#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
State Board of Education calls on lawmakers to increase charter school transparency
“Our public schools are a vital part of our local communities,” said Pamela Pugh, president of the State Board of Education. “They should be governed by the people and not by outside groups that too often don’t support open government. Michigan spends more than a billion dollars annually on charter schools. Taxpayers must know how these dollars are being spent. Just as importantly, community members should be able to fully participate in important discussions and decisions that affect their public schools – including charter schools.”
A charter school in Las Vegas faces closure if more than $800K in taxpayer funds are not repaid
A newly opened Las Vegas charter school is facing allegations of misuse of taxpayer funds and could close if the money isn’t paid back, documents said. Eagle Charter School, located near Sahara and Eastern avenues in east Las Vegas, owes the Nevada Department of Education $837,085, according to documents from the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority.
Cyber charter schools are a waste of PA taxpayer money | PennLive letters
Taxpayers should pay the actual cost of education, not some inflated fantasy cost. Why does Mr. Eller think taxpayers should pay $30,000 to $40,000 or more for a service that only costs $8,000 (which is high, in my opinion)? He has to overcharge taxpayers to support himself and his fellow administrators at CCA.
Russell Wilson-backed charter school faces state corrective action
The state’s action comes after increased oversight at the school, which started last September as the commission began receiving complaints from former staff and students. The commission determined all those issues — except for falling enrollment — had been resolved. But in recent weeks, the commission has launched two new investigations based on additional complaints related to special education and public records.
The True Costs of Charter Schools
As the superintendent of a rural district, I’ve been told repeatedly the schools in Hallsville would not be impacted by charter school expansion. After all, proponents say, the charter school option only exists to offer choice in urban districts with “failing schools.” Such statements are incorrect. Charter school expansion negatively impacts all Missouri districts by diverting essential resources from our already critically underfunded public schools.
Columbia school board ‘deeply concerned’ about Missouri charter school legislation
“The board is deeply concerned about the use of public tax dollars to fund a duplicate education system that has no accountability to the local taxpayer without the consent of the local taxpayer,” Waters said, tearing up. “CPS has been the hometown school district in Boone County for 150 years and we’re committed to serving with persistence and accountability so that all our children can succeed.”
Florence charter school suspended from state program amid investigation
A S.C. Administrative Law Court judge in September ordered the school to cease and desist operations and appointed a receiver to review PYA’s/PPA’s expenses and how they’ve spent money.
Nate Monroe: Mad about Duval’s school closure plan? Blame school-choice zealots
Pro-choice evangelists like Diamond have trolled the district for years to prepare for lower enrollment as the number of charters grow and parents, using a universal voucher system, send their children to private schools in increasing numbers.
Education Watch: Millions at Stake in Epic Embezzlement Case
Prosecutors allege Chaney and Harris diverted tens of millions of dollars meant for students’ education using shell companies and false invoices, ultimately splitting about $55 million collected from the school between 2013 and 2021. CFO Josh Brock said he received a 10% cut.
Low-scoring Gastonia charter school moves a step closer to closing
A state Board of Education committee unanimously upheld the North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board’s vote to stop public funding at the end of this school year. State officials say reading, math and science scores have been so low in the school’s first five years that they can’t justify keeping the K-8 school open.
Okla. Supreme Court considers nation’s first religious charter school
The Oklahoma Supreme Court considered Tuesday whether the state can directly fund religious education, with some justices voicing skepticism that a proposed Catholic charter school could pass constitutional muster but others suggesting there may be little difference between such a school and other instances of tax dollars supporting religious entities.
‘Minimize cost, maximize profit’: testimony in Epic Charter Schools hearing outlines multi-level concealment scheme
Brock testified that during Epic’s early years, Harris told Chaney and him the leftover amounts in the Learning Fund could be used for retirement purposes. The state asked if Brock thought that was his, Harris’ or Chaney’s money to spend, and Brock answered it was not and agreed EYS was entrusted to be stewards of the money for the benefit of the students.
Tennessee’s Failed School Takeover Experiment May Finally Shut Down
The Achievement School District grew out of the very 2011 notion that the way to rescue schools was to put them in the hands of a superstar CEO, reflecting the philosophy that gifted and committed outsiders (a la Teach For America) could, if allowed unencumbered autonomy, achieve remarkable gains where the entrenched insiders could not. The notion of fixing schools by having them taken over by talented outsiders has enjoyed bipartisan popularity, but has rarely demonstrated any actual success.
Charter schools imperil neighborhood public schools | Opinion
Providence has a charter school problem. As the city prepares to regain leadership of the school system, public schools are being closed and charters stand ready to take their place. In this critical time of transition, adding more charters would harm, not help, our city’s students. Mayor Brett Smiley has spoken thoughtfully about the care being taken to set our schools up for success. If he wants our school system to succeed, the mayor should reject the opening of new charter schools.
Longtime Epic Charter Schools CFO agrees to 15 years’ probation in exchange for testimony
Mid-morning on the fifth day of the preliminary hearing, Brock was called as a witness and described how he and other acquaintances of Harris and Chaney were recruited into Epic’s operation — and then how many of them got access to money or business for themselves or their relatives.