Ohio charter schools (mishandled finances not uncommon)

“Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schools.” The Columbus Dispatch (OH), 4/2/2012

Spend first, ask permission later, and don’t bother with receipts.

The loose financial systems at some of Ohio’s charter schools have led to questionable spending in recent years. Some schools hired treasurers with spotty track records; others hired qualified treasurers but disregarded their advice when they insisted on better checks and balances.

The recent case of a charter-school treasurer who misspent more than $600,000 in public money over a decade at several schools has highlighted how common fiscal missteps have been in charters. Fifteen of the 20 entities with the most charges of misspending by the state auditor are charter schools...

State Auditor Dave Yost said he’s pushing for a law that would strengthen accountability for school treasurers and require more training about how to manage public dollars.

Officials at the Ohio Department of Education, which licenses school treasurers, said they plan to get tough on charter-school treasurers with a history of fiscal mismanagement...

A treasurer from Gahanna — Ed Dudley Sr. of LED Consulting — has 46 findings for recovery from the state auditor. The findings stem from work at seven charter schools and total more than $440,000.

Dudley says he worked tirelessly to try to persuade charter-school boards to follow the rules of spending public money, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Few were willing to rein in the school leader, often the founder, too, even when he or she was spending money without any oversight...