A 19-member board that creates policy and makes recommendations for K-12 education in Ohio

   CCN-USA recommends the following individuals for Ohio State School Board based on the following four points of criteria.

   Kathleen McGervey - District 2: Lucas, Ottawa, Wood, Huron, Erie, Lorain and part of Seneca

   Susan M. Haverkos - District 3: Butler, Miami, Montgomery, and part of Darke.

   John Hritz – District 4: Hamilton, Warren

   Deborah Owens Fink - District 7: Summit, Portage, Trumbull, Ashtabula

   School Funding: The legislature has not adequately fixed school funding and is too heavily influenced by the teachers unions and the Ohio Department of Education. Ohio public school funding is a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars. Affluent communities have a larger tax base while poor and rural communities struggle to keep their schools functioning. The quality of education should not depend on where one lives. The state share must increase increase while lowering dependence on local property taxes, yet maintain local control and fiscal accountability. Simply providing more money will not fix the problems. Better fiscal accountability and open governance (transparency) of public schools will make our tax dollars go further.

   Student achievement: Student achievement is defined by the ability of students to learn, retain what they learn and apply in the market place. Simply spending more money on education will not increase student achievement. The debate on education policy includes funding, school choice, and curriculum. Currently the state requires school to test for giftedness, but they are not required to teach students at their ability level.

   Vouchers/Charter Schools/Home Schools: Child Centered Funding, EdChoice Scholarship Program and the Cleveland Vouchers; they are in response to the low academic performance of individual schools and school districts. Parents should decide which educational facility best meets their children’s needs. Home schooling must not be abridged and should be supported by the people’s government.

   Evolution, Critical Analysis and Intelligent Design: The Ohio Board of Education election has been targeted by national political activist organizations that support exclusively teaching Darwin’s evolution theory in the public sector. For many, this election is all about getting enough votes on the board to keep competing scientific thoeries out of the classroom. Evolution and such recently advanced and contrary scientific theories should be taught in parallel. Such differences of opinions and judgments based on scientific works result in a healthy interchange of ideas. Not teaching these credible and competing scientific theories is tantamount to creating a state religion that has yet to be proven or observed...macroevolution.

   See www.ohioroundtable.org for details on the Intelligent Design/Evolution debate.

   More details on the Ohio Board of Education election at www.citizenusa.us.