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ECOT Says It Didn’t Fund Critical Ad
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – One of the nation’s largest online charter schools says a television ad attacking Ohio’s effort to have the school repay $60 million wasn’t funded with public money and is no longer being broadcast.
State Auditor Dave Yost had warned the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow that it’s not allowed to fund such advertising with taxpayer dollars intended for education.
A response from ECOT’s superintendent says the ad stopped airing Thursday. He said it wasn’t funded by the school, contradicting an ECOT spokesman’s earlier explanation reported in The Columbus Dispatch.
ECOT is locked in a multi-pronged legal battle over how Ohio officials tallied student log-ins to determine funding. The state says the e-school didn’t have documentation to justify $60 million. ECOT alleges officials unfairly changed criteria to adjust funding.