Board of Education embraces recommendations in charter school audit

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state Board of Education asked the legislature yesterday to make changes to Ohio's charter school law that would take away some state oversight and increase the number of school sponsors.

The proposed changes were outlined in an audit released last week that was critical of the Department of Education's handling of the schools. The board unanimously approved a resolution to implement 25 of 109 of Auditor Jim Petro's recommendations. It also asked Rep. Jon Husted to include the changes in House Bill 364, which would overhaul Ohio's charter school law.

Most of the other recommendations can be implemented without changing the law, said David Varda, director of the department's Center for School Finance and Accountability.

Petro also recommended the department have a role in determining who receives a charter, but direct oversight of those schools would be left to their sponsors. He also recommended that eligible sponsors should include all schools and universities, cities, other municipalities and nonprofit organizations.

The board asked Husted to change the law to allow it to sponsor the schools on an interim basis, when there is a problem with another sponsor. The board also wants a time period included in the bill to allow the board to help schools it currently sponsors to find new sponsors.