The Ohio Board of Education may do away with staffing requirements for elementary schools that critics argue could eliminate art, music and physical education classes, along with school nurses, libraries and counselors.

A divided committee of the Ohio Board of Education recommended yesterday doing away with staffing requirements for elementary schools that critics argue could lead to the elimination of art, music and physical education classes, along with school nurses, librarians and counselors.

Members of the panel, saying they have been bombarded by complaints in recent days, voted 4-3 to recommend passage of new operating standards that allow schools to make their own staffing decisions.

�Local boards are responsible for what goes on in education in their community,� said board President Debe Terhar of Cincinnati, a supporter of eliminating staffing rules for schools.

�It is essential that they do their jobs, and if they go about eliminating positions, then it is up to the local people to go to their board and protest that board�s action. That�s what needs to be done. This comes down to local control ...

�Either you want local control or you don�t. That�s what it boils down to. You can�t have it both ways.�

The full 19-member board will hear public testimony on the proposed operating standards today at its monthly board meeting. A final vote is expected in March.

Currently, the standards adopted in 1983 require local districts to have a certain number of elementary art, music and physical education teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, social workers and visiting teachers. Specifically, schools must have at least five of these eight positions for every 1,000 students, the so-called 5 of 8 rule.

Under the proposal, the 5 of 8 rule would be abolished and the operating standards would require that �educational service personnel are credentialed staff with the knowledge, skills and expertise to support the educational, instructional, health, mental health and college/career readiness needs of students.�

Some board members said a change could take desired curriculum and services away from young students, particularly those in poorer districts.

�Some schools may opt to reduce the number of specialists that they have just because they have additional expenses that they must incur because of new standards and new testing,� said Kathleen McGervey, a board member from Avon who opposed the measure.

Sarah Fowler, a board member from Rock Creek, also voted against the measure, saying she worried about the impact on poor rural and urban districts.

But supporters said the standards are outdated and the changes are intended to reduce the number of state mandates and give local schools more flexibility and control over staffing.

�We are not eliminating art, music and physical education. They are still required,� said Ron Rudduck, a board member from Wilmington and retired schools superintendent.

�We are not telling schools to eliminate positions,� he added.

Under state law, schools must provide art, music and physical education but not necessarily at the elementary-school level.

Rudduck and others complained that critics were relying on misinformation.

�This is the electronic version of banging pots and pans,� said C. Todd Jones, a board member from New Albany, referring to the barrage of e-mails. Critics of the plan also turned to social media to express their unhappiness using the hashtags #Ohio5of8 and #5of8.

Jones and other supporters said the new guidelines will allow schools to get creative about how they provide services to students. For instance, a nearby public library or health facility may be used instead of in-house services.

ccandisky@dispatch.com



@ccandisky