#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Peak Prep charter hit with lawsuit
After ending a service contract at the request of district leaders, a Pleasant Valley School District charter school is being sued by the company that used to manage its finances.
This summer, Peak Prep Pleasant Valley, an online school chartered by PVSD, cut ties with Virginia based charter school management company Accel Schools. The move was one of many conditions the district required before it would continue chartering the virtual school.
Concept Schools charter chain to pay $4.5 million to end federal investigation
Concept Schools Inc., a politically connected charter school chain based in the northwest suburbs, has agreed to pay $4.5 million to end a long-running federal investigation into allegations it improperly steered federally funded technology contracts to “chosen vendors.”
Shining Rock ends partnership with TeamCFA
Shining Rock Classical Academy’s Board of Directors recently voted to terminate its long-time partnership with TeamCFA, a national network of charter schools that provided SRCA with the initial funding it needed to get the school up and running.
The vote to terminate the partnership was 6 to 1 with Larry Wilkerson, the TeamCFA appointed board member, opposed.
Editorial: Boards Were Right to Reject Ascent Charter School
The list of the application’s shortcomings is long. It sought waivers from many of the school districts’ policies without sufficiently explaining why. It fell short in describing how it would recruit and serve a diverse student population, including minority students and those with disabilities. It left many doubts about the level of parent and community involvement that would be possible at the school as well as the transparency of school board meetings. It raised significant questions about Ascent’s ability to maintain a productive relationship with the school district. And it failed to demonstrate parent involvement in the initial idea to locate an Ascent school in Boulder County — the BVSD denial resolution says, “The application does not mention any involvement by parents with respect to the preparation of this application and the development of the school.”
Decision on NC Connections virtual public charter is delayed once again
The state’s Charter Schools Advisory Board (CSAB) was stuck on a decision for months and eventually decided to punt to the State Board of Education. On Thursday, at its monthly meeting, the SBE punted back.
The ball being punted back and forth? One of North Carolina’s two virtual charter schools: N.C. Connections Academy (NCC), home to more than 2,400 students. NCC is in a bitter dispute with its Education Management Organization (EMO), Pearson OBL, and unless a resolution can be found soon the school could face closure.
Nevada Connections Academy settles with state, will keep online high school open
An embattled online high school scheduled to close permanently will now be allowed to remain open, following a legal settlement with the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority.
The charter school board in February voted 4-1 to shutter Nevada Connections Academy’s middle and high school over concerns about its poor academic performance. The fully virtual school had already voluntarily agreed to close its elementary school after several years of underperformance.
Sparks fly as struggling virtual charter school seeks new management, new name
In making its case to part ways with Pearson, the school’s board complained that the management firm hasn’t provided the school a curriculum that aligns with the state curriculum or is pliant enough to allow teachers to make changes to meet the needs of individual students.
The board also complained that Pearson doesn’t share information about how money is spent or allow school leaders to assume responsibilities agreed upon when the contract between the school and Pearson was amended in July 2017.
Proposed North Las Vegas charter school sues state of Nevada
A public charter school network, Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy of Nevada, has filed two lawsuits against the state after trying for two years to get approval to open a North Las Vegas campus.
The school and its Colorado-based charter operator, SSS Education Corp., filed the complaints Wednesday in District Court against the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority and Executive Director Rebecca Feiden.
Charter school group that has paid millions to founder’s companies expands to SC
An Arizona-based charter school group that has faced scrutiny over its founder’s business dealings is expanding to South Carolina.
American Leadership Academy plans to open in fall 2023 as a K-11 school in the town of Lexington. The 42-acre spot is located at the corner of South Lake Drive and Innovation Place, about a mile from downtown Lexington.
Mount Pleasant charter could face closure over questionable spending by for-profit manager
A high-performing charter school in Mount Pleasant faces potential closure over $1.8 million in questionable spending and its ties to side ventures by the for-profit business that runs it.
This could be Oceanside Collegiate Academy’s last academic year if its school board doesn’t sufficiently answer the questions, repay any taxpayer money found to be misspent, and take back its governing authority from the management company that controls its accounts and contracts, said the superintendent of Oceanside’s sponsoring school district, the Charter Institute at Erskine.
Plan for Oceanside includes training, no longer paying teachers through for-profit firm
The board of a Mount Pleasant charter school needs to undergo training, ensure its contracts follow conflict-of-interest policies and stop paying employees out of a company that provided visas to Chinese investors, according to its sponsoring school district.
Those are among the steps Oceanside Collegiate Academy must take to get back in good standing and avoid potential closure, outlined in a “corrective action plan” sent to the school’s board Aug. 20 by its sponsor, the Charter Institute at Erskine.
Valor Classical Academy sues Carmel Clay Schools over use of Orchard Park Elementary
Valor Classical Academy is suing Carmel Clay Schools regarding the use of Orchard Park Elementary in hopes the charter school, which has plans for Hamilton County, will be able to use the building.
Per the lawsuit filed Friday, Valor alleges that per state law, Carmel Clay Schools should notified the state about the closure of the elementary building, which would have made it available to Valor to lease or buy for $1.
Glendale charter school teachers accuse principal, vice principal of sexual harassment
Two former teachers at Heritage Elementary allege its two top administrators sexually harassed them repeatedly during the past year, creating a hostile environment that forced them to leave the Glendale charter school.
In a six-page demand letter to the school, the women say they are seeking the firing of Heritage Elementary Principal Justin Dye and Vice Principal Bradley Mitchell, along with $200,000 each in damages.
Glendale charter school reverses itself and will award merit bonuses earned by teachers
The board for Heritage Elementary, a Glendale charter school, reversed itself at a brief special meeting Tuesday and voted to award merit pay bonuses to teachers who earned them during the past school year but were not returning.
“It really shows that they knew what they were doing was not right,” said Sarah Jennings, one of the 20 teachers who demanded the bonuses. “We are the first group of people to stand up to them … All it takes is a group of people being organized and stepping out a little bit and make change.”
Sexual Harassment and Broken Salary Promises at Heritage Elementary Charter School
Two former teachers at Heritage Elementary Charter School in Glendale charged the school’s principal and vice principal with sexual harassment. If the charges are true, the incidents go far beyond provocative language and unwanted contact. One of the former teachers said the principal raped her.
In a separate issue, twenty or more teachers who left Heritage Elementary at the end of the year said the school refused to pay them their merit pay bonuses because they left. The school acknowledged the claim, then reversed itself and paid the teachers.