The state education department in Ohio has taken control of eight charter schools and closed four of them for poor performance. Two of the closed charters are operated by the for-profit charter chain Imagine Inc. of Virginia.
The for-profit company has been criticized for charging its schools what the state has called exorbitant rent. The rent, in turn, is used to pay back private investors who buy up the charter school property then lease it back to the school management company….
The Romig Road operation, Imagine Leadership Academy, was on notice in 2012 that it would have to close in 2013 for poor academics. The charter school, instead, closed a year early, found a new school board and reopened under the same management company.
By creating a new school, the clock was restarted on its academic performance. And even though it is performing as poorly, or worse, than the two Imagine schools targeted for closure, the Ohio Department of Education cannot intervene.
Imagine Schools operates 17 charter schools in Ohio, including Imagine Akron Academy, a kindergarten school also taken over by the state after the Portage County Educational Service Center closed.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Charter schools, no regulation. It’s like the armored truck spilled on the freeway and hundreds of motorists grabbing up money. Bye bye taxpayer dollars.
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When money supersedes in importance the well being of our populace this is to be expect ed and will continue. This is only one aspect of this many headed monster. The news on the internet today shows how politics is squashing our renewable energies in favor of the carbon industries which exacerbates if not causes climate change which will make our planet problematic for our children.
It is past time to educate our country on the disastrous effects of this money meddling in our politics, ergo the quality of life for citizens.
Sadly, tragically the corporate media controls about 80% of the news that propagandizes our citizens. Ergo, education in all its aspects is subverted by short term monetary gain by those in power who are determined to protect their monetary interests, investing in buying our politicians. A few politicians are fighting back but they are outnumbered by the corporate controlled political interests.
I fear that only when we have our own “Arab Spring” will things change. AND what will be cost of that fight?
Our fathers fought and literally died to unionize to fight back. Must we do the same?
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This is a shell game and if the State Department of Education can do nothing about it is because the legislature and Governor and USDE are complicit in the fraud.
How about restart dates on accountability for every public school that gets a budget cut from the outflow of money to a charter school or a reprieve from accountabilityif there is new principal or district leader or new test or another cocamaimie intervention to “improve test scores.”
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Your second paragraph describes equal treatment. That’s not our nation’s direction. US politicians are dominated by GDP-dragging hedge funds and Silicon Valley. They make unjust rules to enrich the 0.1%, to create an underclass and, to destroy American ideals.
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