The Akron Beacon Journal is publishing a series of stories pointing out serious issues with Ohio’s Charter Schools and the laws that govern the $900 million in taxpayer money that goes to them annually.
On Sunday, the paper demonstrated that it is almost impossible to find basic information about Charter School operations (like who runs the school, when does the school board meet, etc.): More than 100 publicly funded charter schools fail to disclose who is in charge
In today’s story, the Beacon demonstrates how White Hat Management is able to essentially run for-profit operations in the guise of a non-profit: Board members at White Hat charter schools say they have little control over public funds
It is difficult to see how anyone in the Ohio Legislature would be able to defend the way these things are working. Don’t forget that Ohio Charter Schools have historically performed far worse than the districts from which they receive kids and money. And they cost the state about twice as much per pupil, all while spending nearly 3 times as much on administration.
There are a few very high performing charters in this state. But the fact that there are only a couple handfuls of those and far more unsuccessful ones demonstrates that Ohio needs to revisit its Charter School laws to ensure what our tax dollars fund are quality educational experiences for our kids, not more turns at the public trough for the adults.
