The spotlight on charter school reform is about to shine in the Senate.

The Senate version of charter school reform goes further than a bill that passed the House last month, requiring operators to provide more detailed financial reports and placing tighter controls on online e-schools.

Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, has held months of meetings with an informal group of state education officials and top charter school advocates to craft a wide-ranging bill that she called the most comprehensive changes to charter school law in 15 years.

It is a law that has been sharply criticized in recent years, including studies commissioned by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which sponsors 11 charter schools in Ohio, that showed charter students in Ohio are getting less education than those in traditional schools.

Ohio charter school laws are too loose, Lehner said. “We failed to put up the sort of guardrails that would ensure responsible governance.”

(Read more at the Disptach)