Republican state Auditor Dave Yost asked state lawmakers Jan. 29 to move legislation to block convicted felons from serving on boards that oversee charter schools.

Yost offered the recommendation in a letter to Sen. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering), who heads the Senate Education Committee, after determining "board members who served at Ohio's community schools [had] a variety of felony convictions -- ranging from forgery and receiving stolen property to violent crimes, such as breaking and entering, attempted murder and kidnapping."

He cited a couple examples of former board members with felony convictions, providing Lehner with court documents from Franklin County about the individuals' past crimes.

Yost has been publicly calling for increased oversight of charter schools. Earlier this month, he released a report showing attendance at selected charter schools, checked by auditors during surprise visits, was well below enrollment reported to the state.

This week, he disclosed his office was completing other charter school checks, including a special audit of community schools that received public support but never opened or closed within a year.

"The key questions in Ohio are accountability, regulation and governance of the community schools," Yost said during a panel discussion in Columbus Jan. 29. "… We're talking with the Legislature about a lot of things that need to be fixed."

(Read more at Twinsburg Bulletin)