Governor Kasich released his FY 16-17 biennial budget today. True to his word, Kasich featured charter school reforms prominently, with a focus on improving sponsor quality, eliminating conflicts of interest, and addressing some of the funding inequities that plague charter schools.
“Governor Kasich has proposed some bold reforms that could significantly improve Ohio’s charter school sector,” said Chad L. Aldis, Vice President for Ohio Policy and Advocacy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. “While facility funding and opening the door to sharing local dollars will dominate the headlines, it would be a mistake to overlook the innovative sponsor reforms being put forward.”
Sponsors are the entities in Ohio responsible for overseeing charter school performance. The budget would ensure that all sponsors are:
- Subject to the state’s newly implemented sponsor evaluation system
- Accountable to the department of education
- Closed immediately for poor operation
- Prohibited from selling services to schools that they sponsor, and
- Incentivized for being a high quality authorizer.
“By ensuring proper oversight of Ohio charter school sponsors and aligning incentives with performance, Governor Kasich is placing Ohio’s charter sector on a new and better path.”
Kasich’s proposed reforms join those offered last week in House Bill 2 by Representatives Mike Dovilla and Kristina Roegner. The provisions in House Bill 2--focused on accountability, responsibility, and transparency—align well with Kasich’s proposal.
“We look forward to working with the Governor and the General Assembly in improving Ohio’s charter schools in a way that benefits children, parents, and communities,” Aldis concluded.
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For further comment, please contact Chad L. Aldis, Vice President for Ohio Policy and Advocacy by email at [email protected] or by phone at 614-404-9309 (mobile) or 614-223-1580 (office).
