#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Hmong College Prep Academy Superintedent faces removal over risky investment
In a letter obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the university outlined the areas in which it holds HCPA accountable, including its academic and educational program, its fiscal management, its governance and leadership, and its operations and legal compliance.
Bethel issued a statement Tuesday saying it became aware of “several issues” during its “annual regular authorizing oversight of HCPA” and notified both the charter school and the Minnesota Department of Education.
Charter school in NW Denver temporarily shuts down amid allegations of abuse among administrators
A charter school in northwest Denver is temporarily shuttered amid allegations staff members hit students and grabbed some young students so hard, they left bruise marks on their arms.
Outside Ricardo Flores Magon Academy (RFMA), the playground is silent and inside the classrooms sit empty, when the online school calendar clearly indicates students should be in class Monday.
Two charter schools closing amid state investigation
Two publicly funded charter schools are shutting down following discoveries they’ve been overpaid millions of dollars by the state — taxpayer money erroneously collected after the schools inflated student enrollment and attendance numbers.
The State Board of Education and State Department of Education say Magic Valley-based ARTEC and ARTEI Regional Professional Technical charter schools reported enrollment and attendance data in a manner that does not “conform to state law,” according to an Aug. 18 letter signed by State Board Executive Director Matt Freeman and obtained by EdNews.
Paterson educator files discrimination lawsuit against charter school administrators
An educator who was fired from a charter school in 2020 just 10 weeks after being hired as an assistant principal is claiming he was the target of racial discrimination.
Lavon Smith, who is African American, alleged in a lawsuit filed Monday that four white administrators at Philip’s Academy Charter School of Paterson were allowed to perform their jobs remotely while he and another black male administrator were required to work in person.
Assault allegations surface at charter school in South LA
On the morning of Sept. 13, parents rushed to the Public Policy Charter School in South LA’s Exposition Park neighborhood after getting frantic calls from their kids. The students were told there would be no class that day.
“My daughter did call me while I was at work and informed me that some people, she didn’t specify if it was staff or the board or anybody. She just said ‘some people came in cursing at us and they pushed and shoved two kids’,” said parent Tina Trujillo.
Charter schools are publicly funded — but there’s big money in selling them
National Heritage Academies (NHA), the third-largest for-profit charter chain in the nation, is selling 69 of its more than 90 schools to a new corporation created just for the purchase. Charter Development Co., the real estate arm of NHA, will receive the payout from a sale that requires nearly $1 billion to finance. This massive transfer of public dollars into private wealth is running into some roadblocks, however, in NHA’s home state of Michigan.
Milwaukee Excellence Charter School CEO removed after findings of misconduct
Maurice Thomas has been ousted as CEO of Milwaukee Excellence Charter School after allegations that he violated the school’s policies, code of conduct and professional standards, according to a spokesperson for the school.
Families were notified Thursday in a message from the school’s board of directors. The board noted the allegations against Thomas, who founded the school in 2016, were serious in nature but did not involve students.
California man accused of stealing tens of millions of dollars gets prison for charter school scam
The co-owner of a network of online charter schools who was accused of stealing tens of millions of dollars in California education funds was sentenced Friday to four years in state prison.
Jason Schrock, 46, of Southern California and his business partner, Sean McManus, 48, of Australia, also were ordered to pay $37.5 million in fines, according to the San Diego County district attorney’s office.
After being fined for violating health order, Seven Oaks Classical School is appealing
Seven Oaks Classical School continues to not require masks despite a county mask mandate.
Now, following a ticket issued for violating a county health order with a $250 fine from the Monroe County Health Department and a subsequent appeal from the school, the two parties will discuss the situation in a virtual meeting.
Michigan pandemic relief dollars went to for-profit cyber schools
When the pandemic hit, academic life at Great Lakes Virtual Academy changed very little — virtual learning systems repelled the wave of disruption that sent traditional school districts into a tailspin.
But the Manistee cyber school’s finances did. By the time the last wave of the pandemic relief money arrives, Great Lakes will have received $4,357 per student.
Chester Upland’s new receiver is supported by a charter that sought to take over district schools
In a developmentthat appeared to take state and school district lawyers by surprise, a Delaware County judge has appointed a new receiver to oversee the Chester Upland School District who is favored by a charter operator that recently sought to take over district schools.
The judge’s selection of Nafis Nichols, the chief financial officer for the city of Chester, over Michael Pladus, a retired superintendent nominated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, has worried teachers and community members concerned about further erosion of a district already heavily dominated by charters.
‘It’s scandalous’ — virtual charter schools have received the same amount of pandemic aid as schools with physical classrooms
While many schools scrambled to shift to online classes last year, the nation’s virtual charter schools faced little disruption. For them, online learning was already the norm. Most have few physical classrooms, or none at all.
Yet when Congress sent $190 billion in pandemic aid to schools, virtual charters received just as much as any other school because the same formula applied to all schools, with more money going to those in high-poverty areas, an Associated Press investigation found.
Legal review: Some New Mexico charter school admission policies may be discriminatory
A private law firm’s partial review of charter school admissions practices found some state-funded institutions in New Mexico are violating state rules by requesting information about prospective students’ special-education needs.
Leaders of a few charter schools cited in the report were surprised to learn about the violations and quickly altered their applications for lottery-based enrollment to remove questions deemed discriminatory. The error was an oversight and not intended to discourage students from applying, they said.
Other administrators defended their practices, however, arguing their schools provide a rigorous curriculum that may not be appropriate for some students with special needs.
Tennessee Using $14.4M of $64M COVID Education Funds Toward Charter Schools
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s long-held agenda to advance school choice options for families received a major monetary boost last year: nearly $64 million in discretionary pandemic education money, the Associated Press reported.
While Congress sent states billions of dollars meant to help them create safe schools during the pandemic, Lee instead contributed millions to charter schools that operate under the radar of public oversight. More than $4 million went to create new charters slated to open next year, though it could take longer.
Another Lincoln Academy administrator departs before charter school’s first day of classes
A week after the man who was hired to be The Lincoln Academy’s first principal left his post, Adams Publishing Group has learned the charter school’s director of finance and operations also resigned earlier this month.
Lincoln Academy CEO Kristi Cole confirmed Gregory Gurley resigned effective Aug. 1.
According to earlier information provided to Adams Publishing Group by the academy, the chief operations officer was to be paid $135,000 with $5,000 for moving expenses. Cole confirmed that was Gurley’s position.