Smith joins panel of school funding forum
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Page A-1

By Mary Jane Skala mjskala@sunnews.com

Euclid Sun Journal

BEACHWOOD-- Euclid Board of Education member Kent Smith will be among panelists taking questions from the audience at Wednesday's school funding forum.

So will three area superintendents -- South Euclid-Lyndhurst's Bill Zelei, Solon's Joe Regano and West Geauga's Tony Podojil.

Also invited is newly named state superintendent Deb Delisle, superintendent of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools. Gov. Ted Strickland appointed her to the post Tuesday.

Also on the program is Jim Betts, an expert in school funding issues.

The free forum, co-sponsored by the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign and Education Voters of Ohio, will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Beachwood Middle School, 2860 Richmond Road.

It's the 13th and final forum on a "listening tour" that the two organizations have presented across the state this year.

The program will consist of an overview of Ohio's public schools, an explanation of the way Ohio funds those schools and brief comments by the superintendents.

Then the audience will be invited to offer questions and comments to a panel made up of six people with ties to education, including Smith.

The evening's moderator will be Beachwood Superintendent Richard Markwardt, who offered his middle school for the forum after Sun News East Group Senior Editor Mary Jane Skala called for changes in funding methods.

Representing EVO will be Julian Rogers of Cleveland Heights, who ran for District 9 state representative two years ago. Rogers, 34, served for seven years as senior assistant to the CEO of Cleveland Municipal Schools and has worked on political campaigns.

"It's important we make public education a priority in our state," he said last week in an interview from his downtown Cleveland office.

Citizens who want to get involved will be "welcomed with open arms," Rogers added.

Shaun Tucker, interim executive director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, will also participate. He will take feedback to the governor's office. Strickland plans to unveil a plan for school funding reform early next year.