Revoke the $71M charter school grant

arne.duncan@ed.gov

Ohio's charter schools have more than a decade of failures under their belts. And this past year has been one of heightened scandal and mismanagement. Ohio students, parents and taxpayers can't take an expansion of this failed program. Tell the U.S Department of Education to rescind its $71 million grant to expand Ohio's failed charter program.

To: arne.duncan@ed.gov
From: [Your Name]

Secretary Duncan,

I appreciate the interest you and the U.S. Department of Education have shown in Ohio's public schools. But I am troubled by your recent grant of $71 million to expand charter schools in Ohio, a program that is wrought with scandal, mismanagement and academic failure. I urge you to revoke the $71 million federal grant.

Ohio - our students, our parents, our communities, our taxpayers - cannot stand further expansion of an out-of-control, "wild, wild west" charter school environment. A closer look at the world of charters in Ohio will surely support your revocation of the grant.

It is highly likely that fraudulent and misleading information was provided in the application on which you based award of the grant. The author of the application himself intentionally eliminated scores of failed charters from the sponsor review process in order to make other charters look like they were doing far better than they were in reality. This data-scrubbing act alone should warrant an immediate halt to issuance of the money and demand a full review of grant eligibility. To give public dollars to Ohio to expand charters when the state has demonstrated that it cannot currently adequately and authentically monitor their operation is a mistake.

Charters in Ohio have been suspect for more than a decade for their failed academics and lawmaking influence generated by charter industry campaign donors. Despite a long embattled history, this grant award comes in the midst of a season of heightened charter school scandal. Ohio's charter school system has a years-long history of failed performance with the vast majority of charter schools earning failed grades. News story after news story explain how charter operators disappear with public dollars under either fraudulent circumstances or simple mismanagement.

For more than a decade it has been heavily documented that charter schools in Ohio are not serving children well. Our children, parents and taxpayers deserve to be treated with more respect. A more thoughtful review of federal funding for this troubled system would be a good start.

I sincerely hope that you and your staff will take another look at the controversy and scandal-ridden charter school system you intend to expand with $71 million. I urge you to suspend the grant until Ohio can eliminate these problems.

Thank you.