Westlake Board of Education Seeks $2.6 Million From State For Redirecting Funds

WESTLAKE, OH — Public school students in Westlake may have been cheated for close to 13 years.

The Westlake Board of Education has accused the Ohio Department of Education of redirecting excess money to charter schools since 2003 and passed a resolution to invoice the state for $2.6 million.

In an April 7 press release, the board said the state of Ohio “fails to fully fund the state formula student allocation in Westlake because funds are pulled to support local charter schools.”

District figures show that Ohio provides $5,800 for each charter school student while it provides only $667 per Westlake public school student. That's a difference of about $5,133 per student. The board claims that these funds are being pulled from the district’s operating budget.

“The resolution demands reimbursement from the State of Ohio for charter school deductions in excess of state funding receives at the expense of the students it educates,” Board President Carol Winter said in the release. “The Board of Education urges the Governor and the Ohio General Assembly to stop the unjust system of funding charter schools, which penalize all local public school students in the state.”

Winter sent letters to a number of state representatives and senators regarding this issue, including Ohio Governor John Kasich and Ohio Department of Education Interim Superintendent Lonny Rivera.

Patch placed a call to the Westlake Board of Education that was not immediately returned.