Reports Point Out Ongoing Problems At Ohio Charters, Little Oversight

COLUMBUS – A report recently published by the Akron Beacon Journal revealed disturbing details surrounding the operation of a chain of 19 publicly funded Ohio charter schools.  The Horizon and Noble Academies were founded by Turkish immigrants and operate under the ‘Concept Schools’ name.  The Akron Beacon Journal report questions the facts that the schools in Ohio were allowed to “hire 325 educators almost exclusively from Turkey” and that “as early as 2002, state audits found thousands of public dollars ‘illegally expended’ to finance the U.S. citizenship process for Turkish employees”.  The report also highlighted another early state audit found “as many as 20 percent of teachers at one school were not licensed”.

Democratic Auditor of State candidate and State Representative John Patrick Carney (D-Clintonville) pointed out that, despite repeated media reports of problems and numerous requests from parents and others for more oversight, the problems at the Horizon and Noble Academies persist:

“What good is an audit if nothing further is done to prevent the misuse of public tax dollars?  It’s alarming that an organization that is meant to educate our children is grossly taking advantage of Ohioans’ hard earned money.  It’s even more alarming that the current State Auditor is not doing everything possible to prevent it. It’s crucial for students, their families, and all Ohio taxpayers that we make sure our schools are providing our children with the best education and environment possible to allow them to succeed.”