Columbus City Schools Data Scandal Yields $500,000 Legal Bill

Ohio's largest school district is spending more than $500,000 for legal services related to an attendance-data investigation. The Columbus City Schools board has set aside another $250,000 for the law firm representing the district. The newspaper reports the board's earlier $315,000 allocation to the firm already has been spent. The board hired Porter Wright Morris & Arthur in August after the state auditor began investigating whether district employees tampered with student data to make the schools look better. The FBI later joined the investigation and two parents filed lawsuits against the board and district officials. The firm says it is charging a discounted rate and didn't charge for some work.