Wasting Money

Recent information about the attendance records of Ohio's charter (aka 'community schools') schools have made taxpayers upset.  It appears that some of these schools are receiving money for invisible students.   Following an investigation by the office of the Ohio Auditor, attendance records were released from some charters. Here is part of what was discovered-----

The Columbus Dispatch:

....A report released yesterday by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost found significantly lower attendance at half of the 30 charter schools where auditors conducted unannounced head counts this past fall....

....Among those with the widest gap was Capital High School, 640 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus. The school reported 298 students; auditors counted 142, fewer than half.....

....Gateway Academy on Kimberly Parkway North in Columbus reported 100 students but auditors counted 52, with 20 students absent....

Dayton Daily News:

Just 43 of the 153 students listed in attendance records at Dayton Technology Design High School were present when investigators from the state Auditor’s office conducted a surprise, random head count at 30 charter schools across the state, according to a report issued Thursday....

.....Auditors showed up at 8:35 a.m. Oct. 1 at Dayton Technology Design H.S. and found just 43 students in school — well below the 172 estimated enrollment given in July 2014 and below the 153 students reported to Ohio Department of Education by the school to be in attendance on Oct. 1. School Director Karl Perkins told auditors that the headcount would be low because tardy students tend to arrive closer to 9 a.m. and some log onto the computer from home, the report said.

Yost’s team showed up again — unannounced — at 8:55 a.m. on Nov. 12 and counted 60 students at Dayton Technology Design H.S. The audit also noted that the school didn’t notify ODE that it would offer “blended” learning where students take classes in person and online.....

Cincinnati.com:

Two Hamilton County charter schools had fewer than 25 percent of registered students in the classrooms when investigators from the Ohio Auditor's Office stopped by for a surprise head count, according to a state report released Thursday.....

....The local schools – Life Skills Center of Hamilton County and Life Skills Center of Cincinnati, which share an administrator and some teachers – are among seven schools whose surprise checks found far fewer students in the seats than the estimates provided.

Reported registration tallies were 64 at Life Skills Hamilton and 127 at Life Skills Cincinnati. But the headcounts, conducted Oct. 1, found 18 at Hamilton and 22 on the Cincinnati campus....


 Read Plunderbund's post on the charter school mess here.

You can download the entire report from the State Auditor's Office here.

If you are concerned about wasted money and corporations getting richer off of your tax money, call your state representative's office and demand an investigation.  I'd like to see a full report on charter school attendance, money received, and graduation rates side by side. It is time to stop wasting our tax dollars on these failing charter schools!!!!

FYI: Those online charter school ads you see on TV are the same ads shown in other states. It is fair to conclude that results are not the same for every student in every state.

Take a Moment

Take a moment to examine the work and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and think about how you can bring his dream alive.

In other news.....

- Yahoo has an article about those members of the House and Senate that voted against having a day to honor Dr. King.

- A new ABC/WaPo poll has some interesting approval numbers for President Obama.

- Mitt Romney, former Republican presidential candidate, has discovered poor people. Obviously, he wants us to forget his comments about the '47%' he made in his last campaign.

- Republican Mike Huckabee continues to attack Beyonce. Huckabee is just plain out of touch with reality. It might have something to do with all the squirrels he cooked in college!

- Chris Christie wants the people of New Jersey to forget about the economic mess he has created in the state. New Jersey ranks 49th in job growth according to ASU W.P. Carey Research. Ohio is ranked 38th.)

- Research published in the Washington Post shows that in Ohio 39% students in public schools are 'low income'.  Hungry children cannot learn!  Wake up, people!

Did you notice?

* The Ohio State University Football Buckeyes won the National Championship this week.  As we say here in Ohio:

Go Buckeyes!

As an Ohio State graduate, I am proud of the coach and team for doing a great job this season.


>>> On the grim side, Ohio's job growth continues to lag behind other states. Ohio is ranked 38th in job growth (which is much better than number 49, New Jersey). According to ODJFS, Ohio continues to have layoffs.

Really?

Here is an item that will get you thinking-----

RawStory:

...Tamir Rice was carrying a pellet gun near a recreation center when he was shot and killed in November. Police shot Rice in the abdomen seconds after arriving on scene in response to a 911 call that reported someone who was “ probably a juvenile ” was waving a gun that was “ probably fake ”.

“I don’t have confidence that a [state Bureau of Criminal Investigation] probe into police use-of-force would be a transparent, due-process kind of investigation,” said Jackson, according to Northeast Ohio Media Group . He instead called on the Cuyahoga County sheriff to investigate Rice’s death....

...Jackson’s comments on Sunday were similar to those he made last month after the the Department of Justice released its report on the city’s police force....

What is it about Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine that might cause anyone to think that there would be political motivations behind an investigation? 

> Mike DeWine is against marriage equality and he has spent time and money fighting against it. 

> Mike DeWine is against a woman's reproductive rights, including those that would allow a woman to choose to have an abortion.

> Mike DeWine's conflicts of interest in the investigation of the killing of a man at the Beavercreek Walmart. Plunderbund provided the details.

Considering the Republican control of the state, anything involving civil rights should be investigated by the U.S. Justice Department.

2015!

Let me start off the year by recognizing the success of the Ohio State Buckeyes and their win in the Sugar Bowl.

GO  BUCKEYES!

The Buckeye Nation is a little tired today. The late game at the Sugar Bowl made many Buckeye fans stay up well past their bedtimes.  That game was heart-stopping!!! Thank you, Coach Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes for an exciting game!


* Politics.
Here in Ohio, it appears that Gov. John Kasich is running for President. He is not out there like Rand Paul or Rick "oops" Perry, but he is conducting a campaign for his 'federal balanced budget' law. Kasich, like most Republicans, thinks government interferes in their lives and that of their business cronies. Even though they hate government, rules, and laws, they continue to run for office to get a paycheck from the government.


>>>> Don't forget to follow me on Twitter.......@Ohiomom6

Go Bucks! 

Beat the Ducks!