? Time divides these destructive events by 134 years, but the human and environmental pain that these two events evoke catapults them toward each other like electrons in a collider. “Why?” becomes a demanding master that must be served. Who is responsible? “Success has many fathers and failure is an orphan.” Before both events occurred, there were forces at work in Johnstown and in East Palestine that precipitated the tragedies. In a metaverse-like time warp the ...

Voucher explosion would hurt many Ohio children

Ohio’s public schools are the foundation of our democracy. They create safe, welcoming environments where all students, regardless of where they’re from, what they look like, or how much money their parents make; receive high-quality education empowering them to become successful citizens in diverse, interconnected world. Over my 30-year career in public education, I’ve had a front-row seat to see my high school social studies students become lifelong learners who dream big and work hard to achieve dreams. But never-ending schemes from some Ohio lawmakers to defund and weaken ...

Allow Ohio tax dollars to follow all students

The Parent Educational Freedom Act, Senate Bill 11, offers the best educational opportunity for students of both public and private schools. It guarantees parents the right to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs. As a former public school educator, I realize each child is unique; one size does not fit all. My bill will provide $5,500 per year for students in grades K-8 and $7,500 per year for students in grades 9-12. This is exactly the same benefit currently provided through Ohio’s existing Ed Choice Scholarship Program. Let’s talk dollars. Most of us recently ...

Continue thoughts and prayers after mass shootings

The East Lansing community still reels from the Michigan State University mass shooting last month that resulted in five students being critically wounded and three losing their lives. The students who tragically died — Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser — had bright futures. Arielle had aspirations of becoming a doctor; Alexandria was majoring in biology; Brian was studying business. The Michigan State massacre was the 67th mass shooting in the country this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organization using news stories and ...