LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Ohioans don’t ‘get’ charters

8/4/2014

You stated in your July 22 editorial “Trouble on the horizon” that “most Ohioans get that” some charter schools are good and some are bad. Ohioans don’t “get that,” because they do not know about charter schools.

Do they know that charter school administrators are not required to hold professional licenses or meet minimal education requirements? Or that charter school board members aren’t elected by voters, and that some are handpicked by for-profit companies?

Charter schools are exempt from reporting names, salaries, and credentials of licensed employees to the State Board of Education of Ohio. Many employ highly paid administrators, but compensate teachers at rates well below those in public schools.

Shame on our legislature for allowing unregulated, for-profit managed companies to exist in similar fashion with our public schools.

NAN ZAWISZA

Oregon

 

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Charter-school inquiry welcome

Thanks to the State Board of Education of Ohio for ordering a probe of 19 Gulen charter schools in response to charges of attendance and test tampering, sexual misconduct, racism, and other troubling issues (“FBI, state investigate charter schools’ owner; Chain with 2 local sites faces numerous allegations,” July 19).

The Ohio Department of Education says that the state’s public schools lost more than $870 million in state funding to charter schools in 2014, amid reports of theft, misappropriation of funds, nepotism in hiring, and excessive administrative salaries in many charter schools.

I hope this investigation will be the beginning of a study of every charter school in our state, accompanied by increased transparency and accountability mandated by state lawmakers. Taxpayers deserve that much.

JEANNE MELVIN

Columbus

Editor’s note: The writer is a retired public school teacher.

 

GOP picked on; rip Dems too

The Blade is on a tirade to discredit the Republican Party before the midterm election (“The GOP’s immigration paralysis,” op-ed column, July 30). Your editorial cartoons are critical of Republicans. I never see anything critical about Democrats, and they have screwed up many times.

I hope that some day, you will offer a more balanced editorial approach. You’ve spent six years defending the Obama Administration and crucifying Republicans.

JAMES BEDEE

Sylvania Township

 

Fines on recalls could fix roads

There have been many recalls by automakers (“Chrysler issues recall to fix struts, shocks,” July 25). Instead of testing their cars before selling them, automakers apparently are using their customers as guinea pigs. If there is something wrong, the automaker issues a recall, which is an inconvenience to the customer.

The federal government should impose a heavy fine for recalls, based on the numbers of cars involved. The money from the fines could be earmarked for road and bridge repairs, reducing the burden on the gasoline tax.

PATRICK NG

Bowling Green