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Ohio Charter School Operators Would Have To Be Nonprofits Under Bipartisan Bill

By Karen Kasler

Published March 12, 2020 at 2:47 PM EDT

Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville, front left) and Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) talk about their bill, as Mark Hill from the Ohio Education Association, Melissa Cropper from the Ohio Federation of Teachers and Rep. Lisa Sobieski (D-Toledo) look on. [Karen Kasler] — Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville, front left) and Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) talk about their bill, as Mark Hill from the Ohio Education Association, Melissa Cropper from the Ohio Federation of Teachers and Rep. Lisa Sobieski (D-Toledo) look on.

Nearly 180 Ohio charter schools would have to change how they do business or shut down under a new bipartisan bill introduced in the Ohio House. It's the latest attempt to crack down on charter schools.

Charter schools are nonprofit by law, but around 178 are managed by for-profit operators.

The bill from Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) would require those operators to be nonprofit as well by 2023.

“The goal here is not to make schools close," Crossman said. "The goal here is to make sure schools are operating efficiently and doing what they’re supposed to be doing, which is educating the children.”

Seven other states have similar legislation, and Manning said the bill has the support of Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford), who has previously said he supports the idea.

The bill also would require charter schools be audited as public schools are, and would make the operators’ books public records.

A study by an anti-charter school group said for-profit operators spend 73 percent more on administrative costs per student than public schools do.

It was conducted by the Ohio Charter School Accountability Project, an arm of Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank which has been critical of charter schools. According to the study, charter schools run by for-profit entities spend $1,167 more per pupil than public school districts on non-instructional administrative costs — that’s 73 percent more money per pupil spent outside the classroom.

The Ohio Council of Community Schools did not respond to requests for comment.