- Cleveland’s Central neighborhood has welcomed its first charter school. Stepstone Academy is operated by social-service agency Guidestone and uses innovative practices to help improve education and family life for its students.
- More e-schools may be on the way. Recent changes to state law allow for the opening of five new e-schools for next school year. If more than five proposals are received by the May 15 deadline, the Ohio Department of Education will select schools by lottery.
- School and business leaders in Cincinnati are frustrated with Ohio’s “legislative and financial roadblocks” around charter schools. The district has worked to expand its portfolio to include high-performing charters and emulate similar efforts in other cities nationally, but leaders are finding that Ohio’s laws and charter climate are a major roadblock to bringing in new school models.
- Six St. Louis charter schools have closed in light of their “financially stressed” designation. Imagine Schools Inc., serving over 3,000 students in the city, closed its schools under state law after spending more on administrative expenses compared to instructional costs. The state and the city’s business community picked up the $250,000 tab to open three schools designated for displaced students.
