Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full.
Cleveland’s mayor (not) on the record
This is a weird one. Signal Cleveland is aiming to document for the record any quotes connecting Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb to charter schools and the charter sector. Why? No clue. But the reason this qualifies as “news you can use” is because the only direct quote they can pin on him—“The best thing we can do is make CMSD the best damn school district so those parents choose CMSD over those failing charter schools.”—says more about the Cleveland Metropolitan School District than it does about charter schools. Which seems important.
Political rhetoric
Similarly, public radio in Cincinnati is looking to find out (for the record) who opposes Cincinnati City Schools’ levy ask on the ballot for next week. Their primary answer: Business groups, nonprofits, and individuals who are all supportive of charter schools. However, there are a couple of surprise names/affiliations in there too.
Bright horizons
Here’s a great look at the Horizon Science Academy charter school network in Columbus. The overall picture is of a community of adults working together—in the buildings, in families’ homes, and in the neighborhoods—to overcome all types of barriers to student learning. Parents and the public at large will see that strong academic outcomes and postsecondary success for all students are top of mind at Horizon schools.
Fight for survival in Mississippi
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board this week voted to revoke the charter of SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy in Canton. They cite ongoing fiscal problems at the school and failure to make progress in correcting previous financial management concerns. Currently, the high-performing SR1 is slated to remain open until the end of this school year, but leaders are weighing legal options to fight the decision.
Legal news
A judge in Indiana this week ruled that Career Academy, a workforce-focused charter school in South Bend, was entitled by state law to purchase an unused building from the local school district for $1. Lawyers have been fighting the case on procedural grounds since 2023, but quotes from district leaders in response to this ruling indicate that they disagree with the intent of the law as much or more than the way it’s been implemented. While the elected school board of South Bend is weighing its legal options, Career Academy CEO Jeremy Lugbill says he’s moving forward with a fall 2028 opening at the new site.
More legal news
The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board last week decided against taking a third vote on the application of the religiously-affiliated Ben Gamla Virtual Charter School, having been warned against doing so by state Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Instead, the board voted to appeal previous rulings against the school, ensuring legal wrangling on the issue will continue well into next year.
*****
Did you know you can have every edition of the Ohio Charter News Weekly sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.
