Media & Articles

By David Holthaus • dholthaus@enquirer.com • March 22, 2010

A 1986 speech by Roger Semerad, a Reagan-era appointee, set John Pepper off on a 25-year second career pushing for improvements in education.

Semerad, assistant secretary of labor under President Ronald Reagan, got Pepper's attention at a National Alliance for Business dinner in Washington, D.C. "He stood up and said, 'If we don't get our act together in educating all our kids, including the disadvantaged kids, we're going to be in a mess in this country,' " Pepper recalls.

By Ben Fischer • bfischer@enquirer.com • March 25, 2010

The thing about fixing America's schools, says former Procter & Gamble chief executive John Pepper, is that we know what works. It just doesn't happen often enough.

In a lunchtime speech to 500 business people and educators Thursday at the Hyatt Regency, downtown,, Pepper laid out three major goals he thinks both the nation and Greater Cincinnati should pursue to result in lasting solutions to under-performing schools.

Tops among them, Pepper said: Develop more excellent principals and teachers.

Celebrating Another Successful Year!

Over 500 business men and women, teachers, principals, superintendents, and community leaders attended the Center's third Annual Awards Luncheon on Thursday, March 25, 2010. John Pepper received the Founder's Award. Mr. Pepper's keynote address on the importance of investing in school leaders, focusing on early childhood education and connecting community to local schools emphasized the work the Economics Center is doing in local schools daily.

The issue of school funding is a prominent issue in our region. Why?

The issue of school funding in our region has become prominent in the news as the Little Miami School District pursued its fourth consecutive failing levy in a little over a year, and numerous other districts are also considering levies. The issue highlights the complex relationship between public schools and the communities they serve and raises important questions about public school funding, equity and outcomes. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, local communities provide nearly half of all statewide school funding, primarily from property taxes. Certainly, this implies that communities with lower real estate values will have a smaller tax base with which to fund their public schools.