|
|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
 |
State Auditor:
Charter school head count much less than students reported for payment
Why are charter school operators and charter school sponsors not being
prosecuted for collecting money on phantom students? A recent State
Auditor's report-Report on Community School Students Attendance
Counts-documents that many charter schools are collecting funds for
students they are not serving. These charter operators and their
sponsors should be charged with dereliction of duty and fraud.
These spurious maneuvers have been ongoing. Nearly ten years ago, the
Scripps Howard News Service conducted a head count in several Ohio
charter schools. The Scripps report-Ghost Schools-- revealed that
absentee rates in charter schools were as high as 64 percent. The
investigators that did the Scripps Howard News Service study sent the
report to Ohio officials, including the Attorney General. They thought
someone would be sent to prison for fraud, but state officials seemed
to ignore the report.
The State Auditor found current student attendance compared to the
number of students reported in July 2014 as low as zero percent. Other
egregious rates of attendance found by the Auditor were 17%, 18%, 23%,
25%, 48% and 66%. This theft from taxpayers must stop.
The worst offenders in this scandal are among the largest political
contributors in Ohio. Don't expect any remedy to this corruption in
charterland unless a grassroots outrage emerges.
William Phillis
Ohio E & A
|
|
|
|
