#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
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.
Paulo Freire Charter School staff picket, file labor charges
Unionized staff at the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School will picket Saturday in front of their school amid uncertainty over the coming school year after management’s decision to let go of over half of the school’s teachers this summer.
Organizers with the school’s staff union are set to protest in front of the school against school’s board of trustees. It will be the second time the union pickets in front of the building after dozens marched in front of the school in June over the mass nonrenewal that month of all 13 teacher contracts that expired this year — an action they say represents a pattern of targeting union activists.
Appeals court gives mixed ruling on N.C. charter school’s rule requiring girls to wear skirts
Charter Day School, a public charter school in Leland, North Carolina, that serves elementary and middle school students, was sued in 2016 by parents who objected to the dress code. The rules required girls to wear skirts, jumpers or skorts, except on gym days.
In 2019, a federal judge ruled that the dress code was unconstitutional because the charter school should be considered a state actor and that the rule violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Brunswick Co. health orders charter school to come into compliance with COVID-19 quarantine protocols after 67 positive cases
Charter Day School officials say they “intend to comply” with quarantine and health requirements after the Brunswick County Health Department issued a control measure against the school last week following dozens of positive COVID-19 cases.
As of Monday, health services has been notified of 67 cases of COVID-19 related to a cluster at the Leland charter school.
Can Idaho’s charter schools diversify?
The overall lack of diversity in charters took center stage in 2016, when the Idaho Public Charter School Commission shared with the State Board of Education a clearcut finding: On average, charters underserve the state’s minority and poor students.
Data from an annual statewide report revealed lower average numbers of these and other student subgroups at the state’s then 36 commission-authorized charters compared to their surrounding school districts.
Sale of Mount Clemens charter school on hold
The pending sale of a charter school in Mount Clemens is apparently on hold as city officials seek additional information about the proposed purchase.
City documents show a nonprofit corporation known as Campus Partners 1 intends to purchase Prevail Academy on Cass Avenue through a $15 million bond issue. The school is currently owned by National Heritage Academies.
New Orleans schools start next week, but 84% of the school buses aren’t licensed
The issue is more than just paperwork, however. Starting in late 2018, WWL found that dozens of small companies hired by charter schools were operating unsafe school buses, employing uncertified drivers and, at times, using uninsured buses to transport public schoolchildren in New Orleans.
Hernando School board working to save “BEST” charter school
Parents send their children to the BEST Academy in Hernando County for the middle school years (grades 6, 7 and 8) because of the small classes, focus on STEM and the family environment.
But since former Principal Andre Buford fell ill and the charter school’s board had to take over, the school is in a financial struggle, according to a recent review. The contract is up in the 2022-2023 school year.
An annual review, reported to the board during the July 20 school board workshop, found some “alarming things,” including “repeat offenses” from prior years, according to Lisa Cropley, the school district’s executive director of student support services.
The rise and fall of the country’s fifth charter school
It was once called a “beat the odds” school. It achieved higher math scores than any other school with such a high percentage of students in poverty in the Twin Cities. It represented the promise of charter schools to provide high-quality education to students of color.
But in less than a decade, proficiency in reading and math plummeted, school directors came and left with alarming regularity, and eventually the organization overseeing the school decided the best way to fix it was to shut it down.
Teachers and Staff at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School Call for Removal of CEO
Teachers and staff at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, a top-tier school serving D.C.’s adult immigrant population, have recently pressed their board of trustees to remove the school’s CEO, Allison Kokkoros.
In a letter sent to the board earlier this month, unnamed employees writing collectively under the banner of “CR Strong” said that under Kokkoros’ leadership, “school growth and innovation has stalled. The culture is steeped in toxicity and pain.”