Thursday, January 13, 2000
Charter schools criticized
Coalition asks Ohio board to put brakes on idea
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — Many charter schools have not lived up to the expectation that they would be incubators for innovation, says a coalition of education groups requesting a moratorium on new charter schools in Ohio.
The coalition is not asking for an end to charter schools, but wants changes in the way the schools are approved and monitored.
John Brandt, executive director of the Ohio School Boards Association, told the State Board of Education on Tuesday that the state has moved too quickly in opening charter schools. As a result, they are not improving academic achievement and are not saving taxpayers money, he said.
Ohio has 48 charter schools enrolling about 10,000 students. About 70 more schools have applied to open by September. The schools are tax-supported but are freed from some of the state regulations public schools must follow.
Some board members said the coalition has a point.
“I think you have raised legitimate concerns,” said Jennifer Sheets, an elected board member from Meigs County. “We have been especially concerned about the monitoring and evaluation process.”
The board agreed to ask for legislative changes that would allow charter schools to be closed immediately for serious health or safety violations. Current law requires that 180 days' notice be given in such cases.
The board also said it needs more money for personnel to oversee the schools.
The board is expected to debate additional reforms that would require legislative approval next month.
The board's actions follow a series of articles in the Akron Beacon Journal last month that said private, for-profit companies are taking control of the charter school market and brushing aside the parents, teachers and community members who were supposed to control the schools.
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