charter schools
Education officials worry Ohio voucher expansion will come at expense of full public school funding
The education community in Ohio is encouraged by the governor’s support of public school funding, but see red flags when it comes to increased private school vouchers, warning that they hinder Ohio’s Full School Funding Plan. Gov. Mike DeWine’s announced his planned budget asks on Wednesday during his State of the State address, including boosts […]
Ohio cheats taxpayers and public schools by funneling money to unaccountable private interests
Many Ohioans pay taxes for schools but don’t have school-age children. Their taxes are meant to fund quality public schools because having educated citizens is a public good. Sending their money to unaccountable for-profit, private, and religious schools is a terrible abuse. Compelling taxpayers to support private interests at the expense of public ones is […]
Ohio group sues to boost charter schools
An Ohio group that supports charter schools has joined in a lawsuit fighting against what they say is “hostility” in rule-making by the U.S. Department of Education. The D.C. and Ohio-based Thomas Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank, spoke as a “charter school sponsor” for the state of Ohio, arguing that rules regulating […]
ECOT owes Ohio $117 Million. What are we going to do about it?
Like the famed Casablanca police captain Louis Renault, Ohio taxpayers were shocked, shocked to learn recently from the state auditor’s office that the notorious online charter school ECOT, which closed in 2018, owes the state $117 million. A “Finding for Recovery” posted last week on the auditor’s website provided the details. The announcement by Auditor […]
Shame on lawmakers who snuck sweetheart charter, voucher deals into substitute teacher bill
Ohio’s schools are crying out for a fix to the substitute teacher shortage in our state. In 2018, about 16,400 people worked as substitute teachers in Ohio; in 2021, that number had plummeted to only about 5,000. And as a result, students, educators, and Ohio families suffered. Schools had to shift to remote instruction, educators […]
New state superintendent hiring raises questions about process, but the charter lobby is pleased
At its May meeting, the State Board of Education voted to employ Steve Dackin as Ohio’s new Superintendent of Public Instruction. But the hiring of the veteran school administrator has raised some concerns that require further reflection. The state board’s decision occurred in the middle of National Charter Schools Week and prompted questions about the […]
Ohio Governor joins 17 other governors in fighting federal charter school limits
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is standing with nearly two dozen other governors in fighting against a proposed federal rule limiting charter school creation. The new rule would be a change to the U.S. Department of Education Charter School Program, and would require charters to prove that a school district they want to join is “over-enrolled” […]
Cleveland charter school uses public dollars to fight union drive
Teachers at Menlo Park Academy come to work every day to shape the minds and inspire the dreams of young Clevelanders. They are in the middle of a union drive at the privately operated, publicly funded charter school, which serves gifted students in grades K-8. Management is fighting them every inch of the way. The […]
The charter school and voucher wars continue: A tale of two cities, or maybe three
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,” Charles Dickens famously wrote. But if a latter-day Dickens were writing today, the tale might be about foolishness and not wisdom in the misuse of public funds. And the setting would […]
State report cards should be a wakeup call for Ohio’s charter, voucher hawks
I remember taking home my report cards when I was in school. I was a pretty good student; my grades always reflected my passion for subjects I loved, and more importantly, provided some real-time feedback on areas where improvement was needed — Time management, for example, was a skill I had to learn over time. […]
Public schools, vouchers, privatization, and educational choice: Be careful what you wish for
In the last few months, Americans have witnessed a series of assaults by the political right on key parts of the bedrock principles of democracy. Those attacks include new restrictions on voting rights in more than half of the states, the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by thousands of insurrectionists, and most […]
Ohio Supreme Court to decide whether charter school head liable for treasurer’s action
The CEO of a now-closed community school awaits the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision as to whether he can be held liable for funds the fiscal officer was convicted of stealing. Robert Burns was the director of New City Community School from 2009, until the school closed in 2010. The fiscal officer during Burns’ tenure was […]