“Watch List” Suggests Many More Charters Could Close for Poor Performance
Nearly 8,000 students attend charter schools that could face state-mandated closure

As many as 26 Ohio charter schools could face mandatory closure next year, according to a “watch list” released today by the Forum for Education and Democracy and Education Voters of Ohio.

The “watch list” identifies charter schools that, depending on ratings this school year, may meet the state criteria for mandatory closure. The schools would be forced to shut down after the 2010-2011 school year. Performance data on the current school year is expected to be released in August.

Ohio’s robust charter school sector has had its share of problems. While there are examples of high quality schools, over 60 charters have closed due to financial mismanagement, under-enrollment, compliance or other problems over the past five years. In the last several years has the Ohio legislature has addressed the chronically low academic results in many charter schools. Through legislation in 2006 and 2009, strict academic performance criteria were set. Schools that do not meet these criteria must be permanently closed. The first two schools to close under these regulations were the Toledo Academy of Learning and the Summit Academy Community School for Alternative Learners. Both schools closed their doors in May of 2009. Last fall, the Ohio Department of Education announced 10 additional schools for mandatory closure. Those schools are being shut down this summer.

While the closure rules for academic failure appear rigid, the organizations that released today’s “watch list” note that over 50% of the charter schools in the state are not subject to the regulations this year, no matter how poor their performance.

“Though the increased oversight of charter performance is well-intentioned, there still seem to be a number of loopholes in the regulations. They need to be addressed,” said researcher Leigh Dingerson, who developed the “watch list” for the two organizations that released it today. Dingerson is the author of a study of Ohio’s charter school history. “Reclaiming the Education Charter: Ohio’s Experiment with Charter Schools” was released in February of last year by the Forum for Education and Democracy and Education Voters of Ohio.

Under state law, charter elementary and high schools must be closed if they are designated in “Academic Emergency” in three out of four consecutive years. Charter middle schools are judged both by their state academic performance designation, and by the academic growth shown by Ohio’s new “Value-Added” measurement for students in grades 4 through 8.

There are exceptions, however. Schools that serve a majority of students with special needs are exempt from mandatory closure under state law. In addition, schools that serve as “dropout recovery” schools may seek waivers from the state that exempt them from closure.

In addition, a school’s performance during its first two years of operation may not be used towards mandatory closure. Hypothetically, a charter elementary or high school would remain open—despite annual ratings of “Academic Emergency”—for seven years before meeting the criteria for closure, noted Dingerson.

“The continued problems with underperforming charter schools, schools that were to be freed from state regulation so they could lead the way on reform, is disappointing,” said George Wood, Executive Director of The Forum. “Too many of our children attend charter schools that manage to fly under the radar screen for academic performance. We have not yet found the balance between freedom, and accountability.”

The Ohio Department of Education’s Annual Report on Community Schools (as charters are called in the state) indicates that the state’s traditional public schools are performing marginally better than charter schools, on average, and within Ohio’s “big eight” urban school districts. Traditional public schools are not exempt from accountability: persistently low-performing schools face closure or dramatic interventions under both state and federal law.

Today’s “watch list” includes charter schools from across the state. Together, the schools enrolled 7,803 students, according to 2008-09 enrollment data published by the Ohio Department of Education. Ohio’s legislature first permitted charter schools—which are publicly funded but privately operated schools—in 1997. Over 300 schools are currently in operation in the state, and enroll over 89,000 students.

The organizations releasing the “watch list” expressed concern for students in the schools, as well as for the public school districts that will be expected to absorb them, should the charters be forced to close.

In “Reclaiming the Education Charter,” the organizations reported that instability in Ohio’s still-growing charter sector makes it difficult for traditional public school districts to adequately plan for facilities, staffing and resource needs for their students. These closures, as they continue, will no doubt make planning more difficult.

“Around the state and here in Cleveland, school districts have been forced to permanently close school buildings and lay-off teachers due to declining enrollments, in part due to students enrolling in charter schools. If every Cuyahoga County charter school on today’s “watch list” were closed in June of 2011, an additional 2,180 students may be knocking on the district’s doors. Will Cleveland have the space and the teachers to serve these children?” said Julian Rogers of Education Voters of Ohio.

Additional information:

• Click here for the list of schools in danger of closure, along with school statistics [Excel Document]
• Click here for more details on charter schools and the “watch list” [Word Document]