Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy notes that Governor John Kasich has promised to pass legislation requiring accountability and transparency from charters. But will the big campaign contributors who make millions from charters allow any regulation of their profitable enterprises?
Phillis writes:
“Governor: “We are going to fix the lack of regulation on charter schools” – but will ECOT, White Hat Management, K-12 Inc. and other big campaign funders allow it to happen?
“2014 has been the year of exposure of far-reaching financial fraud and educational malfeasance in the charter industry. To cap off the year, reports of two studies commissioned by the pro-charter Fordham Institute were made public. These reports “revealed” what was already known: charters are neither accountable nor transparent and their students lag significantly behind traditional schools in state academic measures.
“What else could the Governor say about charters but that additional regulations are needed? The real test, and the one the public education community should keep on the radar screen, will be the scope and depth of anticipated legislation on charter reform.
“Consider that, of the $57 million increase in charter funding over 2011-2012, the largest increase goes to William Lager’s ECOT and the largest per pupil increase for a charter group goes to David Brennan’s White Hat charters. Brennan and William Lager are among the largest political contributors in Ohio. Will they allow charter reform in Ohio? Charter reform that protects taxpayers and students would put them out of business. What do you think?
“Realistically, don’t expect genuine reform in accountability and transparency in charterland….unless the taxpayers of Ohio demand it. Right now the contest is between campaign contributions and sound public policy.”
William Phillis
Ohio E & A
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Kasich will tell you he wants to spend “more dollars in the classroom” and that he wants to “improve our schools” but today he attended the graduation ceremonies at ECOT – an online, for-profit charter school with one of the worst graduation rates in the state and an operator who is one of the biggest Republican donors in Ohio.”
That was 2011.
This is 2014:
“We will not tolerate people coming into this state, making money at the expense of great education for our kids,”
Is there going to be any explanation for this? What happened? Why was he promoting these schools in 2011 if he’s now saying they are “making money at the expense of kids”? When did he learn this? Sometime AFTER he vastly increased funding to them, I hope.
We don’t even get “mistakes were made” anymore. We don’t even get that level of accountability. Now we get no acknowledgement of anything that anyone did prior to create this situation. This all just,,,happened. I mean, come on. This was deliberate and it’s traceable to individuals and the decisions they made.
http://www.plunderbund.com/2011/06/12/kasich-speaks-at-ecot-graduation-supports-one-of-the-gops-biggest-donors/
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Amen!
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Don’t hold your breath …
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You’d think someone who works for the state of Ohio would look at the other side of this, too. Ohio’s much-maligned public schools outperformed charters DESPITE being either completely abandoned or actively undermined by lawmakers.
That’s quite an accomplishment. Yet, I can all but guarantee we will see the continued laser-like focus on charters and vouchers. We’ll be lucky if any politician mentions “government schools”, let alone supports the work they’re doing.
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Reform is generally directed against traditional public schools and traditional certified public school teachers. The suggestion that charter schools may be in need of reform is antithetical to the philosophy of the charter school movement and its deep pocketed sponsors.
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http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/01/abolishing-representative-government-education-common-core-choice-charter-schools/
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I fear it will take a outraged public to hold the complicit politicians accountable. Neither the politicians nor the charter owners want to stop the money train. That is why getting the word out to average citizens about wasted taxpayers’ money is so important. The media won’t cover the stories unless they get to big to ignore.
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Sorry: too big to ignore.
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We live in a sick country.
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