Editor’s Note: Beat notes is a weekly feature from Dispatch journalists who share what’s been happening in their area of coverage and upcoming events. This week we hear from Cole Behrens, who covers K-12 education in central Ohio. He has been at The Dispatch since 2022 and previously covered breaking news and public safety in the evenings.
School's back!
Congratulations to all you parents out there on finally having some peace and quiet in your homes during the day. And sorry to you teachers and students who get the privilege of returning to class this fall.
And for The Dispatch, that means a whole new school year of education stories around central Ohio.
Here's what's going on.
How I kept busy during the summer
This summer I focused on two big (and semi-connected) stories in Columbus
City Schools: controversy around whether a former executive gave himself a pay raise and the fallout of a "disaster" insurance deal that cost CCS millions and has the district looking to fire the administrator it says is responsible.
The Dispatch reported that an internal report found the district could lose as much as $40 million after deals an employee signed with health insurance consultancy firm Aon led to an underfunding of the district's self-insurance fund. Some board members said they were interested in recouping the money.
I also kept my finger on the pulse of the now-spiked effort to get a Columbus State Community College property tax levy on the ballot that would fund free CSCC tuition for all Franklin County graduates. The plan was scrapped after pushback from former Columbus mayor Michael Coleman.
A story worth checking out that was part of my back-to-school package, which focuses on Olentangy Local Schools' meteoric growth and how the district is grappling with its growing pains as it adds hundreds of students each year.
On a more esoteric level of K-12 coverage, I took some deep dives into a few topics of importance, includingdeclining student populations in the state and massive financial cliffs on the horizon for nearly 20% of public school districts.
What's going on in central Ohio schools?
Unsurprisingly, the fallout surrounding the CCS insurance deal will continue into the coming months, especially as the district weighs additional cuts on top of the $50 million it had to cut from its budget last year.
However, there's (semi-)good news on the horizon as the district's latest financial projections show that the deficit spending is decreasing due to a decrease in expenses related to busing penalties.
We have lots of levies on the ballot this November, so we'll also see how districts fare in asking for new money as taxpayers feel the pinch from inflation and increased property values.
Send me your ideas
If you have an idea about topics in education, a tip or just want to connect with me, you can reach me at cbehrens@dispatch.com.
Learn more about Cole Behrens
More: Staff profile: Meet Columbus Dispatch education reporter Cole Behrens
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: School's back. Here's what K-12 reporter Cole Behrens is following.
