Committee reviews bill to require annual audits of chartered nonpublic schools receiving public funds

Senator Ingram, sponsor of Senate Bill 48, told the Senate Education Committee the bill would require the auditor of state to conduct annual audits of specific funds or accounts in chartered nonpublic schools that receive public money. The sponsor said the measure is intended to ensure transparency and accountability for taxpayer dollars directed to chartered nonpublic schools, including funds from the Educational Choice Scholarship Program.

In sponsor testimony, the bill was characterized as targeted audits of public funds received by such schools rather than full audits of an institution—s entire private finances. Senator Smith, a committee member and former school board member, said that when traditional districts received favorable audits they publicized that as a sign of fiscal responsibility; she asked whether chartered nonpublic schools would similarly seek recognition. The sponsor said the bill audits the public funds they receive and that such checks are warranted because previous reviews have not provided the same level of oversight.

A committee member asked whether the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and the state auditor already perform overlapping checks; the sponsor said the proposed audits are intended to be more detailed reviews of the public dollars flowing into and through the institutions, not simply reconciliations of reported receipts. The committee recorded the presentation as the first hearing on Senate Bill 48 and took no vote.