Loophole could give F-rated charter schools millions meant for better schools
CLEVELAND, Ohio – East Academy, Cleveland Preparatory Academy and West Park Academy charter schools each scored an F on their latest state report cards.
But school leaders are claiming they are “quality” schools, so they can receive new bonus tax money of up to $1,750 per enrolled student from the state.
Officials of the F-rated OhDELA online charter school of nearly 2,000 students are making the same claim.
And Chapelside Cleveland Academy is seeking the “quality” bonus, even though its authorizer — the non-profit that oversees the school on behalf of the state — has given up on trying to fix the school’s F grade and is yanking its support.
The fast-growing for-profit Accel charter school chain, which runs all of these schools, has applied for more than $15 million in cash from a new $30 million fund that Gov. Mike DeWine and the state legislature created this summer as a boost for Ohio’s best charter schools.
The 33 Accel schools seeking the money failed to earn the good grades that would qualify them for the bonus. Instead, the chain is applying under language in the state budget bill that declares schools as “quality” if their operator meets a few criteria with schools it runs in other states.
Under a provision in the bill, these F-rated Accel schools may qualify for CONTINUE READING: Loophole could give F-rated charter schools millions meant for better schools - cleveland.com