#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Judge strikes down Kentucky charter school bill
Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled today that the new law violated the state constitution and that public funding can’t support private schools.
Corvian charter school reports $50K embezzlement after firing its director
Corvian Community School, a K-12 charter school in northeast Charlotte, reported to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Friday that an employee made $50,000 in unauthorized credit card charges for clothes, a hotel room and a helicopter ride.
One of California’s largest charter school networks lacked years of records to justify tens of millions in spending, state audit finds
Inspire, a home school charter network, for years lacked records to justify its claims for state funding. The Inspire network, which included two schools authorized out of San Diego County, also overreported student attendance. Inspire’s lapses resulted in part from some of the same financial practices and weaknesses in oversight that have allowed other California charter school operators to get more taxpayer money.
AG Ellison reaches settlement with charter school involved in Feeding Our Future fraud
Gateway’s founder and executive director put almost $300,000 of school funds toward companies owned or controlled by three of the school’s directors or officers.
Students, parents frustrated as charter school forced to close in New Orleans East
“I’m upset. My daughter is saying, ‘What do I do? Where do I go now?,'” said Giselle Bustillo, a Living School parent and immigrant from Honduras.
Former Burnsville charter school founder allegedly diverted nearly $300,000 in school funds to himself, others
A former Burnsville charter school leader allegedly diverted nearly $300,000 of the school’s money to himself and two other former school leaders, according to an investigation by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office alleges that Abdiaziz Farah, the founder of Gateway STEM Academy, improperly sent close to $300,000 to businesses controlled by himself, Mahad Ibrahim, and Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff.
All-boys charter school in Chatham County to close just months after opening
Tax money down the drain. Kids stranded. “the school had already spent most of an entire year’s worth of state funding by November, state officials said.”
Feds ignored ‘obvious red flags’ with $2M grant to Cincinnati charter school, letter says
The school, Cincinnati Classical Academy, provided inflated test scores in its application for the money and pretended to be much more diverse than it is, state lawmakers said in a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
KIPP charter schools to close three under-enrolled campuses, angering some parents
KIPP SoCal Public Schools, which operates 23 charter schools, will close three campuses, a setback for an organization that had grown steadily and is considered a leader in the field. The shutdowns, which have angered some parents and disappointed many, will take effect at the end of the current school year.
2,315 Charter Schools Failed And Closed In 11 Years
Although they have been around for more than 30 years, and although they are frequently touted as being superior to public schools, the U.S Department of Education reports that between 2010-11 and 2021-22, an 11-year period, 2,315 charter schools failed and closed in the U.S. That is a huge number of school closures in a short time frame. By any measure, it is hard to call such a phenomenon “successful.”
One New Orleans charter school closing, two more to be taken over by other charters
The three schools will join at least eight others that have closed or merged since 2018 due to declining enrollment and low academic performance scores.
What will we learn from the TEA investigation into Great Hearts Texas?
When the Texas Education Agency (TEA) acknowledges that it is investigating Great Hearts Texas, a subsidiary of the Arizona-based charter school network that operates eight schools in Bexar County, it’s big news.
Metro school board denies charter school application after 10 years
“They have been within our school system for 10 years. However, they have not proven to be exceptional,” said board chair Rachael Anne Elrod. “I do not want mediocrity, I do want that them to be average, just like I don’t want us to be average.” The report also states there has been a drop in teacher retention and an increase in absent students.
Roughly 1 in 3 Indy charter schools have closed since 2001. Is weak oversight a problem?
Pedigo’s school is one of 31 in-person or blended-model charter schools that have closed in Indianapolis since 2001 — roughly a third of 91 such schools, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of school identification information from the state.
Metro school board turns down this charter school’s renewal request
The board voted not to renew the charter school application for Rocketship Nashville Northeast Elementary as school board members reviewed a team’s findings showing the school didn’t fully meet measures of academic success, operational stability, financial health and future planning.