Ohio

NCAI Region: Northeast

State Public Education Department: Ohio Department of Education

State Average Per Pupil Funding: $12,543

Year Charter Law Enacted: 1997

2020 Model Law Ranking: 24

Estimated Number of Charter Schools: 322

Estimated Number of Charter Students: 108,781

Ohio law provided brick-and-mortar schools with $250 per pupil for facilities funding in Fiscal Year 2020. It provides e-schools with $25 per pupil for facilities funding in Fiscal year 2020.
Ohio law creates a $25 million ‘Community School Classroom Facilities’ grant program for high-performing charter schools. This grant has $4 million remaining.
Statute requires districts to lease and sell unused buildings to charter schools located in the same district at a price not higher than the appraised market value and the appraisal must not be more than one year old, with preference given to high-performing schools and newly established schools from operators with a track record of high performance.
Ohio law allows charter schools to use loans guaranteed under the Community Schools Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program for the construction of new school buildings. The state is not funding this program.
Ohio law also creates a revolving loan fund that allows charter schools to apply to use funds for any services described in their charter. The law provides that the maximum cumulative loan amount is $250,000 and that it must be repaid within five years. The state is not funding this program.