Gov. John Kasich used the word deregulation yesterday to describe how he might bring about some of the changes he seeks for Ohio schools. "I've talked to (Ohio schools Superintendent) Dick Ross about the need to bring about some deregulation," Kasich said in a speech to the Ohio Newspaper Association in Columbus.

Gov. John Kasich used the word deregulation yesterday to describe how he might bring about some of the changes he seeks for Ohio schools.

�I�ve talked to (Ohio schools Superintendent) Dick Ross about the need to bring about some deregulation,� Kasich said in a speech to the Ohio Newspaper Association in Columbus. �We have deregulation in some ways of rules that are connected to business; (we need to) figure out how we can bring more common sense to the rules and more trust to the people in the local communities who are running our schools.�

Kasich has been talking for weeks about the need to better integrate the business community into public education, especially for younger children. He reiterated that goal and also said that �some teachers feel overburdened by the way in which testing is done; schools feel there are too many certifications and too many rules.�

The Republican suggested that deregulation is a possible answer, but he didn�t say what that means, at least in terms of businesses being more involved in schools. He did suggest that he might seek to reduce licensing requirements placed on teachers who must carry out his third-grade reading guarantee, in which children who fail reading tests as third-graders are forced to repeat reading courses.

According to education insiders, the governor could propose a host of ways to deregulate schools, such as removing state rules for class sizes and personnel and leaving those to the discretion of local boards. He could seek to ease licensing requirements for teachers to make it easier for business professionals to come into classrooms and teach, or establish some sort of formal tie between the state Board of Education and the business community so that business leaders could have a more-direct influence on curriculum.

�We need to have a flexible education system so that people in our communities can adopt these schools and adopt these children,� Kasich said. �We have got to develop a mechanism to enable this to happen.�

Spokesmen for both Kasich and Ross acknowledged that those are the kinds of ideas that �may come up� in discussions, but they would not confirm that Kasich and Ross are considering any of those specific deregulation policies and stressed that there are no concrete proposals at this time.

Kasich would say yesterday only that a plan to address the state�s high-school dropout rate would be included in his mid-biennial budget review this month.

Daniel F. McElhatton, the new communication director for likely Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ed FitzGerald, said Kasich should partner with �teachers, parents, community and business leaders in order to make our schools stronger� instead of �parroting think-tank talking points.�

Democratic state Rep. Ronald Gerberry of Austintown blasted Kasich for suggesting deregulation, applying it to a separate item on the governor�s agenda: expanding the number of charter schools and students� access to those schools in Ohio, which he has done.

Gerberry said on Twitter: �Gov. Kasich wants to deregulate schools. Guess he hasn�t watched how many charter schools are doing.�

�When you look at test scores, charter schools by far aren�t doing as well as public schools,� Gerberry told The Dispatch. �It�s upsetting, the hypocrisy of it all. How can anyone talk about deregulating public schools?�

Kasich did address charter schools during his speech, saying, �Let me be clear about charter schools and choice � I don�t want poor education in any institution.

�If there is a school not serving students, then they shouldn�t exist,� Kasich said. �We should shut them down. But let me also say that we are all very quick to criticize charter schools, and less quick to criticize failing public schools. So let�s put them on the same plane.�

jvardon@dispatch.com

@joevardon