#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Oklahoma charter school audited for mismanagement of funds
An Oklahoma charter school was audited for apparent mismanagement of funds. Some of the audit findings showed that after the school shut down, the superintendent kept a school vehicle that took legal action to retrieve, and she also used a school debit card to make cash withdrawals that the state auditor can’t trace.
Unapproved bonuses, personal spending: Charter school superintendent allegedly misused taxpayer dollars
The superintendent of a defunct Oklahoma City charter school misused more than $250,000 intended for at-risk students while the school board, including an appeals court judge and a state senator, ignored warnings, state auditors say.
NOLA Public Schools superintendent calls for Singleton, Arise to close at end of school year
Both Singleton and Arise had an F rating from the state in the 2018-19 school year, the last time state grades were produced before the pandemic interrupted state exams. In addition to academic concerns, district leaders have issued warnings to Singleton over financial management concerns, special education problems, allegedly phony background checks and board composition issues.
School district cites Dr. King Charter for alleged special education violations, calls for monitoring
The NOLA Public Schools district will require Friends of King, the charter group that runs Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School, to have a third party monitor its special education services over the next six months due to a range of special education violations the district says it has identified at the school.
Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i in violation of charter contract
A newly adopted distance-learning program used at Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i has put the school in violation of its charter school contract, the State Charter School Commission ruled Monday.
Editorial: Epic saga is not over, lawmakers and law enforcement need to do more
Byrd detailed her investigative audit of the public virtual charter school released last year. It uncovered millions in excessive administrative spending and questionable handling of $145 million in taxpayer funds.
North Routt Community Charter School executive director resigns
The executive director of the North Routt Community Charter School, Brandon LaChance, resigned. At the end of September, the school’s board initiated a third-party investigation into complaints “of a school personnel matter,” according to emails obtained by Steamboat Pilot & Toda
Hmong College Prep school faces investigation by attorney general after hedge fund investment loss
Already reeling from the loss of $4.3 million from an illegal investment with a hedge fund, Hmong College Prep Academy now is being investigated by the Minnesota attorney general for possible violations of state laws on charities and nonprofits.
Charter Schools Fight For Their Right To Discriminate
Two recent news stories from opposite sides of the nation highlight battles between charter schools and state regulations. They underline critical ways in which some charter schools, which often claim to be “public” schools, do not embrace the mission of public education.
‘It’s serious’: Emails reveal details leading up to closure of two charter schools
Two Idaho charter schools were investigated for nearly a year by education leaders before they closed amid discoveries they over-collected millions of taxpayer dollars, according to hundreds of emails obtained by Idaho EdNews.
County Board of Ed at Odds With Own Staff About Regulating Charter Schools
The San Diego County Office of Education’s board voted to regulate a local charter school, but staff members never carried out their direction because they determined board members had overstepped the law.
Opinion: New charter likely to be approved by state, certain to be condemned by community
The Innovators Charter School is not an incubator of innovation for public education reform; rather, it is part of a movement to treat public education as a market opportunity for entrepreneurs and business that has proven to be catastrophic for communities across the state.
One company applies to run half of WV’s charter schools
Accel applied to run half the charter schools despite having a failing record in WV
Viewpoint: After years of protest, Lusher Charter School could be renamed … Lusher Charter School
Lusher Charter School’s long-awaited name change may come as soon as the next meeting of the school’s board, the Advocates for Arts-Based Education, on Nov. 11. This follows a very painful and very public reckoning for the namesake of an avowed White supremacist, Robert Mills Lusher.
$1 million for New Orleans charter school allegedly missing. DA launches criminal probe
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announced Thursday a new criminal investigation into alleged misappropriation of public funds at the historic Dryades YMCA in Central City.