NOTE: Today, the Ohio Senate’s Education Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 127. The legislation would, if enacted, make changes to the way the state identifies charter schools for closure going forward. Fordham’s Vice President for Ohio Policy provided the following proponent testimony.
I appreciate the opportunity to return and testify on the amended version of Senate Bill 127. In my prior testimony, I expressed support for the bill’s goals but recommended several changes to strengthen its approach to identifying and addressing persistently low-performing schools. I am pleased to say that this amendment reflects meaningful improvements, and Fordham now strongly supports the bill as amended.
At its core, Senate Bill 127 tackles a longstanding challenge: ensuring that chronically low-performing schools are identified clearly and addressed decisively. As I noted previously, Ohio has too often maintained fragmented and confusing accountability systems, allowing some schools to persistently underperform without meaningful consequences.
The amendment strengthens the bill in several important ways:
First, it creates a clearer and more predictable charter school closure framework.
The amended language establishes transparent criteria tied to both achievement and growth, using consistent measures over multiple years. Schools that fall into the lowest 5 percent on performance index and demonstrate weak growth are identified in a straightforward way.
This clarity matters. Policymakers, educators, and families all benefit from knowing exactly how schools are evaluated and when closure is required.
Second, it raises the bar for accountability by more effectively identifying the lowest-performing charter schools.
By refining the metrics and phasing in a consistent standard across grade spans, the amendment ensures that the state is focusing on schools that are both low-achieving and failing to improve over time.
According to our analysis, this updated framework would result in approximately 25 schools being identified for closure, compared to about 14 under current law. That is not a flaw—in our view it reflects a system that is doing a better job of identifying schools where students are not being well served.
Third, it appropriately removes earlier provisions that would have allowed persistently struggling charter schools to reorganize instead of close.
That earlier approach would have been a step backward. Charter schools operate under a clear bargain: autonomy in exchange for accountability. When a school consistently fails to deliver results for students, closure—not reorganization—should be the outcome.
By eliminating that provision, the amendment restores integrity to Ohio’s charter school accountability system and reinforces high expectations.
Finally, the amendment narrows the bill’s focus by removing closure provisions for district schools.
While we continue to believe that states must take strong action when any public school persistently fails students, we recognize the complexities associated with district school closure. The amended bill appropriately focuses on strengthening the charter school accountability framework, where closure is both a well-established and necessary tool. At the same time, Ohio should continue to ensure that district schools identified as persistently low-performing are subject to meaningful and effective interventions.
Taken together, these changes move Ohio in the right direction. The amended bill promotes clarity, transparency, and rigor in the charter sector, ensuring that chronically low-performing schools are not allowed to continue year after year without meaningful consequences.
Most importantly, this is about students. Every year a child spends in a persistently low-performing school is a year of lost opportunity. Senate Bill 127, as amended, helps ensure that Ohio is acting with urgency when schools are not delivering results.
Thank you for your leadership on this issue and for strengthening this legislation.
