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For a more prosperous, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio |
Hosted a book talk and panel discussion (May 27th) for Joan Fitzgerald, author of the new book Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development at Cleveland State’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. Co-sponsored by Policy Matters Ohio.
Future Middle Class - Ohio’s young adults are coming of age in a tough economy, ravaged by a deep recession. High education costs, lower wages, and weak regulation of exploitative lending combine to put young adults behind, just as they should be getting started. This report from Policy Matters and Dēmos documents how weakening policies and structural changes are making things harder for today’s young families. Strong policies, as well as individual effort created the middle class of the last century. This report, and the event we held when we released it, lay out how we can recommit to policies that build Ohio’s future middle class.
Limiting layoffs - An Ohio lawmaker has proposed that Ohio join 17 other states that are using worksharing, a creative approach to help employers and workers weather bad times. These states let employers – instead of laying off workers – shorten employees’ workweeks and use unemployment compensation to make up for part of the income loss. Worksharing would provide a means for some Ohio employers to avert layoffs.
Federal taxes compared - As lawmakers debate making the Bush tax cuts permanent, Citizens for Tax Justice analyzed the difference between the approaches promoted by President Obama and the congressional Republicans. Obama’s plan would reduce taxes for middle- and lower-income families. Eighty percent of Ohio earners would see a bigger tax benefit under this approach than under the Republicans’ approach. Read about it here.
Legislative Briefing - The Ohio Workforce Coalition and Policy Matters cosponsored a legislative briefing on unemployment compensation, which provides crucial support for jobless Ohioans and stimulates the economy. Last year, more than half a million Ohioans received unemployment compensation. Our briefing pointed out that Ohio can obtain $176 million from the federal government if it takes steps to modernize its unemployment compensation system, such as allowing jobless Ohioans who have met all the other requirements for UC to qualify if they are seeking part-time employment. Ohio’s UC trust fund is broke not just because a lot of people are receiving benefits, but because it kept taxes so low that reserves were weak. A key part of the solution is to increase the share of wages that is taxed, currently just the first $9,000 of each worker’s annual earnings.
Energy, markets, jobs - National policy to cap carbon emissions is needed to create stable domestic advanced energy markets. Midwestern legislators have called for a set of policies to ensure American producers are not undercut by trading partners with lax environmental regulations. This issue brief explains three policy proposals that can secure domestic jobs without damaging international relationships: output-based rebates, border adjustments, and domestic content provisions.
Tax roundup for tax day - In the last year or so, Policy Matters has completed a dozen analyses and one magazine article reviewing Ohio’s tax, revenue, and budget situation. In summary, Ohio has substantially cut taxes over the past five years. Combined with the national economic downturn, this creates a tight revenue situation. Services in Ohio continue to be devastated by the cuts. The federal stimulus provided extensive fiscal relief, but even more drastic cuts will be required unless additional sources of revenue are found.
Save that Date - Joan Fitzgerald, author of the new book Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development, will speak at Cleveland State’s Levin College of Urban Affairs on Thursday May 27 from 4:00-6:30 p.m., along with a panel of Clevelanders, including Shanelle Smith of the Apollo Alliance. Don’t miss this great event, cosponsored by Policy Matters and Ohio Apollo, at 1717 Euclid Avenue.
That’s all!
The Policy Matters Ohio Team
Ohio’s unemployment compensation trust fund is broke and owes more than $2 billion to the federal government. Unemployment compensation is funded by payroll taxes paid by employers and these taxes are expected to rise when needed to pay for higher benefit levels. Yet most rates in the Ohio unemployment rate tax schedule went down this year. That’s because one key part of what makes up each employer’s tax was reduced in 2010 by $18 per employee, or tens of millions of dollars in total. Ohio needs to eliminate such automatic tax cuts and take other steps to reverse the chronic underfinancing that helped cause the fund to go broke.
Imagine Schools, Inc., is the nation’s largest for-profit charter school management company, with 71 schools nationwide and 11 in Ohio.
This report found that Imagine has a poor record of performance in Ohio and a business model that includes elaborate school real estate transactions, high management and operations fees, overlapping business relationships, low spending on classroom instruction, and tight control of school finances and board relationships. These problems have led to Academic Emergency ratings for five of the company’s six rated Ohio schools for the 2008-09 school year (the sixth was in Academic Watch). Because of the management company’s poor academic record in Ohio, it was barred from opening new schools for the 2010-11 school year. Board members have resigned in frustration with Imagine practices, facility costs dramatically exceed recommended guidelines from charter experts, and teacher salaries are below those of other charters.
Ohio charters are granted only to non-profit organizations, but fully a third of the state’s more than 300 non-profit, tax-payer funded charter schools are run by for-profit management companies, many of them out-of-state operators like Imagine Schools, Inc. Our report highlights the need to eliminate for-profit companies from the education picture in Ohio. Read it and learn more.
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Appendix: Comparison of Imagine schools with closest district schools
Click here for Charter School documents
Testimony of Piet van Lier on for-profit charter school operators
Fordham Institute responds to Policy Matters report
Imagine CEO’s 2008 memo to company managers
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Blueprint for charter oversight Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (editorial), May 23, 2010
Report details power over charter schools Akron Beacon Journal, May 19, 2010
Orphanage’s oversight of schools blasted Cincinnati Enquirer, May 17, 2010
Rubber stamps at the company store Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 12, 2010
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