David Brennan of White Hat Management operates a few dozen mostly low-performing charter schools for profit in Ohio. Since 1999, he has collected nearly $1 billion for his operations, which include virtual charters. Oh, yes, he is also a major contributor to Republicans, especially Governor John Kasich and legislative leaders. In budget negotiations, he was just rewarded with an additional payment of $4.2 million a year.
At the same time, Ohio legislators reduced poverty assistance across the state.
Say this for the Ohio legislature: they know what their priorities are. Reverse Robin Hood: take from the poor and give to the rich.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
All four (4/4 = 100%) of Brennan’s “Life Skills Centers” in Detroit were closed a couple of years ago. But he was able to open others in the state with no problem. How many Michigan legislators did he have to buy? Or was the GOP-dominated government here only too willing to ignore the failures of his Detroit operations?
What college gave him a charter? How bought out is this college and how low are their standards?
Ohio’s Supreme Court declared our school funding inequitable back in the mid-1990s. We still haven’t had a legislature that will deal with this. Now, with Gov. Kasich and his cronies, they are making matters worse for the students.
As a public teacher in Ohio, I am not surprised 😦
You need a lawsuit based on your equalized funding State Supreme Court Decision. Supreme Court trumps legislature and governor. They do this because the citizens allow it. For instance, how did these fools get elected, by the people. The people are to blame for all of this as they have allowed it and now it is time for them to stop it. They are doing it in Chicago and we are starting in L.A. with our PEOPLE wins lately. This must continue. Chicago, Philadelphia, D.C. and N.Y. need to get rid of mayoral control as this has not worked anywhere. This is not representative government but fascist government as the corporate privatizer set now runs the game and that is against our principals of government.
We have had a Supreme Court order for almost 20 years. It gets shoved down the road, kicking the can … same old same old. Kasich has a fake plan, but it hurts not helps.
Under the theory of market-driven school reform, Brennan should have been shut out long ago. Yet here he is, operating this scam in three different states for more than a decade. As long as the campaign contributions keep coming, there won’t be any meaningful oversight or regulation.
AMEN, Chiara. Lobbyists should be banned. The lobbyists fund campaigns and purchase laws from the politicians. It’s all a big fat ponzy scheme.
White Hat has actually been sued by charter school parents. They simply wanted to know where the money goes. So, in order to find that out, they had to file a lawsuit in a county court.
It’s incredible. It’s ALL public money!
White Hat has been sued by the governing boards of some of the schools it manages. According to the lawsuit, White Hat collects at least 95 percent of the schools’ tax funding. It also owns everything from computers to student files. The governing authorities of the schools involved in the lawsuit would like to gain access to the materials and equipment and to decide if they want White Hat to continue to operate their schools.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/tag/white-hat-management/
How can we get 60 Minutes to investigate charters?
I really wish some journalist out there would actually do their job and tell the public the truth.
There are, they’re called internet bloggers such as Diane, Mercedes, CrazyCrawdaddie, etc. . . . Now if you mean main stream corporate media type of “journalists”, no there aren’t any. They’re as bought and sold as the politicians and edudeformers.