#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Residents speak for, against Ascent Classical Academy Durango
Some critics of Ascent pointed to its connection with Hillsdale College, a private Christian college in Michigan, and said they weren’t comfortable with Ascent taking policy, faculty and administrative guidance from the private school.
San Diego County Collects Millions in Fines from Charter School Fraud Case
More than $37 million in fines has been paid to San Diego County as part of a court judgment stemming from a charter school fraud scheme that took millions in public school funds and led to criminal charges against 11 people, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
San Diego County gets $18.8M more restitution for A3 charter school scam
An additional $18.8 million has been paid to San Diego County as restitution for the statewide A3 charter school scam in which the state was defrauded of hundreds of millions of school dollars, the San Diego County District Attorney announced Wednesday.
Wahiawa charter school’s decision on student laptops angers some parents
A public charter school in Wahiawa is facing backlash from some parents who were told laptops provided to students as part of a remote learning program would need to be returned.
The Public Charter School Commission is looking into the concerns.
Parent Kelly Olayan said the school is reneging on a promise to let the students keep digital devices.
The promise of a good education, a KUOW investigation
There’s a lot weighing on the promise of a good education. Employability, creativity, and language acquisition – to name a few.
Impact Public Schools, the largest public charter school chain in Washington state made a promise to parents and students to provide a good education and more. According to a recent KUOW investigation they are not fulfilling that promise.
ISAAC charter school’s probationary period extended as investigations into school mount
The probationary period for a Connecticut charter school has been extended for at least seven months. This comes a year after the state found that the school was out of compliance with state laws and the school’s board was unable to provide effective leadership. Now our Accountability Project has found that the school’s accrediting agency is investigating the school’s climate and culture after former teachers complained of what they call a toxic work environment.
NC charter school will close after reporting ‘financial irregularities’ to police
One of the longest-operating North Carolina charter schools will close, after officials there found financial irregularities that they’ve since reported to law enforcement. The North Carolina State Board of Education approved the closure without opposition Thursday. The Learning Center, in Murphy in Cherokee County, had requested to voluntarily relinquish its charter.
State board members learned during closed session this week that school officials believed a new school director, who was not named, had misused public funds received by the school toward their own “private enterprise,” Board Member Amy White said before the vote.
A KUOW investigation shows area charter schools broke their promises to parents and students
For the last six months, KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld has been investigating the largest chain of charter schools in the region: Impact Public Schools. What she’s found is that charter schools are frequently failing to live up to the promises they’ve made to students, leaving staff, students, and parents frustrated.
A Seattle-area charter school’s controversial approach to holding students back
Three teachers told KUOW that they’ve had up to one-third of their students on the “promotion in doubt” list.
Impact said that its grade-retention practice is meant to ensure students master the material. Parents make the ultimate decision about whether to hold a child back, they said, and ultimately, only nine returning students — fewer than 3% — “chose to repeat a grade” in 2021.
A charter school chain promised a world-class education. Instead they billed the state and let kids ‘sit there quietly’
Senait Ogubamichael, whose daughter was struggling without English language support, now receives daily English lessons at her new school in the Highline School District. Her child’s English and reading have improved more in one month than in the previous five months at Impact, Ogubamichael said.
Are cyber charters playing games with Pennsylvania tax dollars?
Education Voters of PA has obtained official emails and blank reimbursement forms along with screen shots from a Commonwealth Charter Academy Facebook page that reveal during the 2021-2022 school year, CCA, Pennsylvania’s largest cyber charter school with an enrollment of nearly 20,000 students, is using tax dollars to; Send every family a cash payment of $150, Provide a $250 “community class” cash reimbursement for each student enrolled, Provide a $200 “personal field trip” cash reimbursement for each student enrolled.
Titusville community leaders working to block new Memphis charter school from opening in neighborhood
Titusville neighborhood leaders and one Birmingham city councilor told WBRC they are against Freedom Prep Charter School from opening because they have concerns about what it will do to Birmingham City Schools and to the students. Officials with Freedom Prep said they are hoping to build a relationship with the neighborhood leaders moving forward.
In apparent first, district moves to withhold charter school’s state funding over facility conditions
The NOLA Public Schools district plans to withhold education funding from Lower 9th Ward charter school group Friends of King Schools over the network’s alleged failure to make repairs to facilities on its Fats Domino Avenue (formerly Caffin Avenue) property, which is owned by the district.
Lionheart Academy, a public charter school that received $1.5M grant, using curriculum developed by Christian school
The Charter School Grant Program was launched in 2021 and the largest awards so far – all over $1 million – are going to new start-up charter schools. Among them is Lionheart Classical Academy in Peterborough, which is using curriculum developed by a Christian school that “recognizes the central role of religious instruction in a liberal arts education.”
TEA official named lone superintendent finalist for charter network his office is investigating
IDEA Public Schools this week named as its lone finalist for superintendent a top Texas Education Agency official who oversaw an office that has been investigating the charter network over allegations former leaders had misused money and staff for personal gain.