More charter schools closing after Ohio toughens rules
Ohio could see a record number of charter schools close this year.
In the wake of a new state law designed to shut down failing schools, several charter-school sponsors are severing ties with schools they agreed to oversee. Charter schools — privately run with public dollars — can’t operate without a sponsor.
In an 11th-hour plea last week to keep its doors open, Cleveland’s OAK Leadership Institute asked the State Board of Education to intervene. The board refused, citing poor student test scores.
Out of options, OAK will be forced to close; it’s among the first affected by the tougher accountability measures.
“There will be more,” said Ron Adler, president of the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, which advocates for charter schools. “Sponsors are feeling pressure. This is accelerating the closure process.”
Ohio Department of Education officials say they know of 19 schools that are closing this year: Eleven were dropped by their sponsors for poor performance; the eight others closed voluntarily.
Last year, 14 charter schools shut their doors. Three closed because of failing grades and six for financial reasons, according to state records. The reasons for the five other closings were unclear.
Supporters of a charter-school reform bill passed last year, House Bill 2, and of new evaluations for school sponsors say they aim to bring more accountability and transparency to a charter system that spends about $1 billion annually to educate more than 120,000 Ohio students attending 374 charter schools. For example, the new law More charter schools closing after Ohio toughens rules | The Columbus Dispatch:
