ECOT
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 […]
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 […]
Experts: Whaley might actually have a shot in November
Anybody who’s been around Ohio politics for a minute knows this: It’s not the best use of your money to bet it against Mike DeWine. Since 1976, he’s been winning elections in the Buckeye State — first as Greene County Prosecutor, then in 1980 to the state Senate, then in 1982 to the U.S. House […]
‘Backpack bill’ disingenuous play for tax dollars
If there’s one thing Ohio taxpayers hate – other than paying taxes – it’s being ripped off by disingenuous ideologues in the statehouse. You’re not going to like what a pair of legislators are itching to do with your tax money that pays for public schools. They want to divert a ton of it to […]
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 […]
Campaign finance and pay-to-play corruption is also destroying the American Republic
Gerrymandered rigging of district lines to guarantee political party power is not the only thing posing an existential threat to the American Republic. It goes hand-in-hand with a system of campaign finance that allows for massive pay-to-play corruption infecting government. Earlier this week the Ohio Capital Journal published an investigation into findings of immediate jeopardy […]
ECOT loses latest court challenge, must repay state
The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow has lost yet another court challenge, with the Ohio Supreme Court concluding they must repay the more than $60 million the state is owed from the now-defunct private online charter school. The state’s highest court upheld a decision by the Ohio State Board of Education that said ECOT had falsified […]
ECOT argues school board’s say isn’t final in Ohio Supreme Court repayment lawsuit
Arguments about the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow have been going in multiple legal filings, and the latest debate is in the Ohio Supreme Court, who has been tasked with how to interpret the word “final.” ECOT is fighting a decision by the Ohio Department of Education that said it owed about $80 million over two […]
Ohio Supreme Court to review ECOT appeal
The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to take up the case of a former online charter school that is fighting the Ohio State Board of Education over funding standards. The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) filed an appeal in February of this year, arguing for the state high court to hear the case by saying […]
Struggling public schools and districts need our investment, not F’s
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signaled recently that he is open to changing the A-F report card system for public schools and districts in our state. With state Reps. John Patterson, D-Jefferson, and Robert Cupp, R-Lima, continuing to work toward a constitutional funding model for Ohio’s public schools, now is a good time to reevaluate the […]