#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Questions arise after man with checkered past hired at Baton Rouge school as substitute teacher
In 2016, Louis Smith Jr. was arrested for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a minor up in East Feliciana Parish.
So, how did that information slip through the cracks at Inspire Charter Academy, which later hired him as a substitute teacher?
I spent a year and a half at a ‘no-excuses’ charter school – this is what I saw
To better understand what happens at charter schools – and as a sociologist who focuses on education – I spent a year and a half at a particular type of urban charter school that takes a “no-excuses” approach toward education. My research was conducted from 2012 through 2013, but these practices are still prevalent in charter schools today.
Utah charter school pushes back on calls for staff training
American Preparatory Academy, the large and politically powerful Utah charter school, appeals calls for its staff to undergo training.
The school, which has half a dozen campuses and 5,000 students, was told to repay nearly $3,000,000 in special education money after it was accused of misspending the taxpayer funds.
At one Nevada charter school, more than 40% of teachers are substitutes
Elementary school students at Mater Academy’s Bonanza campus have a 50-50 chance of having a teacher who is properly licensed as an educator.
For first graders, there is no chance.
That’s because none of the four first grade teachers employed by the school are fully licensed by the state to teach. All four are licensed only as substitute teachers.
Bullis Charter School threatened with closure if it doesn’t fix lack of diversity
Santa Clara County Board of Education trustees are threatening to shut down Bullis Charter School unless it “cures” its diversity problems and better reflects the demographics of the Los Altos School District.
Santa Clara County Board of Education trustees voted Wednesday to send a letter of concern to Bullis Charter School amid worries that it is not enrolling enough students from underrepresented communities, leaving the Los Altos School District with needier kids.
‘Ripe for fraud’: Multicounty Grand Jury releases interim report on Epic Charter Schools investigation
The multicounty grand jury investigating Epic Charter Schools has released a scathing interim report of its findings following the state’s audit report against the school.
According to the report, “Due to the lack of transparency in accounting for the funds, intentional avoidance of disclosure of information by a private entity, and lack of cooperation; the investigation is unable to be completed at this time.”
Innovations Charter School to cease operations at end of school year
Innovations Charter School in Walla Walla will shut its doors at the end of the school year, the charter school’s board has decided.
At its April 29 meeting, the board cited low enrollment in its decision not to continue operations for a fourth year.
Charter commission probes $11,500 in unexplained payments at Ammon school
The Idaho Public Charter School Commission has asked Ammon-based Monticello Montessori Charter School for documentation supporting nearly $11,500 in unexplained payments and purchases.
Orange charter school overcharged for disabled student services, district says
A charter school run by UCP of Central Florida appears to have altered student education plans to show children needed more intensive services than really required, wrongly boosting its funding by nearly $60,000, according to an ongoing Orange County Public Schools investigation.
Former White House Adviser Is Charged With Stealing From Charter School Network
A former senior adviser in the Obama administration was arrested Tuesday on charges that he stole more than $200,000 from a network of charter schools that he founded and used the money to get a lower interest rate on a mortgage for a Manhattan apartment, federal prosecutors said.
Arizona attorney general launches investigation into microschool company and its partner
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into microschool company Prenda and its partner EdKey over their relationship, which allows Prenda to educate children at people’s homes with little regulation.
Under the arrangement, EdKey enrolls students in its Sequoia online school and collects charter school funding from the state. The students, however, are taught Prenda’s curriculum by “guides” that Prenda hires.
Idaho charter school executive paid public funds to companies her family owns
Idaho charter school administrator Laura Sandidge and the Another Choice Virtual Charter board of directors authorized hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer spending to companies Sandidge co-owns, without following proper ethics procedures, the Idaho Professional Standards Commission found.
‘Deceived’: Indianapolis charter school pitch left out lawsuits, touted questionable college degrees
The Mind Trust had known about the financial mismanagement and still supported Al-Nasir’s charter school bid, saying that he deserved a second chance — until Al-Nasir, when asked about his academic credentials last week, provided information that “raised even more questions about the validity of the degrees,” The Mind Trust CEO Brandon Brown said.
Many charter schools facing financial burdens after enrollment drop
Dozens of charter schools in Arizona could be facing serious financial problems, even closure, due to pandemic-related drops in enrollment, according to a watchdog group that tracks charter school finances.
Data released April 1 from the Arizona Department of Education shows more than 250 of the state’s 420 charter schools have lost students this year.
Police report, audit suggest James Singleton School’s background checks fabricated
A New Orleans police report obtained by WWL television details allegations that officials at James Singleton Charter School, which is run by the Dryades YMCA in Central City, fabricated criminal background checks for school employees. An internal school investigation attached to the Police Department incident report suggests the Y’s recently resigned chief financial officer, Catrina Reed, might have played a role in the bogus background checks, including her own 2005 background check, which indicated she didn’t have a rap sheet when she actually did.