Charter operators regularly evade Ohio’s automatic-closure law, investigation finds

Schools, management companies avoid academic accountability

Of the 20 charter schools mandated to close for academic failure under Ohio’s 2008 automatic-closure law, seven are still operating in the same location under new names, most with significant staff overlap, according to an investigation by Policy Matters Ohio. An eighth school avoided a closure order by shutting down a year early and reopening under a new name.

“The ability of schools and their management companies to skirt Ohio law reveals a systemic flaw in charter oversight,” said Piet van Lier, report co-author and education researcher at Policy Matters. “Until Ohio strengthens its charter-closure law, the state will continue to fall short of the goal of improving public education for all Ohio’s children.”

For-profit management companies