A bipartisan bill to require all charter schools in Ohio be operated as non-profits has been introduced again. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports that could affect around half of the state’s more than 300 charter schools that are now run by for-profit operators.
The bill says all charter school operators would be nonprofit by 2023, and they’d be audited like public schools are and their books would be public records. Democratic Rep. Jeffrey Crossman says eliminating the profit motive will allow money to go into student education.
“It's up to us to remind folks that we still have this glaring hole in public accountability over our charter school system that takes on millions of dollars every year from our public tax dollars and redirects it away from our current public school system.”
The bill was first proposed last year, right before the pandemic hit. For years, charter schools have scored lower grades on state report cards than public schools. But the pro-charter Fordham Institute notes a report last year showed charter school students outperformed students in public schools.
