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Ohio Advocacy Group: Kasich Administration Gave Millions of Dollars to a Charter School Operator

Photo of Theis
Andy Chow
/
Ohio Public Radio

A progressive advocacy group is slamming Gov. John Kasich’s administration for handing out what they say is millions of dollars in preferential treatment to a charter school operator.

The state once hired IQ Innovations to run a digital education tool known as iLearn.

But Sandy Theis with the liberal think tank, Progress Ohio, says that contract was awarded without a competitive process and the state had to spend another $1.2 million to fix problems. And Theis says IQ Innovations was run by big-time Republican contributor William Lager, who has come under fire for his underperforming online charter school ECOT.

“How can you have a company that performs so poorly and you can have its poor performance so well-documented and its consequences for our kids so great and nobody does anything about it?” asked Theis.

The state doesn’t agree with Theis’ accusations and says IQ Innovations did compete for the iLearn contract under the Strickland administration.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.