About

The Plunderbund Podcast focuses on education in Ohio with special guest Denis Smith. Denis is an educational consultant who worked for the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Community Schools from 2007 to 2011. This week we answer the question: does John Kasich’s rhetoric on education match what is happening in Ohio? John Kasich touts his educational record on his presidential campaign website. He says, “For American students to be prepared for success in an increasingly competitive global economy, they must receive strong education support from parents and educators, including high expectations—especially in math and English. John Kasich has put this priority to work in Ohio.” The discussion covers teacher evaluations, Common Core, and the union busing politics of the Kasich Administration. We also take a deep dive into the Charter Schools scandal. Ohio ranks among the top five states in the number of charter schools. The state has, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, more than 370 charter schools that enroll 132,000 students. But the charter schools have faced financial and educational quality problems. This all came to a head last year when David Hansen, Kasich’s former charter school chief and husband of Kasich’s chief of staff, Beth Hansen, was forced to resign after it was revealed that he didn’t include the grades of online charter schools in a $71 million grant application to the federal Education Department. Links: John Kasich Website on Education Politico: Charter School Scandal Haunts John Quash Education Week’s Annual Quality Counts rankings.  White House Report on Education Gap Denis Smith Testimony on Charter Schools, July 15, 2014 Follow the Plunderbund Podcast Team on Twitter: @plunderbund and @joshuaadamengel