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Jailing A Mother For Sending Kids To Wrong School District?
By Dr. Boyce Watkins
 An Ohio mother of two was sentenced to 10 days in jail and placed on three years probation after sending her kids to a school district in which they did not live. Kelly Williams-Bolar was sentenced by Judge Patricia Cosgrove on Tuesday and will begin serving her sentence immediately.
The jury deliberated for seven hours and the courtroom was packed as the sentence was handed down. She was convicted on two counts of tampering with court records after registering her two girls as living with their father when they actually lived with her. The family lived in the housing projects in Akron, Ohio, and the father's address was in nearby Copley Township.
Additionally, Williams-Bolar's father, Edward L. Williams, was charged with a fourth-degree felony of grand theft, in which he and his daughter are charged with defrauding the school system for two years of educational services for their girls. The court determined that sending their children to the wrong school was worth $30,500 in tuition.
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Kelley Bolar Speaks with Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton
by Dr. Boyce Watkins 
I figured that I would share an update to the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, the mother of two who was given jail time for sending her kids to a school outside of their home district. This week, Williams-Bolar met with both Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton about her case, appearing with me and her attorney on Rev. Jackson's show this past week. Rev. Sharpton and I are planning a rally for Kelley in Ohio soon, but the rally is not focused on just one person. Instead, the focal point is on the educational system in its entirety and why there are millions of moms across America being forced to break the law in order to help their children get access to a quality education. Read More
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The Governor's Proposed Education Budget: A Detailed Analysis
Contrary to widespread press reports that the budget only "freezes" funding, the proposal is to:
- Take away this year's small inflationary funding increase in the Thornton formula which would have helped school districts cover increased costs
- Reduce the current level of per pupil state funding that school systems receive.
The proposed fiscal year 2012 budget for education does stay at about the same amount as the current year, 2011 budget. That's why media reports suggest that education spending is flat. But unlike the "freezes" in prior years in which the per pupil funding remained flat, this year state aid is not rising to cover the costs of the increased numbers of public school students. State enrollment went up by over 3400 children, but no extra money is being included for them. By keeping state funding flat, the amount spent on each child, or "per pupil funding" is reduced.
Questions & Answers About the Budget
Are all school systems losing the same amount of money?
No, some jurisdictions lose significantly more funding, like Baltimore City, Prince George's, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Other jurisdictions lose some funding but still receive an overall funding increase. See chart in the link above.
Why do some gain and some lose?
The main factors are enrollment changes and whether the county has higher or lower wealth than the year before, compared to other counties. The Thornton formula directs more state funding to the lower-wealth counties. This year, Baltimore City showed a gain in wealth relative to the other counties and that lowers the amount of state aid it receives.
Should the legislature change the Bridge to Excellence education funding law without full public hearings and an examination of the impact on educational adequacy?
Absolutely not! When the "Thornton" formula was developed, there were hearings held throughout the State and in the legislature. There was much public debate involving thousands of people. An expert hired by the "Thornton" Commission assessed the per pupil funding needs of each county. The formula should not be changed without similar input and analysis.
Has per pupil state aid EVER been reduced before?
Not since the passage of the Thornton law, passed in 2002, and not as far back as the 1980's, if ever.
Bebe Verdery, Director
Frank Patinella, Education Advocate
Kalima Young, Education Advocate
410.889.8555 | education@aclu-md.org | www.aclu-md.org
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Beyond the Bricks presents the Baltimore Premiere of the Acclaimed FIlm, "Little Brother" at Morgan State University
Hosted by Morgan State University's Institute for Urban Research as part of the Beyond the Bricks Project, the film is the third in a series of community dialogues in Baltimore about the educational and emotional challenges face by African American boys in the United States. Drs. Jeff Menzise and Ray Winbush, of the Institute for Urban Research will be joined by Ms. Franklin and Tiggett in this important discussion.
The series encourages discussion and organizing among parents, teachers, educators and policy makers and how they can create effective strategies for intervening in the lives of Black boys from birth to maturity. The event is FREE and open to the public on a first come first serve basis. Bring a friend, your son, grandson, nephew and neighbors to this one-time event!
View Trailer
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Kinetics Faith & Justice Network mission is to provide the faith community with the tools to advocate and mobilize on local, national, and international issues, to build capacity to solve our own problems, and to use dialogue as a catalyst for social change. Members include clergy, scholars, lawyers, social justice advocates, and nonprofit and business professionals.
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Mother Jailed For School Fraud, Flares Controversy
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AKRON, Ohio - Akron school officials released a statement Friday morning regarding the future employment of Kelley Williams-Bolar, the woman who spent 10 days in jail for tampering with records and sending her children to a school district where they didn't live.
Williams-Bolar lived in Akron, but sent her children to Copley-Fairlawn City Schools. She is currently an education aide in Akron Public School, and her conviction brought up questions as to whether she would be able to continue her work in the district.
"Ms. Williams-Bolar has been employed fulltime in good standing with Akron Public Schools since 2008, and this conviction is not an absolute bar to employment," Akron schools said in a release. "The decision to revoke or suspend her educational assistant certificate belongs to the Ohio Department of Education."
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Permanent Cuts to Education Funding Proposed
The Governor's proposed budget cuts education by $94 million. Baltimore City Public Schools would receive $15.3 million less than this current budget year, despite an increase of over 800 students.
The education budget statewide stays at the same level next year as this year. But with an increase in enrollment, flat funding means less funding per student, which is a cut to existing resources for students. Reducing per pupil funding requires a change in law, and will lead to less funding for each student in subsequent years.
The education funding formula (Bridge to Excellence Act of 2002, or "Thornton") was designed to ensure that funding is adequate for all students. Changing the formula will have a dramatic impact on school districts as they try to keep classroom size manageable while having to keep up with growing costs in teacher salaries, utility costs, and other rising expenses.
Further, reducing the per pupil funding compromises the adequacy of education because superintendents will have to serve more students as enrollment grows, while the funding remains flat. If the Governor's proposed budget passes, there will be cuts to teacher jobs, increase in classroom size, and loss of valuable programs such as afterschool programs.
Click here and scroll to page 85, "$ Change from 2011" to see the loss per county
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About Us
... You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. (Isaiah. 58:12)
Kinetics mission is to develop new ideas that work to strengthen social movements within the African-American community; bridging the gap between church and community and providing them with the tools and skills to pursue justice and better address the needs of those whom they serve.
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