The Coalition for Public Education on Thursday launched an awareness campaign on pending state legislation that a spokesman said “would lead to a massive expansion of charter schools and even less accountability to voters and taxpayers.”

        Ohio's charter schools are public schools funded by the state that are run by parents, community groups or other organizations, including for-profit companies.

        The first 15 opened in 1998. Last year, there were 92 charter schools in Ohio.

        Legislation under consideration, House Bill 364, would expand sponsorships for charter schools and areas in which they can locate.

        The coalition is mailing 75,000 copies of a brochure statewide.

        “The mailer documents the failure of charter schools to date,” said Tom Mooney, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers union. “Despite abysmal academic results, widespread financial failure, numerous audit citations and shutdowns, charter school advocates continue to pretend that all is well and this wonderful school choice program should be rapidly expanded.”

        Mr. Mooney's organization is a member group of the Coalition for Public Education.

        Other coalition members include the League of Women Voters, the Ohio PTA, the Ohio School Boards Association and the Ohio AFL-CIO.

        The Columbus-based Ohio Community School Center countered with a statement reading:

        “Although Ohio has many fine schools within the traditional school system, that system has failed thousands and thousands of young Ohioans.

        “This fall, the families of over 30,000 students are choosing a charter school because they believe that a charter school will provide a better educational opportunity for their children than the traditional system.

        “Yet, because charter schools receive state tax dollars for students whose families choose a charter school, those who represent the traditional system uniformly oppose them.”

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