An Incomplete (Yet Totally Terrifying) Ohio Charter School Scandal Chronology
An incomplete chronology of recent charter school scandals revealing a pattern of indifference and cover-ups at the highest levels of state government.
2013
Early summer, 2013
Dayton teacher Matthew Blair calls and emails the Ohio Department of Education to tell them about test tampering and other irregularities at the Horizon Science Academy of Dayton. Blair said no one responded. Horizon schools are managed by the Chicago-based Concept schools and affiliated with the Gulen movement, named after Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.
Aug. 2013
The Kasich Administration announces it is hiring David Hansen for the Ohio Department of Education’s newly created position of “executive director for the office of quality school choice and funding.’’ He will be paid $105,000 annually to improve state oversight of Ohio’s chronically embattled charter schools.
The Columbus Dispatch includes this in its piece on Hansen’s hiring:
Hansen, 56, has long been outspoken against teachers unions, and in 2007 he penned an op-ed for the Ashland Times-Gazette with the headline “Teacher unions hurt school competition.” In it, he said school districts should “fundamentally reform their teacher union contract policies to expand the reach of market accountability.”
Dec. 22, 2013
Under the headline “HOW CHARTER SCHOOLS BETRAY THEIR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES,’’ Matt Blair’s concerns are finally made public in a post he has written for Diane Ravitch’s blog. He tells of exposed wiring inside the school, test tampering by Turkish school administrators and unqualified teachers.
2014
Jan 10, 2014
Bill Phillis sends Matt Blair’s blog post to every member of Ohio General Assembly
Jan 15, 2014 (ODE COVER-UP NO. 1 BEGINS)
Paul Preston from the ODE’s Office of Community Schools sends Matt Blair’s blog post to sponsors via an email that says Dr. Ross’ “office has asked us to solicit responses to the attached questions from their sponsors regarding allegations in the article. Please feel welcome to keep your responses brief and “positive….”
A series of soft-ball questions is An Incomplete (Yet Totally Terrifying) Ohio Charter School Scandal Chronology:
