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ECOT Will Lay Off More Than 300 Employees To Pay Back State

ECOT spokesman Neil Clark
Karen Kasler
/
Ohio Public Radio

Ohio's largest online charter school is making drastic job cuts to help pay the $60 million it owes the state

Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow spokesman Neil Clark says the cuts are needed to pay back 60 percent of the $100 million the school got from the state last year.

“They have proposed laying off up to 350 people in the next 30 to 60 days,” Clark says.

Teachers, administrators and staff positions will be eliminated. And Clark says if the state doesn’t allow the school enough time to pay back the money, ECOT will have to close its doors for good. The state has said ECOT was paid for 9,000 more full-time students than were actually enrolled.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.