Ohio’s Democratic U.S. Senator is weighing in on a state scandal – the one involving the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. Sherrod Brown, who is up for re-election this fall, is calling for federal money that went to that now-closed online charter school to be clawed back.
Joining in on a theme that Democrats have been sounding for months, Brown said ECOT’s students have been betrayed and taxpayers have been fleeced.
He’s introducing a bill to require ECOT to repay $130 million in federal funding it took in from 2000 until it closed in January.
“Any potential funds the U.S. government recovers from ECOT or other bad actors that misuse education funds be returned to Ohio students instead of the U.S. Treasury’s general fund,” Brown said.
Brown says the bill would apply to misused charter school funds in other states, but he isn’t certain of specific problems outside Ohio.
The state is suing ECOT founder Bill Lager and others for $62 million it says the school was overpaid based on inflated enrollment.
