#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
People who regulate charter schools also make millions off them
State Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (Dist. 10) is one of the foremost experts on charter schools in the state legislature. That makes sense given that he runs Charter Solutions, a company that from 2015 to 2018 has collected $5.7 million in fees from charter schools.
Former Toledo charter schools owe state $2 million
Two former Toledo charter schools owe the Ohio Department of Education more than $2 million combined for reporting incorrect student attendance data, according to the Ohio Auditor of State’s office.
Troubled Indiana virtual schools poised to lose charters amid claims thousands of students weren’t put in classes
Two of the state’s largest, most troubled virtual schools were put on notice Monday night that their charters could be revoked after their authorizer alleged that thousands of enrolled students went semesters or sometimes years without earning any credits or even signing up for classes.
Cyber charter school costs are under the microscope
Tiffany Nix, superintendent of Leechburg Area schools, watched in frustration for years as hundreds of thousands of dollars went out the doors of her small, cash-strapped district with families who enrolled their children in cyber charter schools.
Arizona charter school founder spent school money in Hawaii and on ‘spiritual healers’
Trish McCarty ran StarShine Academy, a Phoenix alternative charter school, up until last year when the Arizona State Board For Charter Schools shut it down for “egregious” financial mismanagement.
Pasco County school superintendent moves to close charter school
Pasco County schools superintendent Kurt Browning has followed through with his plan to shut down Pasco MYcroSchool, informing the charter school’s leaders he intended to terminate its operating agreement for cause at a May 21 School Board meeting.
Aurora school board votes to close new charter school, saying it failed students with special needs
Vega Collegiate Academy must close at the end of the school year after the Aurora school board determined the charter was failing to educate properly students with special needs.
The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the district’s recommendation to revoke the school’s charter.
A top D.C. charter school faces federal review over discipline practices
One of the District’s highest-performing charter schools is under federal investigation amid allegations it more harshly disciplines African American students.
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launched a probe into potentially biased discipline practices at BASIS DC — a middle and high school in downtown Washington with a long waiting list.
Arizona charter school chain racked up big debt to expand. Now 5,600 kids face uncertainty
The Arizona charter school chain Edkey Inc. began eyeing expansion in 2013.
In addition to schools that focus on the arts, dual-language learning, college prep and online education, Edkey executives wanted to keep serving more of the students other big charter operators were overlooking: deaf students, those in rural areas, homeless kids and refugees.
Charter schools exploit lucrative loophole that would be easy to close
While critics charge that charter schools are siphoning money away from public schools, a more fundamental issue frequently flies under the radar: the questionable business practices that allow people who own and run charter schools to make large profits.
Charter school supporters are reluctant to acknowledge, much less stop, these practices.
State’s lawsuit against KC charter school accused of stealing millions quietly settled
Two years ago, the state of Missouri took a local school to court, accusing them of stealing nearly $4 million in taxpayer money.
Now, FOX4 Problem Solvers has learned that the 2016 lawsuit filed by the Attorney General against the Kansas City charter school was secretly settled last fall as then-Attorney General Josh Hawley entered the final months of his campaign for U.S. Senate.
Bridges Public Charter School Dismisses Well-Loved Teacher Who Spoke Out
Koenig, one of the most highly-regarded teachers at her school by both parents and colleagues, says administrators told her they made the decision not based on her teaching quality or her dedication to students—both of which they acknowledged were strong. In 2016, Koenig was voted by Bridges teachers as “Best of Staff.”
State pulls charter of troubled Little Rock school
The state Board of Education on Friday voted to immediately revoke Covenant Keepers College Preparatory School’s state-issued charter after learning that unauthorized withdrawals from the school’s bank account had left the school’s sponsor without enough money to operate.
Camden Academy student told to remove Nigerian head wrap
A student at Camden Academy Charter High and her mother are enraged after the school told the girl to remove her Nigerian head wrap because it was in violation of the school’s uniform policy.
Geniah Miller says that she was approached by the school’s principal and was questioned about the head dress. When she explained the meaning behind the garment she was told to remove it.
Surprise: Add missing money to woes of problem-plagued charter school once run by Valerie Tatum
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports today that a would-be charter school operator in Little Rock says his job’s been made more difficult by the discovery that Valerie Tatum, the former leader of Covenant Keepers College Preparatory Charter School had, in recent days, drained more than $188,000 from an account necessary to operate the school.