Thrusday, December 24, 1998
Charter school enrolls Heimlich
Councilman to be active director
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati City Councilman Phil Heimlich has made no secret of his support for school choice. Wednesday, he took that support one step further when he applied to the Ohio Board of Education to open a charter school in August in Sedamsville.
The HOPE Riverside Academy, which will be in the old Riverside-Harrison school, would be managed by Akron industrialist David Brennan. Mr. Brennan's firm, White Hat Management, operates seven schools statewide.
But as one of the school's developers, Mr. Heimlich would help develop school goals and oversee performance evaluations. The other developers are Richard Weiland, a business consultant and member of numerous commu nity and philanthropic boards, and longtime Riverside resident Pat Campbell.
“This is the most important issue facing our city and facing the country. Everyone agrees that if we don't completely revamp the educational system in this country, then the next generation doesn't stand a chance,” Mr. Heimlich said.
“And everyone would agree that the government-run schools, at least in the city, are not doing the job. We want a host of these charter schools across the city to provide healthy competition to the government-run schools.”
Cincinnati Board of Education member Lynwood Battle greeted news of Mr. Heim lich's planned involvement with surprise — and appreciation.
“Certainly Phil has a record of being very interested in education, so this seems like a natural evolution to express that interest,” Mr. Battle said. “I applaud his ability to get down in the trenches, so to speak, and show that he's about more than just rhetoric.”
School board President Arthur Hull declined to comment.
District administrators are drafting a charter school policy in which they would charter existing schools to reward successful schools or overhaul failing schools.
Mr. Heimlich plans to open several HOPE academies. He has been work ing with the Baptist Ministers Conference to open charter schools under the management of The Edison Project, the country's leading private manager of public schools.
The HOPE-Riverside Academy would enroll 360 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Fifteen charter schools, or “community schools” as they're known in Ohio, operate statewide, including two in Cincinnati. Three more applications to open charter schools in Cincinnati are awaiting education officials' approval in Columbus.
Nationwide, there are 1,158 charter schools in 34 states, according to the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C.
Family brings Nativity to life
Travel advisory: Be patient
Swans reach winter home for Christmas
Popular teacher mourned
Blind faith
Repair scam costs owners thousands
Road comes, lottery outlet goes
Zoo veterinarian goes to gorillas
head 'Easy' Christmas gifts quite a chore
$1.7 B county budget approved
Activities dampen kids' winter whines
Beer memorabilia on tap
Charter school enrolls Heimlich
Chiquita defendant's lawyer questions prosecutors' roles
Counterfeitershit Middletown area
Eight-time DUI driver indicted on 46 charges
Employees charged after fights inside bar
Kenton loses $93,000 appeal
Local agencies have share of federal homeless funds
Man charged with raping girlfriend, son
Middletown man pleads insanity in slaying
Museum appeal hits snag
TRISTATE DIGEST
Wyoming's new Web site to be gateway to city hall
It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas
Some Ky. politicians get early Christmas presents
