Sponsor of closed online school ECOT to repay state $879K

COLUMBUS (AP) — The sponsor of a huge online charter school that abruptly closed in Ohio has agreed to repay the state $879,000.

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow closed in January 2018 after the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West suspended sponsorship.

Attorney General Dave Yost says the repayment represents disputed sponsorship fee overpayments the service center received from ECOT.

The center says it set aside money to address such questions and coordinated repayment with Yost’s office.

The settlement is small compared with nearly $80 million the state ordered ECOT to repay after finding the e-school didn’t have student participation data to justify all of its public funding. The state is seeking in court to recoup some of that from ECOT leaders .

ECOT unsuccessfully challenged how participation and log-ins were tallied.