The largest virtual charter school in Ohio was the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT). Its for-profit owner William Lager collected over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars since it opened in 2000. He gave campaign contributions to state officials, and they looked the other way. They even spoke at his commencement ceremonies. When the state actually audited ECOT, it found inflated enrollments and went to court to collect money from Lager. ECOT lost its authorizer, and Lager declared bankruptcy.
Most of ECOT’s students have transferred to another online charter, the Ohio Virtual Academy, owned by Michael Milken’s for-profit K12 Inc.
K12 Inc. has asked the state to hold it harmless for the expected low academic performance of the transfer students from ECOT.
Will voters hold state officials accountable for allowing these frauds to continue collecting money from them?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
See this article from 1999. This criminal has to be called to justice. https://www.thenation.com/article/education-mike-milken/
“Most of ECOT’s students have transferred to another online charter, the Ohio Virtual Academy, owned by Michael Milken’s for-profit K12 Inc.”
At what point is it okay to lose sympathy for the “victims” of these frauds?
I had the same thought, Dienne.
Where’s the sympathy and money for public schools when charters suddenly close or fail to open? Public schools step up and squeeze in more students even though they may not compensated for the service.
Nobody should feel sorry for Milken and his brother. They can do the math. They have been handsomely compensated for providing sub par virtual schools. In fact, one of the recommendations of the NEPC report was that virtual schools should be compensated for the actual cost of the service and not given the full per pupil allowance as their operating expenses are much lower.
The NEPC Report should be widely circulated. I intend to help in that effort in Ohio.
Yeah, Laura. Thank you.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
“K12 Inc. has asked the state to hold it harmless for the expected low academic performance of the transfer students from ECOT.”
What happened to NO EXCUSES?
I guess it had to give way to the #1 priority: $tudent $ucce$$…
😳
Petard. Hoisted.
Ah yes, that “petard and hoisted” duo…
From another angle: a startling admission that when edupreneurs can’t massage and torture numbers & stats by selective admissions/ongoing attrition/ever-changing definitions and the like—
Then they can’t hit those numerical targets they are forever claiming that they can hit and public schools can’t.
😎
All schools should get the exemption then. “Cybercharters” are churn machines. All public schools in Ohio take cybercharter students in and out all the time.
Our superintendent specifically cites “catching up” their students as a new job responsibility. It also makes it difficult for public schools to plan and budget, but of course no public school input was permitted in these reforms, although they affect every public school kid in the state.
The charter will get the exemption. The public schools won’t even be considered or mentioned because public schools exist to serve the needs, wants and desires of ed reformers, not the other way around.
“public schools in Ohio take cybercharter students in and out all the time… makes it difficult for public schools to plan and budget… no public school input was permitted in these reforms”
The same statement seems applicable to any area with more than just a couple of charter schools. Planning for typical changes (decline or rise in enrollment trend, a new residential project comes online, a big employer leaves) is already challenging. How is a pubsch district supposed to run a tight ship when, in addition, charters can suddenly open/ expand on a whim of state, or even disappear midyear? Just one charter going belly up could add 100 students (2% of a 5k-pupil distr in a town of 21k) without advance notice.
The negotiations among districts where school choice = pubsch open enrollment (MA, NH) seem much more sensible. There, the districts (& hence taxpayers) control the budgets. They consult each others’ needs & plan available seats for out-of-district students accordingly.
Literally every high profile national ed reformer endorsed ECOT. All of them.
It’s as if it didn’t happen. Their cheerleading of this corrupt, rip off money making scheme has simply disappeared.
There’s no accountability in ed reform, which is really infuriating if you have been listening to them deliver scolding lectures to public schools for 20 years.
I think the most embarrassing part of the ECOT debacle is Ohio State’s role. There was a time when Ohio State was cheerleading this rip off. They were trying to jam the ECOT model into every public school in the state. Luckily, public schools ignored their advice.
It’s AMAZING how so many high profile and supposedly “expert” people fell for this scam.
I lived in Ohio for 4 years and was mostly confused by what I witnessed. READ: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. HOLY COW. Wish I knew then what I know now.
The question should be:
Will voters be given a choice in the midterms to vote for someone honest that will vote on legislation that will stop those frauds from pouring money into the pockets of any elected crooks?