Latest news with #SouthWesternCitySchools
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EdChoice families hit first when public schools lack transportation funding
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) — South Western City Schools parent Aaron Nestor said his family felt 'targeted' when they received word the district would no longer provide busing for their kids to attend their Catholic school. 'I have the right to EdChoice in the state of Ohio, I have the right to send my child to wherever I want,' Nestor said. 'It feels like I'm being targeted for my address and my religious beliefs of having my children go to a religious school.' Ohio school funding: What to know about possible changes in 2025 Nestor said his elementary schoolers are two of 30 students who live in the South Western district boundaries and attend St. Christopher's Catholic School in Grandview Heights, formerly Trinity Catholic. Although other school choice families not far from his students' route are still being bused in the fall, Nestor received word that the district would no longer bus to St. Christopher's. He said his family is now scrambling, and he said it's an issue school choice families are having around the state. Districts are responsible for busing charter and private school students who live within their boundaries. However, they can declare students' transportation impractical when the time, distance, cost or too few students makes transportation impractical. If a district declares a student ineligible, the student's family can either accept a payment as determined by the state or request mediation to find a solution. School Choice Ohio spokesperson Beth Lawson said the nonprofit has seen a 'significant increase' in students being declared transportation impractical in recent years. This has coupled with a significant increase in school choice students; Ohio's Education Choice scholarship participation has skyrocketed since 2022. 'In many of these cases, families feel caught in a system that lacks consistency and transparency — and they're not wrong,' Lawson said. 'When transportation is withheld, it can functionally block access to a school that is otherwise available to them through programs like EdChoice.' SWCS said it is providing busing to nine fewer charter, religious and nonpublic schools this upcoming school year. The district is actively seeking more bus drivers, holding an open recruitment event on Tuesday to staff routes to 34 district schools and 25 nondistrict charter or private schools this fall. Bill would punish hospitals that interfere with ICE agents 'While it is always our hope to transport every student that lives within our district boundaries, each year in an annual review of new routes, staffing, new enrollments and shifting addresses for the near 16,000 students we transport across 119 square miles, we regrettably must start the impractical to transport process with a small percentage of students each year,' SWCS spokesperson Evan Debo said. SWCS is one of many districts changing its bus routes. In September 2024, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sued Columbus City Schools after the district gave limited warning that it would no longer bus many charter school students. Nearly 2,000 students were affected. 'Some (districts) are following the law and transporting students as they have received the funding to do,' Lawson said. 'Unfortunately, others have found creative ways to avoid providing this transportation, which essentially denies school choice for families who rely on it to access the best education fit for their children.' But SWCS said it is far more expensive for the district to bus nonpublic students. The district said between travel, maintenance and personnel costs, it costs $5,678 per non-public student but just $950 per SWCS student to bus them for a year. The district receives transportation funding from the state; however, SWCS said it had to spend nearly double that during the 2024-2025 school year, shouldering $10,704,816 more in transportation costs. Nestor said his children's school cannot afford to bus the students either. Cost is a concern for Nestor, too. He said having just two weeks to decide whether to accept the $590 payment per child was too short, saying it felt like a 'shakedown' to make such a crucial choice so soon. Teacher negotiations continue at South Western City Schools Nestor said the choice is especially difficult because the family just joined the Catholic school last year. When switching schools, Nestor said the family asked the district if transportation would be an issue and were assured they would have it. Nestor said he plans to request mediation instead of the payment, and SWCS said it will bus students until a resolution is reached. 'Busing is critical to the reason why we chose this school,' Nestor said. 'My wife and I both work … we would either have to either quit our jobs and find new work to make time to take them to school ourselves, or we're going to have to find new schooling. I don't think they understand how traumatic this is to our family and to the future of our children's education.' Lawson said if families are declared transportation impractical, they should request a detailed explanation from their district and reach out to the Ohio Department of Education if they don't feel it is justified. She said families can also reach out to School Choice Ohio to be connected with resources. 'Ohio needs to ensure that districts are accurately following the law and are appropriately penalized for failure to meet this important obligation,' Lawson said. 'There are many school districts, large and small, that do a fabulous job providing safe and timely transportation to students. Safe transportation to schools should not be a barrier to opportunity.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Western City Schools teachers, board clash over contract
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) – There were cheers and jeers at the South Western City Schools Board of Education meeting Monday night, but before that, they marched. Most of the over-crowded room wore red to support the South Western Education Association (SWEA) as they gathered in the Central Crossing High School parking lot and marched to the meeting next door. It's a contract year for district teachers, and they made sure the school board knew about it. Dispensary reacts to Ohio marijuana limit changes 'A lot of posts about teachers and blaming them for every little thing, from actions of the community group to actions of the board to, I mean, literally everything student behavior, everything gets put on the teachers. And that has bothered me since I was a student, because those teachers saved my life. They literally saved my life. And I just it breaks my heart to hear them scapegoated when they're the best of us,' explained Katie Stuckey, a former SWCSD student and now parent. 'They're the ones that are there every day, drying tears and cleaning up vomit and doing the hard work, and running a school district while trying to teach all at the same time. They are saints,' she added. Stuckey stood in front of the school board and a room spilling out the doors with hundreds of teachers to express her support for the teachers' union and the teachers. After all, she said, 'If we don't have great teachers, we don't have a great district. We don't have successful students.' There has been a divide between the school board and teachers' union, and it seems to be widening as of late. Out in Ohio: How Granville, Grove City and Gahanna are celebrating Pride 2025 'I do know there seems to be some pushback. And that is why we're here today. So our board knows that we are strong as a union, and we are fighting, for things in our contract that are going to support our students because they deserve that,' said Emmalee Harding, spokesperson for the SWEA and 7th grade language arts teacher. The teacher's contract expires on June 30, 2025. That expiration date does not necessarily signify a deadline, however. District spokesperson Evan Debo said the only 'real' deadline would be the first day of school in the fall, so they'll continue to work on an agreement throughout the summer. The union is demanding more from the board, in the form of 'Retaining and keeping the best teachers for our district. That means a destination district for them that they want to stay. Because our students deserve strong and educated teachers. We also want smaller class sizes. We know that it is better when there's fewer students in a classroom for our students,' said Harding. Another source of division between the board and teachers is the recent decision to join several professional development organizations, including two that share more controversially conservative positions on education. 'As a school board member. It is not a political position. You should not be, you shouldn't be taking, you know, a Democratic tie to, or, a Republican side,' commented Harding prior to the meeting. Many of the speakers and supporters in the crowd cheered when certain board members were referenced as aligning with these groups. Some parents have even threatened to leave the district over it. Ohio State sexual abuse documentary premieres at prestigious film festival As a parent of a 5-year-old, Stuckey has seen the good that can be done with good teachers in the classroom, and hopes the board will come to the same conclusion. 'I feel like we're supposed to be all on the same team here. It's public education. We're all for public education, I hope. The key to having a successful school district is having great teachers. And retaining great teachers means that we have to support and pay great teachers,' she explained. Executive Director of Communications, Evan Debo, said this on behalf of the school district: 'SWCS values transparency and open communication as cornerstones of public relations efforts. At the same time, we recognize that certain processes—such as labor negotiations with all three unions in the district—requires a level of confidentiality to ensure fairness, protect the integrity of the discussions between parties, and support productive outcomes for all stakeholders involved. SWCS is resolved to continuing our productive discussions with all union representatives to yield mutually beneficial outcomes for staff and students this summer in future contracts.' As for a contract by the time school starts, Harding said, 'I think we're hopeful for an agreement in sight, but at this time, I'm not sure I can speak on that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
