Ashe Culture Center, a Cleveland-based nonprofit that sponsors nine charter schools plagued by unauditable financial records and poor test scores, has been digging its own grave since December 2009.

Yet miraculously, Ashe is still in business -- with the state of Ohio seemingly immobilized by poor policies, inconsistent regulations, inadequate laws and perhaps a lack of will.

The Ohio Board of Education should fulfill its obligation to protect youngsters and taxpayers and bury Ashe, once and for all. Several Ashe schools have had their funding suspended for books in disarray, and evidence has emerged that one school faked test scores.

Despite those problems, the state's attempts to revoke Ashe's charter authority for lack of assets (sponsors must have $500,000 in the bank) and mismanagement have meandered from former Gov. Ted Strickland's administration to Gov. John Kasich's.

State officials say they're working to build a strong case against Ashe, but most felony trials don't take this long.

The inaction is particularly troubling because some legislators want to open the door to more publicly funded but independently managed schools. That could be disastrous without a swift and sure way to get rid of bad sponsors and cure the regulatory paralysis.

It does not help that while state law spells out how to revoke sponsorships, it lacks a clear timetable. Legislators should provide one.

State education officials say they are waiting for an independent hearing officer to rule on Ashe's revocation. That ruling would then go to the state school board for a vote. The Department of Education would serve as a temporary sponsor if Ashe lost its authority.

In the meantime, two new audits reveal poor financial controls, deficits and $75,000 in questionable payments from two Ashe schools to businesses connected to school officials.

Ohio Auditor David Yost is right to send these cases to the Ohio Ethics Commission. But the Department of Education must set an example for other charter operators to see: Shut down the Ashe Culture Center.