No matter your opinion of charter schools’ benefit to education, I offer some recent conclusions:  For example, The University of Colorado-Boulder research organization offers an assessment of one of the larger for-profit school management firms in the country.  “White Hat Management” operates 51 charter schools nation-wide, 30 being in Ohio. Of the 51, only one met a standard called “adequate yearly progress.” That’s a success rate of under 2%.

    

To add insult to such standards, on May 5 the Ohio House authorized the creation of taxpayer-financed schools whose primary purpose is to turn a profit.  It also reduced the oversight authority of the government entity that serves as sponsors of these schools. According to Brent Larkin, editorial writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and my main source of information, no other state has for profit charters with such micro accountability. Apparently The Ohio House knows they owe David Brennan, owner of  White Hat Management for his more than $4 million to republican candidates.

                                                                                           

Buz Cormany

York Township