Ohio’s charter schools owe state over $2 million in unpaid audit fees
According to documents obtained from the Auditor of State’s office, Ohio’s charter schools currently owe a total of $2,044,392 in unpaid auditor fees. Over $1.7 million of these fees are at least 120 days late.
A quick review of some of the top offenders reveals some not-so-surprising results to anyone familiar with Ohio’s disastrous charter school system.
A 2011 audit of The Legacy Academy for Leaders and the Arts (#2 in our list) resulted in unpaid fees totaling $148,029.32. The audit revealed a long list of violations including $483,923 in checks written by the school treasurer, Carl Shye, to HIMSELF. Results of this audit were sent to the Mahoning County prosecutor.
It turns out Shye’s charter school shenanigans are not new. An audit back in 2009 of the Nu Bethel Center of Excellence (#7, outstanding audit fees: $68,492) revealed that the school “illegally spent nearly $28,000 in fiscal 2006 and 2007, withheld taxes from employees but didn’t pay the government and failed to properly document thousands of dollars in expenditures.” Shye was the treasure and one of the school’s founders.
The Harte Crossroads Academy (#8 with $64,352 in fees) and Harte Crossroads High school (#9, $66,372) owed the state over $3 million when they closed, leaving employees unpaid, owing cash to hundreds of creditors and throwing students out into the streets.
The Weems school (#10, $62,043 in unpaid fees). The Marcus Garvey Academy (#11, $53,535 in unpaid fees). The list goes on – and we’ve only addressed the top 11 so far.
I’m tempted to go off on a long rant about the massive failures of Ohio’s charter school system, but you’ve read it all here before.
So instead I’ll leave you with the list of delinquent charter schools, their total unpaid audit fees and a simple question: why are we still giving millions of dollars to charter schools that fail our kids and steal our money?
Charter School | County | Unpaid Fees |
Cincinnati College Prep | Hamilton | $219,718 |
Legacy Academy for Leaders and the Arts | Mahoning | $148,029 |
Harmony Community School | Hamilton | $141,410 |
W.e.b. Dubois Academy | Hamilton | $100,512 |
NIA University Community School | Hamilton | $92,414 |
Montessori Renaissance Experience | Franklin | $88,317 |
Nu Bethel Center of Excellence | Montgomery | $68,492 |
Harte Crossroads High School | Franklin | $66,372 |
The Harte Crossroads Academy | Franklin | $64,352 |
Weems School | Cuyahoga | $62,043 |
Marcus Garvey Academy | Cuyahoga | $53,535 |
Richard Allen Academy Ii | Montgomery | $53,173 |
Eagle Heights Academy | Mahoning | $52,923 |
The Richard Allen Academy | Montgomery | $48,652 |
Richard Allen Preparatory Academy | Montgomery | $48,386 |
Richard Allen Iii | Montgomery | $46,728 |
Phoenix Village Academy – Primary 1 | SUMMIT | $46,567 |
East End Heritage Community School | Hamilton | $45,943 |
Cincinnati Academy of Excellence | Hamilton | $43,515 |
New Choices Community School | Montgomery | $42,748 |
Urban Youth Academy | Clark | $41,963 |
Main Street Automotive Magnet School | Montgomery | $41,952 |
Chase Academy For Communication Arts | Lorain | $37,295 |
Performing Arts School Of Metropolitan Toledo | Franklin | $28,020 |
George Washington Carver Preparatory Academy | Franklin | $27,827 |
International College Preparatory | Hamilton | $27,471 |
Greater Achievement Community School | Cuyahoga | $24,164 |
Pace High School | Hamilton | $22,706 |
Elite Academy of the Arts | Cuyahoga | $21,452 |
Hamilton County Mathematics and Science Academy | Hamilton | $20,234 |
Arts Academy West | Cuyahoga | $17,488 |
FCI Academy | Franklin | $16,535 |
Lion of Judah Academy | Cuyahoga | $16,263 |
The Arts Academy | Lorain | $16,113 |
Villaview Lighthouse Community School | Cuyahoga | $15,153 |
Cleveland Lighthouse Community School | Cuyahoga | $15,112 |
Carter G. Woodson Academy | Montgomery | $13,459 |
Preparing Academic Leaders Academy | Franklin | $13,404 |
Phoenix Village Academy – Secondary 1 | Cuyahoga | $11,807 |
Premier Academy | Franklin | $11,710 |
Hope Academy High School -Cleveland Campus | Summit | $8,467 |
Lakeside College Preparatory Academy | Cuyahoga | $8,239 |
Lighthouse Educational Development Corporation | Summit | $7,809 |
Veritas Cesar Chavez Academy | Hamilton | $7,622 |
Greater Heights Academy | Cuyahoga | $6,769 |
New City Community School | Montgomery | $5,199 |
Columbus Preparatory Academy | Franklin | $5,037 |
Value Learning and Teaching Academy | Hamilton | $4,052 |
Midnimo Cross Cultural Middle School | Franklin | $3,881 |
Educational Academy for Boys and Girls | Franklin | $3,741 |
Colin Powell Leadership Academy | Montgomery | $3,630 |
Ida B. Wells Community Academy | Summit | $3,107 |
Phoenix Village Academy – Primary 2 | Cuyahoga | $1,403 |
New Vision Academy | Cuyahoga | $1,349 |
Outreach Academy For Students With Disabilities | Cuyahoga | $130 |
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Categories
2018 2020 Activism Budget Civil Rights Congressional Races Economy ECOT Education Environment Fair Elections Federal Governor's Race Governor DeWine Guns Health ICYMI Justice Labor LGBT Ohio Legislature Ohio Legislature Plunderbund Plunderbund Action Portman Presidential Safety Senate Race State State Government Statehouse Races Statehouse Races Swing State Voices Taxes and Spending Trump Women's RightsFacebook