Dive Brief:

• A new proposal in Ohio — crafted by an “outside” panel comprised of a lawyer, superintendent, and accountant — would evaluate the state's charters under the same annual state report card system as traditional public schools.
• According to Cleveland.com, Ohio State Superintendent Richard Ross is slated to make the final decision about the ranking system before his retirement at the end of December.
• If passed, the new measure would take effect during the 2016-17 school year.

Dive Insight:

Charter advocates in Ohio are fighting against the ratings system and other accountability measures. The state has been mired in scandal over alleged wrongdoing, fiscal irresponsibility, and a general lack of transparency for months. Just this week, it was revealed that 40 charters in the state had “misspent” $6 million dollars worth of taxpayer money over the course of six years. One former charter school treasurer is said to have personally embezzled $2.1 million dollars. Previously, the state admitted to lax oversight of the schools.

Whether charters are adequately serving students is another question all together. Without a rankings system like the one proposed, it’s unclear how any such answer would be reached.