#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Union Co. charter school calls emergency meeting about safety after teacher’s death connected to drug cartel
Monroe Police have increased surveillance and patrols at Union Academy Charter School after a teacher’s death was connected to a Mexican drug cartel.
On April 8, Alamance County Sheriff’s deputies say Barney Harris was shot and killed at a mobile home in Alamance County. Harris was a teacher and coach at Union Academy Charter School.
Epic Charter School Hit With $10 Million In Penalties
Epic Charter School has been hit with more than $10 million in penalties by Oklahoma’s State Department of Education.
The sanctions are largely due to accusations by the state of Epic violating a virtual charter school transparency law passed in 2019.
In a pair of letters to Epic’s One-on-One Charter School and Epic’s Blended Charter School, the district is accused of misreporting how it spends money to the state and overpaying for administrative costs.
Charter school waitlist data is inflated; exact number of students is unknown
Epic Charter School has been hit with more than $10 million in penalties by Oklahoma’s State Department of Education.
The sanctions are largely due to accusations by the state of Epic violating a virtual charter school transparency law passed in 2019.
In a pair of letters to Epic’s One-on-One Charter School and Epic’s Blended Charter School, the district is accused of misreporting how it spends money to the state and overpaying for administrative costs.
New York City is Overspending on Charter School Facilities, Underspending on Matching Funds for District Public Schools
A new Class Size Matters report, DoE Overspending On Charter School Facility Costs and Underspending On Matching Funds To Public Schools reveals that the New York City Department of Education has overspent by many millions on rent for charter schools, while denying co-located traditional public schools millions of dollars of their legally-required matching funds for facility upgrades and repairs.
Philadelphia Charter School Chief’s Embezzlement Conviction OK
A lawyer and businessman who contracted with the city of Philadelphia to run a charter school was properly convicted of embezzling more than $800,000 despite a delay in getting to trial, the Third Circuit ruled Tuesday, rejecting speedy trial and other challenges.
OKCPS requests investigative audit of Santa Fe South charter school
The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board voted unanimously Monday night to request an investigative audit of Santa Fe South Charter Schools, whose superintendent is also in charge of a nonprofit development corporation that supports Santa Fe South and loaned $300,000 to another local charter school.
Former charter school official sent to prison for embezzling funds
The former superintendent of Houston Gateway Academy has been ordered to federal prison after taking more than a ¼ million dollars, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Richard Garza, 61, Houston, pleaded guilty Sept. 20, 2019.
Termination Hearing Set For Epic Charter School District After Board Shake-Up
The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board set a termination hearing for the Epic One-on-One Charter School district to review alleged violations of its operating contract.
On Tuesday, the board, which has not met since January, denied Epic’s motion to dismiss the allegations and scheduled the hearing for May 12 and 13.
Minneapolis nonprofit may face ‘corrective action’ for flawed supervision of 21 charter schools.
Pillsbury United Communities, a nonprofit organization that provides oversight to 21 charter schools in Minnesota, faces possible corrective action from the state Department of Education. That prospect follows low performance ratings for its processes and decision-making, as revealed in Pillsbury’s routine five-year authorizer review with the state.
Pillsbury United announces intent to close landmark Cedar Riverside Community School
Pillsbury United Communities plans to close Cedar Riverside Community School, one of the first charter schools in the country, school board chair Janet Youngers announced at a board meeting on Thursday. Unless the school wins an appeal, it will close as soon as June 30.
Questions raised about how Washington County charter school is managed
Tuacahn Center for the Arts, known for its impressive amphitheater and its renowned “Broadway In the Desert” series, also runs Tuacahn High School for the Arts, a charter high school.
Student Body President Gabriela Merida said recently the dance students were told, without warning, that the arts center had rented their studio to a professional production, and that students would not have access to it for the rest of the year.
State Board of Education discusses possible action against Epic Charter Schools
The State Board of Education is having a meeting where they’ll discuss possible action for Epic Charter Schools.
In October, a report by the state auditor found that Epic Charter Schools owed the state $11.2 million, most of it for overpaying administrative costs.
Epic Charter Schools Misses State Deadline For $11.2 Million Repayment
Epic Charter Schools missed a state deadline to pay an $11.2 million fine handed down to the school in October. Repayment will be discussed at Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting.
Epic was slapped with the clawback of state funds in October. But the virtual charter school behemoth has contested the amo
Lloyd Kennedy Charter School to close this summer, pending Aiken County school board vote
A local charter school will close its doors in June due to its director’s upcoming retirement, pending a vote from the Aiken County Board of Education at Tuesday’s meeting.
Keisha Lloyd Kennedy, director of Lloyd Kennedy Charter School, wrote to Superintendent King Laurence on Jan. 28 to notify the school district of her intent to retire at the end of the 2020-2021 school year due to health reasons, according to a board agenda attachment.
Ex-CEO at Goodyear charter school gets prison in fraud case
A former CEO at a now-closed Goodyear charter school has been sentenced to four years in prison in a fraud case.
State prosecutors said Daniel Hughes also was ordered to pay restitution for his role in the theft of more than $2.5 million from the Arizona Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Communications Commission.