Nevin Liber, Toledo

As a former business owner, I know the importance of education for our next generation’s future. I had a science degree and wanted to give back to others some of the gifts teachers had given me. I found movies like “Waiting For Superman” inspirational, and went back to UT for 7-12 teaching certification.

After a lengthy and rigorous prep, I took the first job offer to come along – a small “Academy” in East Toledo. I had done my “methods” teaching at Toledo School for the Arts, and knew not all charters would be that well run. My real eduction began the first day when I realized there were no textbooks and no intention to ever get them. I was told good teachers didn’t need them. Good teachers could handle classroom management without assistance and therefor their was no discipline support. No in-school suspensions, no after school detention, no classroom behavioral consequence advice beyond “call their parent.”

The school I was at had a near 100% poverty rating with an abnormally high percentage of “ED” and learning disabilities . There was virtually no support for these students even though the management company received extra money for each type.

The school leader’s uncertified son taught a variety of courses, including on-line AP courses.

I could go on about the myriad abuses of public trust, but hope this quick picture is enough.

The management companies are living it up at the expense of taxpayers – robbing them and the children who need an education the most. They don’t have a voice. The management companies keep preying on them using every trick in the book to stay open under Ohio law. It is time for law makers to hold them accountable. What is the justification for not opening their misdirection of public money to scrutiny? What they are doing should be considered criminal.

What I learned is that while it is illegal to get public money for “for profit schools” many charters have dodged this by having “for profit school management” companies run them and distribute monies. These management companies have no financial oversight as to how taxpayer money is used. School facilities are the cheapest possible, as is everything else about these schools.