In 2015, educators and fiscal watchdogs in Ohio were outraged to learn that Ohio had won a federal grant of $71 million from the Obama administration to expand its “high-quality” charter schools. At the time, Ohio was known for its many low-quality charter schools. However, seven years later, the state has spent only $8 million of that $71 million.
Why?
Stephen Dyer explains: Ohio has so few high-quality charter schools that it can’t spend the money it won.
Seven years after that grant, Ohio’s had to send back a bunch of the money and has only spent $8 million of it.
Unsurprisingly, Ohio’s had a really tough time handing out money to this ill-fated program. Why? Because the money has to go to “high-performing” charter schools — of which Ohio has precious few.…
Only 5 of the approximately 330 Charter Schools that were in operation during any one of those grant years, received federal money to expand because of their quality. Only 26 would even qualify for the money today. Out of 331 Ohio Charter Schools.
One would think after 25 years, you’d get more than 7.9% of these schools annually to be “High Quality”...
Curious about what percentage of Ohio’s local public schools would qualify as “High Quality” under the state’s Charter School definition?
Me too.
It’s about 3 out of every 5 Ohio public school buildings. Ohio’s major urban districts? Try more than 1 in 5 of those buildings. In Akron, it’s nearly 1 in 3 buildings.
Again, by comparison, only 1 in 13 Ohio Charter Schools qualify.
Ohio’s had 638 Charter Schools that have operated at any time in this state. And only 5 of those got any of the $71 million in federal money designated in 2015 to expand the state’s “high-quality” Charter Schools.
Incredible.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
In other news, officials in both St. Petersburg and Moscow have become so emboldened as to call publicly for Putin to step down and to be tried for treason by the Duma. Why? Because he has spun historical fantasies, ruined the country financially, strengthened NATO, made Russia into a pariah state worldwide, and bogged Russia down in an unjust and unwinnable war.
There was a time when Putin stood with other world leaders… no more. I speculate that if he could turn back the clock he would. His barbarianism got the better of him. He’s like Trump. They can’t keep their darker inner selves from public view.
Eric and Don Jr. boast about what Trump has done for Christian rule. It seemed so in the beginning. But, not now.
I worry that Putin’s ego cannot tolerate a loss. I worry that he will nuke Kiev rather than admit defeat.
When men care as little about their legacies as Trump and Koch, the outcomes are never good. The hope is that Putin wants history to judge him as contributing greater benefit to his country than harm.
Trump and Koch have never wavered in their contempt for decency. I don’t know Putin’s record.
In other other news, several videos have surfaced of file boxes being unloaded over the last year from Trump plane at various Trump airports.
Yikes. at various Trump golf courses.*
I recall that Traitor Trump said he’d make a profit while he was president. The traitor didn’t say how. Now we know.
For consideration-
The privatization that the state Catholic Conferences have driven along with the Koch network (and, I suspect Fordham) has always been about funding for religious schools which SCOTUS has delivered and will cement with future decisions.
LOL – Think Tank + Sponsoring Charter Schools = Harder Than It Looks
https://fordhaminstitute.org/events/think-tank-sponsoring-charter-schools-harder-it-looks
It is harder than it looks—to sponsor charter schools—because so many fail or their leaders embezzle. TBF has experienced both. But the sponsor gets a 3% cut of each student’s tuition so it’s not all bad.
Great catch by Dyer. I laughed. I cried. I laughed again. I laughed some more — while crying. Ohio has problems.
And let’s not forget to laugh and cry again about Race to the Top. What a debacle.