#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Charter School Case Exposes Big Loopholes in How the State Funds Schools
Last month, an explosive indictment filed in San Diego alleged a charter school scam that was both lucrative and audacious: Two men, along with a handful of close employees, managed to siphon $80 million of public education funds into “consulting” companies they controlled.
Law enforcement seizes records of closed charter school
Federal law enforcement agents have seized records from the home of the former director of Community Preparatory Academy, a Los Angeles charter school that recently closed amid allegations of fiscal mismanagement.
The raid was carried out Tuesday morning by several agencies working in conjunction, including the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Secret Service with assistance from the FBI.
OSBI warrant: ‘Ghost students’ at Epic
A state investigation alleges Epic Charter Schools, the state’s largest virtual charter school system, embezzled millions in state funds by illegally inflating enrollment counts with “ghost students.”
State auditor named interim director of shuttered Utah charter school
Utah State Auditor John Dougall was appointed interim director of the now-shuttered American International School of Utah Tuesday.
The Utah State Charter School Board, after meeting in closed session for more than two hours, voted unanimously to remove AISU Executive Director Tasi Young and appoint the Utah State Auditor’s Office to see through the closure of the public charter school.
Authorities investigating possible violations of state laws by former charter school director
Authorities are investigating retired Blackfoot charter school administrator Fred Ball, at the behest of the county prosecutor.
2 online charter schools inflated enrollments
Indiana education officials want to recover about $40 million in taxpayer money from two online charter schools after an audit found that they improperly received state payments by inflating their student enrollment figures.
State lawmaker questions funding for states largest charter school
Oklahoma state Sen. Ron Sharp is questioning funding the state’s largest charter school has received in the past two years.
This comes after Sharp said Epic Blended Charter School received a total of $63 million in its first two years of operation.
WV teachers union says it will sue over charter school bill
A sweeping West Virginia GOP education bill that allows the creation of charter schools violates the state Constitution, according to a teachers union that plans to sue over the legislation.
Costly academic turnaround takes St. Paul charter school from ‘buckets of cash’ to deep in debt
Three years ago, Dugsi Academy was flush with cash but failing academically.
Now, two years into a costly school improvement effort, the St. Paul charter school faces a long list of unpaid bills that may threaten its very existence.
The charter school industry can’t acknowledge its documented failures
News broke recently about what may be the single biggest charter school scam ever in which an online charter school organization is alleged to have bilked the state of California for $80 million by enrolling tens of thousands of students into their programs, often without the students’ knowledge, and charging the state for nonexistent education services and bogus expenses related to operating the schools.
School District wants answers from Lincoln Memorial charter school
In six notices over two weeks, the school district questioned the finances, transparency and leadership at Lincoln Memorial Academy.
When Charter Schools Fail, Parents Are Left Scrambling
There has been no shortage of charter school closures. The most recent implosion was that of Southern California-based A3 Education, which mostly involved online academies. Charter school closures are more than a Los Angeles problem or a California problem. The rate of charter school failures is very high across the nation.
FPPC finds three conflicts of interest with former Oasis Charter School Executive Director.
The ghost of Juanita Perea’s tenure as executive director of Oasis Charter Public School has come back to haunt her. Now a teacher at Salinas City Elementary School District, Perea’s time at Oasis was plagued with allegations of mismanagement and poor leadership.
Financial audit questions whether Gary charter school can continue
A top-rated Gary charter school is planning to begin its fourth year of classes next month, despite financial issues identified in a new audit that questions the school’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Chartergate: Austin Beutner’s Transparency Problem
An email thread documenting the unseemly coziness between L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner and the California charter school lobby set off political pyrotechnics late last month when the investigative blog — and indefatigable California public records miner — Michael Kohlhaas dot org published a cache of documents revealing the covert relationship in the midst of last year’s contract stalemate with UTLA.