#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Charter school superintendent, IT employee charged with embezzlement
The head of a Houston-area charter school and another school employee have been indicted on federal embezzlement charges, accused of siphoning more than $250,000 from the school for themselves and using some of the money to buy a car and condominium.
Charter Schools Are All About the Kids, OK?
Remember that the original sales pitch for charter schools was that they would be part of the public system and not a drain on it. That, of course, has never been true. The charter industry bridles at any regulation. Hell, it bridles at any form of transparency.
New federal study: Charter middle schools didn’t boost college enrollment or graduation
A new U.S. Department of Education study – one the agency released this week with little fanfare – finds that attending a charter middle school does not make a student more likely to attend or graduate college.
NC teacher tapes student’s mouth. School says action was inappropriate but not malicious.
In a message sent to parents Thursday, principal David Thomas said the school’s administration quickly and seriously handled last month’s incident by contacting the student’s parents and meeting with the teacher. Thomas said that the teacher’s actions were inappropriate but not of malicious intent.
New Beginnings CEO on paid leave amid charter school investigation
The board of directors for the New Beginnings Schools Foundation voted unanimously to place Michelle Blouin-Williams on leave pending an investigation into grade inflation and other allegations at the charter network. The charter board has appointed the executive team at New Beginnings as the interim leaders of the organization.
State board votes to close Gateway University after confirming it falsified classes, hired uncertified teachers
Seven Tennessee Board of Education members on Tuesday unanimously upheld the Shelby County school board’s decision to close a charter high school – the second Memphis charter the board has voted to close this year.
Financial ties between HISD charter, founder draw scrutiny before renewal vote
A trio of intertwined charter school networks operating within Houston ISD have paid or lent at least $17 million during the last five years to a company owned by their highest-ranking employee, an unusual arrangement drawing criticism from some HISD school board members ahead of a vote to renew their contracts.
Promesa: Worst Charter Chain or Just the Tip of the Iceberg?
In December 2018 the New York Times published an expose on Southwest Key. The Texas company is notorious for operating inhumane border shelters for incarcerated migrants hoping to secure refugee status in the United States. Its four immigrant shelters include Case Padre, a detention center located in an abandoned Walmart.
Mass. has a message for Roxbury Prep: Lower your suspension rate
The charter school has the second highest out-of-school suspension rate in the state, with 21.1 percent of students receiving that punishment during the last school year. That’s far higher than the state average of 2.9 percent.
State education officials are also troubled that Roxbury Prep appears to be subjecting some student groups to more discipline than others, according to a memo released last month.
Federal court rules Leland charter school’s dress code violates Constitution
In 2016, the parents of three students ages 5, 10, and 14 and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a filed a lawsuit against the school.
The lawsuit stated that wearing skirts restricts the students’ movement, inhibits them in school situations such as playing at recess or sitting on the floor, and causes them to feel uncomfortably cold during winter.
Betsy DeVos calls for more charter schools even as they spark investigations across the country
After charters spread rapidly for a generation, under few rules or little oversight in many states, the pace of growth is slowing. Politicians call for more regulation for the schools, which use taxpayer money but have private operators. The political winds have shifted as well, killing the kind of bipartisan agreements that allowed charter schools to blossom.
Small districts reap big profits by approving charter schools with little oversight
Court records detail how — methodically and rapidly — the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District began approving new charter schools. The first year, there were two. The next: 11. By 2017, the district, which operates only three schools of its own, had authorized 17 charter schools.
Parents left looking for options after charter school closes
Parents are now seeking other arrangements for this fall.
“It’s challenging to find the right school for your kids, especially with the charter school system,” parent Elizabeth Behrens said. “If you have a child with special needs, a lot of the charter schools in the area don’t provide those things.”
Charter schools are starting to look a lot like payday lenders and for-profit college
The growing charter school industry is so scandalous there’s a daily hashtag for its problems: #AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal.
But this week has been more of a doozy than usual.
How a couple worked charter school regulations to make millions
But the couple have, in fact, made millions from their charter schools. Financial records show the Parkers’ schools have paid more than $800,000 annually to rent buildings the couple own. The charters have contracted out services to the Parkers’ nonprofits and companies and paid Clark Parker generous consulting fees, all with taxpayer money, a Times investigation found.