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ECOT Sponsor Agrees To Repay Ohio $879,000

The former ECOT headquarters in the South Side of Columbus.
Dan Konik
/
Ohio Public Radio

An educational service center is paying the state back for money it received while sponsoring the now-closed Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. The settlement is part of a larger lawsuit targeting about $80 million in overpayments to ECOT.

The Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West will repay the state of Ohio $879,000. That’s the amount it received as a sponsor of ECOT.

The online charter school was given state money for students it couldn’t prove it had, to the tune of about $80 million.

Attorney General Dave Yost commends Lake Erie West for agreeing to repay its portion.

The state is still pursuing that much larger pot of money through a lawsuit against a handful of ECOT officials, including its founder and major GOP campaign donor, Bill Lager.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.