Over the course of the past decade, the charter school movement has made significant inroads in Ohio, diverting in excess of $400 million in fiscal year 2006 (representing over 70,000 students) from traditional public school districts. Several years ago, Bricker & Eckler began helping its public school district clients respond to this privatization of education through the creation of district-sponsored "community schools" (Ohio's term for charter schools).

In this way, public school districts are able to create and oversee, in-house, the operations of programs that benefit from the same deregulation and generous grant funding (up to $500,000 per school) enjoyed by community schools operated by private, often for-profit, entities. With the legal assistance of the firm, dozens of school district clients have now created such schools, with varied programs serving diverse student populations, many geared toward students who previously dropped out of school or who are at risk of dropping out.

In addition to assisting in the initial establishment of these schools, the firm continues to advise and represent district-sponsored community schools and their school district sponsors on an ongoing basis, assisting with the same range of issues that arise in the traditional school context as well as with issues that are unique to community schools.

The latter includes representation of district-sponsored community schools and sponsorship of districts in their interactions with the Ohio Department of Education's Office of Community Schools, advising as to federal grant requirements, assistance with drafting of sponsorship and other contracts, and monitoring and advice concerning frequent changes in statutory law directed at community schools and sponsors. Bricker & Eckler also helps school districts avoid improper funding losses related to non-district sponsored community schools.

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