David H. Nordyke (February 4, 1952 – December 29, 2003) was an American educator who co-wrote the Charter School Bill for the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Background

Born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, Nordyke earned a degree from the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

in English and

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

. He took graduate courses at

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, and he also worked toward a doctoral degree at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

in Ohio. After teaching in public and parochial schools, Nordyke founded Harmony Community School in 1998. He died in the school in 2003 over winter break, but the school still worked to achieve Nordyke's vision and mission.

Harmony Community School

Harmony Community School (located in Roselawn, a neighborhood of

), was one of the largest charter high schools in the state of Ohio. The school's slogan was "One size fits few," which was a shortened form of Nordyke's educational philosophy. It closed on December 31, 2008.

Charter schools

Ohio has emerged in the top ten list for states with the most Charter schools. The issue has been politically divisive, with Republican lawmakers tending to side with Charter schools, and Ohio teacher unions vehemently opposing the concept. The current Ohio law pertaining to Charter schools can be foun
here

Controversy

During his career, Nordyke became a lightning rod for controversy, engaging in publicized disputes with local politicians, oversight agencies, his own school board members, and even the local public library system. In 2001, David Nordyke's organization received $460,000 in public funds to cover the costs of salaries, supplies, and the rental of a facility. However, after complaints from the local library system, the government officials learned that Nordyke had previously left the facility while owing $40,000 in back rent, and had been secretly teaching the students at a local library without notifying his funding sources or the library itself. Despite calls from then-State Senator and current Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory to revoke the school's funding, Nordyke was able to secure a local warehouse to house the school and thus preserve its identity as a school.

External links

David Nordyke, 51, leader of charter school
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordyke, David 1952 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American educators Miami University alumni University of Dayton alumni Xavier University alumni Educators from Ohio