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Oct

4

Jon Husted’s college teammate, charter school founder, resigns


From the Dayton Daily News:

William Peterson, superintendent of three Dayton charter schools, resigned Tuesday in what the sponsor of the schools called a mutual decision.

Peterson founded three Dayton charter schools — the Colin Powell Leadership Academy, Arise Academy and Peterson Entrepreneurial Training School — plus a fourth school in Cleveland over the past six years and served as superintendent over all of them. His wife, Diane, was the operations manager for the schools. She also resigned.

What spawned the departures?

Phyllis Brown, an attorney representing Education Resource Consultants of Ohio, which sponsors the schools, said the school governing boards and the Petersons agreed jointly that the two should resign at a board meeting Tuesday night.

Kiya Patrick, chairwoman of the governing board over two of the schools, said they needed a new direction. She said William Peterson’s duties were transferred to his assistant, Shane Floyd, prior to the resignations. Floyd is serving as superintendent.

“We just felt it was the best move to protect the schools,” she said. “We felt there needed to be one central figurehead and that the best person would be Mr. Floyd. Given the political climate concerning charter schools, we felt it was time. We don’t want anything to hinder the academic success of the schools.”

Last, but, for Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted’s campaign fund, not least:

Peterson is a former University of Dayton football star and was a teammate of Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, a charter school proponent.

Peterson’s $500 to Husted last year isn’t enough to bother me in the least. I’ve scoffed many times when others point out more or less insignificant contributions by people who go to work for those they’ve supported.

However, what concerns me is: how does Husted turn away from the problems at the charters? It’s not like he doesn’t know anyone who runs one and is having problems with them?  That’s what bothers me so much. Some of the current efforts to clamp down, via State Auditor Mary Taylor and AG Marc Dann, come because the legislature has passed a few measures to hold the charters more accountable.  But a wholesale re-organization of how they’re run is needed, certainly before any expansion can be considered.  Overall, charters, as implemented in Ohio, do not fulfill the vision of niche schools fulfilling unserved and underserved kids.  That’s what they can do and it’s what they need to do.  And no where near an acceptable number of them in Ohio do that right now.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:06 am October 4th, 2007 in Education, Ohio, Politics, Statehouse 

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