State News Roundup

Through intergovernmental collaboration, deregulation, and a "shared educational vision," the Ohio Department of Education could be transformed from an auditing and monitoring body to a research, support, and service leader, a high-level business report concludes.

The five business executives forming the Governor's Task Force on Education found that 75 percent of the department's 499 employees are "compliance driven," spending most of their time filling out forms and ensuring that educators conform to a cumbersome web of regulations.

The task force, appointed by Gov. George V. Voinovich last May, urged the department to restructure its 12 divisions into three groups, each headed by one assistant superintendent. The three proposed divisions would oversee program services to support principals, teachers, and students; support services for program evaluation, testing, and research; and such operations as...