Oregon City Schools has appealed the state’s determination that it does a “poor” job of sponsoring a charter school that enrolls high school students who have fallen behind.

The Ohio Department of Education in October released ratings for 65 agencies that serve as charter school sponsors, a role that includes establishing charter schools and providing oversight.

The local district is among 21 sponsors that received the lowest possible rating for the 2015-2016 school year.

All but five are appealing the results in an effort to keep the state from revoking their authority.

The state beefed up its evaluations to boost accountability in the charter-school sector, though sponsors complained the new system required more paperwork to be submitted in a short time frame.

Should the Oregon district fail to win its appeal, the state education department — which had its own sponsorship office receive an “ineffective” rating — could assume sponsorship of the Oregon Eagle Learning Center. The computer-based dropout and recovery school typically enrolls between 90 and 110 students between the ages of 16 and 21.

Education department and Oregon officials will hold a Feb. 16 status conference, at which time they will schedule a hearing date. The state board of education will make the final decision about the district’s sponsorship, unless an earlier resolution is made, said education department spokesman Brittany Halpin.

In the meantime, the learning center continues to operate under the school district’s authority.

“We don’t believe that we have done anything wrong. If there are some different types of documentation that the state requires, we are more than willing to put that in play,” Oregon City Schools Superintendent Hal Gregory said.

The state evaluation assessed compliance with laws and rules, how well sponsors followed procedures that have been accepted as “best practices,” and the academic performance of the charter schools they oversee.

Sponsor agencies received a rating on a four-tier scale.

None achieved the highest mark of “exemplary.”

The state criticized the Oregon district for its “vague” strategic vision, for not submitting evidence that shows how it ensures it meets legal obligations, and for a potential conflict of interest because the school district shares some employees with the learning center, among other concerns.

The treasurer of the Oregon district also serves as treasurer of the learning center, whose superintendent is the district’s business affairs director.

Mr. Gregory said Oregon previously sought advice from the attorney general regarding those “dual” roles and was told it was allowable.

“...[T]he issue of conflict of interest concerning the treasurer was raised and determined legally that it, indeed, was not. Now it is a conflict of interest? Now, it is a point to downgrade?” Mr. Gregory wrote, in his appeal letter to the state.

Oregon started the learning center about a decade ago. The tuition-free school primarily enrolls students from Oregon and Toledo who catch up credits and earn a high school diploma.

“It helps a segment of our student population achieve the goal of graduation,” Mr. Gregory said.

Most of the 21 poor-rated agencies are traditional public school districts that sponsor charter schools. Other agencies that sponsor charter schools include nonprofit corporations, educational service centers, and other entities.

The state sent letters several weeks ago revoking the sponsorship authority of three poor-rated sponsors: Lima City Schools, Rittman Exempted Village School District, and Summit Educational Service Center. The state will assume sponsorship of those groups’ charter schools, including the West Central Learning Academy in Lima.

The state will sponsor the Lima academy through the end of the current school year and may continue its sponsorship “for up to two subsequent school years,” according to a Dec. 1 letter from the education department notifying academy leaders of the change.

The superintendents of the Lima school district and the West Central Learning Academy could not be reached for comment.

The charter schools sponsored by the other two poor- rated agencies, Lakewood Local Schools and Southwest Licking Local School District, closed before the ratings were released, according to Ms. Halpin. Those school districts no longer sponsor any charter schools, she said.

Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.

First Published December 27, 2016, 5:00 a.m.