June 2020
JUN 30, 2020 – St. Louis charter schools under scrutiny for federal coronavirus relief funds and state audit
At least $6.5 million has been paid out to five St. Louis charter school operators in coronavirus federal relief funds through the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to the schools’ records.
JUN 30, 2020 – Charters deny ‘cherry picking’ students, but data show special ed disparities
Pennsylvania’s charter schools are “gaming the system” to maximize special education payments and then using the money to subsidize their regular operations, costing Pennsylvania taxpayers millions, according to a new study by the advocacy group Education Voters of Pennsylvania.
JUN 30, 2020 – State audit cites major misspending, conflict of interest at Richard Allen schools
A new state audit of the Richard Allen charter schools includes multiple findings of improperly spent money in 2016-17, and allegations of ethics violations and conflicts of interest that have triggered an ongoing special investigation.
JUN 29, 2020 – LV charter school alleges it paid $1.6m to Utah management company ‘for nothing’
A contract dispute between a Las Vegas charter school and a for-profit Utah corporation is exposing the financial inner workings of the charter school industry, which involves sending millions of dollars in Nevada tax dollars out of state.
JUN 29, 2020 – Panel’s recommended name for combined charter school draws quick opposition
An advisory committee is recommending Rose Hill Community School as the new name for the combined middle-high charter school in Albemarle County — a choice that was immediately opposed by area activists because of a connection to a former local plantation.
JUN 28, 2020 – Bay Area charter schools tap tens of millions in federal small business loans
Charter schools in the Bay Area received tens of millions of dollars from a federal coronavirus relief program intended for small businesses, money they say is necessary to stay afloat amid the pandemic.
JUN 25, 2020 – Denver charter schools got $16 million in federal small business aid
Denver charter schools received a total of $16 million in federal coronavirus relief funds meant to help keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic, according to a memo prepared by Denver Public Schools staff at the request of a school board member.
JUN 26, 2020 – Inspire charter school founder received $1 million in payroll advances, report says
The founder and former CEO of Inspire charter schools in California received more than $1 million in payroll advances over the course of a year and a half, according to an audit report released Thursday.
JUN 26, 2020 – Nevada charter school ends business ties with American Preparatory Schools in Utah
For months, board members requested financial information from the private, for-profit APS, the Utah management company that handles back-office business for the Las Vegas campus.
JUN 25, 2020 Education 101: Don’t open a new charter school in the middle of a pandemic
Wake County is not an isolated case; across the country, parents are concerned about charter schools taking a bigger bite out of a public education pie that will likely be smaller due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
JUN 24, 2020 – Two KIPP schools close abruptly, deserting students and their families
In April, it was announced that KIPP Memphis Preparatory Elementary and KIPP Memphis Preparatory Middle on Corry Road would be permanently closing without notice. Between the two schools, over 650 students have been displaced without so much as a plan or opportunity to rebut the decision.
JUN 23, 2020 – Unchartered Territory: County Charter Schools Take $15.8M in Federal Small Biz Loans
Publicly funded charter schools in San Diego County have received more than $15.8 million through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP,) a federal government fund aimed at helping small businesses from shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic.
JUN 23, 2020 – Success Academy spokesperson resigns over ‘abusive’ practices at NYC’s largest charter network
A spokesperson for New York City’s largest charter network resigned in protest, stating she can no longer defend Success Academy’s “racist and abusive practices” that are “detrimental to the emotional well being” of its students.
JUN 22, 2020 – Bullis Charter gets over $2M federal pandemic relief loan
Bullis Charter School recently received more than $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.
JUN 20, 2020 – The Frontier: Trial date set in state’s attempt to access virtual school records
An Oklahoma County judge has set an August trial date as the state auditor’s office attempts to access financial records from a private company that manages a virtual charter school.
JUN 18, 2020 – Charter commission flags finances at three of its school
Commissioners voted during a Zoom meeting to leave in place “notifications of fiscal concern” for Bingham Academy and the Village Charter School, which both received the same notifications last year. Commissioners also issued a notification for Boise-based Peace Valley Charter School.
JUN 16, 2020 – Bullis Charter School receives $2M in federal COVID-19 relief for small businesses
Bullis Charter School has been awarded $2 million in forgivable loans through a federal relief program meant to help struggling small businesses pay employees and other big bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JUN 16, 2020 – A Black teacher questioned Eva Moskowitz’s response to George Floyd’s death. Now, Success Academy is facing bigger questions about race.
Four days after the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, a Brooklyn Success Academy teacher emailed her network’s CEO, one of the nation’s most prominent charter school leaders, asking why she hadn’t said anything publicly.
JUN 10, 2020 – Southeastern San Diego’s Gompers charter school laid off more than a third of its teachers
Phylicia Johnson isn’t sure what to do for her son’s education next school year. Her 12-year-old son, who goes to Gompers Preparatory Academy in southeastern San Diego, is going to lose five of his six teachers next school year due to layoffs.
JUN 10, 2020 – Why NC needs to hit the pause on school choice until we meet students’ basic needs
In North Carolina, charter schools and vouchers increase the costs of educating students. Both programs should be paused until we have a system that meets students basic needs.
JUN 08, 2020 – Glendale charter school parts ways with principal following anti-Semitic, racist texts
Heritage Elementary charter school in Glendale parted ways with its principal on Monday after an employee posted to social media a series of anti-Semitic and racist messages the principal had sent to the employee.
JUN 08, 2020 – Head of Pa. charter schools group steps down after posting that Floyd protesters ‘disgust me’
The executive director of a Pennsylvania charter school advocacy group has stepped down after posting on Facebook that protesters of the death of George Floyd “disgust me” and “all lives matter.”
JUN 07, 2020 – Palisades Charter High School takes money from a program meant for small businesses without a plan of how it will be spent.
Since the government funds its operations, Palisades Charter High School’s revenue has not been affected by Covid-19. The school is also supposed to operate as a non-profit, not a business.
JUN 05, 2020 – One year after Kennedy HS graduation scandal, New Beginnings charter group votes to dissolve
One year after a graduation scandal rocked John F. Kennedy High School, its independent nonprofit operator, the New Beginnings Schools Foundation, quietly and succinctly voted in a pandemic-allowed virtual meeting to dissolve the organization.
JUN 03, 2020 – State Law on Superintendent Severance Excludes Charter Schools
State law gives the Commissioner of Education power to reduce a school district’s funding by the amount that a superintendent’s severance payment exceeds one year’s salary and benefits. But the relevant section of the Texas Education Code doesn’t apply to charter schools, a Texas Education Agency spokesman said Monday.
JUN 02, 2020 – Professor, students examine charter school hiring practices
Despite the importance of nurses, librarians and counselors, according to the researchers, there has been little research about the extent to which charter schools — schools that receive government funding but operate independently of the established state school system in which they are located — employ these crucial personnel.
