Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown Says the New Rules on Charter Schools Will Lead to Greater Transparency

by Kabir Bhatia

The U.S. Department of Education is implementing new rules on charter schools, many of which were suggested by a delegation of Ohio lawmakers. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced the Charter School Accountability Act last year, saying it would strengthen transparency, and increase community involvement for Ohio's 123,000 charter school students.  The new rules require independent financial audits, as well as a public database of academic and financial performance.

Sen. Brown says many of the new rules center on how Ohio must handle a $71 million grant to expand charter schools, received last year from the Department of Education.

“I don’t object to charter schools per se, I object to the way that these for-profit charter schools pay more attention to the bottom line than they do educating children.”

The federal funds were put on-hold following questions about the accuracy of Ohio’s grant application.  The money is now being released to the state.