Ohio Congressional Delegation Question Department of Education Question Oversight of Ohio Charter Schools

Press Release

Amidst reports that certain charter schools in Ohio are misspending taxpayer dollars and falsifying data, members of the Ohio delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), called on the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to strengthen accountability and transparency for Ohio's charter schools. In a letter to ED Secretary Arne Duncan, Brown and U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9), Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11), and Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3), called on him to clarify how ED ensured that falsified data was not used to evaluate an Ohio grant application and to take steps to ensure that the funding awarded to Ohio will be used appropriately.

"There is no denying that Ohio's charter school oversight system is broken. Parents should not be the only ones worrying if their children are getting the education they deserve -- our state government has the responsibility to ensure that Ohio students are not being underserved by their schools. I look forward to seeing the U.S. Department of Education's plan to ensure these funds are used to improve education for Ohio children," said Ryan.

"Parents and taxpayers deserve to know that our classrooms are providing students with a quality education," Brown said. "The fraud we've seen from some charter schools and state officials engage is unacceptable. The Department of Education must strengthen oversight and ensure that this federal funding is used to benefit charter school operators that are working hard to make sure all children who attend receive the education they deserve."

"Ohio's education system benefits immensely from this level of federal support. However, directing federal funds to the state's troubled charter school system raises important questions and more than a few eyebrows as it appears to lack proper oversight or accountability," said Kaptur. "With a few important exceptions such as Breakthrough Schools in Cleveland, Ohio's charter system overall has a record of misusing funds and abusing the public's trust. It is my fervent hope that the U.S. Department of Education will reevaluate the distribution of federal support to Ohio schools to ensure that they are spent responsibly and appropriately on properly educating Ohio's school children."

"A lack of transparency and meaningful oversight has failed many of our state's charter school students … that cannot continue," said Fudge. "As a member of the House Education & Workforce Committee, and Ranking Member of the Early Childhood Elementary & Secondary Education Subcommittee, mending our state's charter school system is one of my top priorities. We must ensure Ohio's children get a quality education and ultimately benefit from these funds."

"High-quality schools are central to building and sustaining our communities, including charter schools. I expect the U.S. Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Education will be accountable with these federal funds so that Ohio's students receive the education that they deserve," said Beatty.

In their letter, the delegation urged ED to increase oversight of charter schools and to restrict these funds from being used to finance a takeover of Ohio public school districts. The members also praised Ohio's several high-quality charter schools and urged ED to ensure that grants are only awarded to charter school operators with proven records of success.

In July, David Hansen, the executive director of the Ohio Department of Education's Office of Quality School Choice and the Office of Community Schools, resigned after admitting to deliberately leaving out failing grades of online charter schools. Despite these allegations, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) awarded the Ohio Department of Education a $71 million dollar grant last week to expand charter schools in Ohio.