Legislation proposed by state Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, would place a two-year moratorium on the creation of new, for-profit community schools - schools that opponents say drain the state's budget and remain unaccountable to the public.
The senator isn't opposed to charter schools
said Meghann McCall, Fedor's legislative aide. But we must be sure they're operating correctly and make sure children are getting the education they need and deserve.
In a news release, Fedor said the state was promised a five-year review of charter schools that never materialized.
Her premises are incorrect said Clint Satow, vice president of the Ohio Charter Schools Association. The Legislative Office of Education Oversight has already written seven reports. (Fedor) is just unhappy that they didn't have what she wanted to hear.
During the 2003-2004 school year, Ohio had 163 community schools in operation, with 47,000 students enrolled, Satow said. For the same year, the state gave those schools $270 million.
Nancy Zajano, director of the Legislative Office of Education Oversight, said the office had published reports on charter schools since they were legalized in Ohio in 1997.
Charter schools need oversight said Darold Johnson, director of legislation and political action with the Ohio Federation of Teachers. We support the concept (of charter schools)
but not when they take money from the public school system.
The major difference between traditional and community schools is they are not run by a school board, Zajano said. Community schools are overseen by a governing board - chosen by the school's founder - not a publicly elected school board.
The Ohio Federation of Teachers - along with nine other teachers' groups - sued the state in 2001, claiming charter schools violated Ohio's constitution, which calls for a single, publicly funded school system.
William Phillis, executive director of Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy in School Funding, said charter schools siphon money away from public schools. Ohio schools are allotted a little more than $5,000 per student from the state in funding, and that money is paid to the school the student attends.
If a student goes to Podunk charter school
the $5
058 gets sent to Podunk charter school
Phillis said. The student's normal district, then, must make do with the lower amount of funds.
That's a very treacherous situation
Phillis said.
The real problem, he said, is Ohio's school funding system, which has been declared unconstitutional four times since 1991.
The state ought to be using its resources to help improve public schools
he said, not taking money away.
A community - or charter -school can be founded by either an existing school system or a private party, but must be sponsored, usually by a school board. Like traditional public schools, community schools are funded by the state, cannot deny admission to any students and cannot charge tuition, Zajano said.
In 2002, the legislature limited the number of start-up community schools at 225 until July 2005.
A start-up school is one started by a private individual, and a conversion school is a school that a district converted from public to community. There is no limit to the number of conversion schools in Ohio.
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