ECOT Still Tries To Stave Off Payment

A giant, now-defunct online charter school continues its yearslong fight against repaying Ohio tens of millions of dollars…as the state Supreme Court heard arguments over the process for appealing that refund order. A lawyer for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, which was once one of the country’s largest virtual charter schools, argued Ohio law allows ECOT to appeal the State Board of Education decision in county court. The state’s lawyer disagreed, arguing that ECOT’s only route for appeal was filing a lawsuit directly with the Ohio Supreme Court. We reported the school has done that, already…but the high court dismissed that case in 2017, without explaining why. The cash-strapped school closed in January, 2018.