Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition of Equity and Adequacy reports that the Electronoc Classroom of Tomorrow has received $121 million from the Columbus School District, while providing an online program of low quality.
He writes:
“ECOT has drained $121,655,364.35 from one Ohio school district-for what?
“The ECOT business plan puts a heap of money into the private companies involved in this operation. Over the years, considerable wealth has been accumulated by the ECOT Man. Remember that over several years, ECOT has collected a billion dollars on the basis of enrollment and NOT student participation in the “program.”
“According to Ohio Department of Education’s records, one Ohio district -Columbus-has lost $121,655,364.35 since fiscal year 2002. Below is the amount for each year:
2018
$ 10,953,860.82
2017
$ 10,957,796.70
2016
$ 11,744,302.64
2015
$ 11,502,686.27
2014
$ 10,517,410.00
2013
$ 9,326,527.50
2012
$ 8,434,344.51
2011
$ 7,500,623.28
2010
$ 6,582,299.08
2009
$ 6,483,223.11
2008
$ 6,123,801.08
2007
$ 5,864,911.49
2006
$ 5,279,561.93
2005
$ 5,129,842.49
2004
$ 3,671,320.74
2003
n/a
2002
$1,582,852.71
GRAND total:
$ 121,655,364.35
“The state deducts this money from payments to the district. The Board of Education has no control over what happens to the revenue lost or the education of the students involved. Over half of the lost revenue comes from local property tax levied for the operation of the Columbus City School District.
“Now that ECOT is on the ropes, it appears that the Ohio Department of Education will bail it out by granting dropout
recovery status. Thus far, state officials have not developed a plan to correct this travesty.”
How about ECOT refund the money?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Good grief. So much us wrong here.
LikeLike
“Electronic
ClassroomCrime of Tomorrow”Here today.
LikeLike
I made a pledge after the last election that I would become more involved in educating my local school board in the hope (so far in vain) that they would engage in educating the public about the threats to public education that are coming from the federal and state levels and being fed by public ignorance and apathy. Earlier this year I spoke at monthly school board meeting—a district with one high, one middle, and three elementary schools—imploring them to speak up.
In September I attended again to ask about a topic raised by fellow reader Chiara that our local funds are unaccountably supporting Ohio’s failed charter and electronic “learning” industry. Like many school districts around the nation, our voters have consistently supported increased property tax levies to support our public school system. I asked if those funds were segregated out from state and federal funds. I learned from the superintendent that they were not; they were put into a common fund. Since Ohio is a state where the funding follows the student, funding per student for those who participate in ECOT (we do not yet have charter schools in our district) is lost. My district sends and estimated $800k-1m back to the state annually for this. According to the superintendent, this could fund between 8-10 teaching positions per year.
We will have school board elections in November. At an upcoming candidate forum, I will address this and intend to follow it up with letters to the editor for my local newspapers. Thanks to the information in this post, I can now estimate what the total funds we have lost over the years might be. It’s not as much as the total in Columbus, but per student, it is likely as much if not more. As Chiara pointed out, I doubt any of my fellow constituents who voted to increase our property taxes realize that their public funds are now—however “minimal or small” it might be—being stolen by the for-profit charlatans.
I encourage everyone who cares about issues in this blog to engage in similar activities, especially in Ohio. It will be a messy, frustrating job. But if we don’t do it, who will? We need to educate our communities with the same passion that our teachers educate our children in the classrooms. We need to support them all.
LikeLike
You make a very good point, Even if your district has no charters, your home district may very well be contributing to charters around around the state. If you live in a state like Ohio, you may very well be paying for waste and fraud while your own district cuts positions to make up for the loss of funds. Taxpayers and parents should realize this. Charter expansion equals a disinvestment in the public schools. Taxpayers are diminishing the capacity of the local schools to pay for the state’s reckless, ineffective policies.
LikeLike
Thank you, RT! In your first sentence you summed up what I’ve been struggling to say clearly for a few months. I will plagiarize it completely and fool people into thinking I might know something.
LikeLike
The only thing the legiswhores care about is getting their cut in advance …
LikeLike
And after the fact for jobs and benefits for themselves, family members and cronies. That’s been an art form in Louisiana (and I’m seeing it more and more in Ohio) for years. It’s more open in DC.
LikeLike
Well it depends. Ohio lawmakers care a lot about public schools when they’re running for election.
Jon Husted was here campaigning and he vowed to support public schools. They all do. They can be the biggest “choice” supporters in the world but when they’re campaigning they sing a different tune.
It’s only AFTER they win and they’re safely lodged in Columbus that they abandon our schools.
Anti-public school isn’t actually a way to win elections in this state- can’t alienate 90% of families with children and win an election- that’s why they mislead and dodge and dance around like crazy to try to hide it.
LikeLike
The leaders/owners of ECOT, ALEC, Success Academy, Gulen Charter Schools, KIPP, et al., should all be listed as terrorist organizations with shoot to kill orders given to the police and military.
LikeLike