#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
NBC 10 I-Team: School administrator on leave pending social media investigation
Foxborough Regional Charter School Executive Director Luis Soria has been placed on leave pending an investigation involving his posts on social media.
Audits show lucrative family venture at soon-to-be shuttered charter school
Managing Raleigh’s Torchlight Academy was a lucrative family venture for Don McQueen. The school paid McQueen nearly $3 million in management fees between 2016 and 2020, financial audits submitted by the school show.
Utah charter school sanctioned by school board, denied $4M allotment
American Preparatory Academy, which runs half a dozen public charter school campuses in Utah, was sanctioned Thursday by the Utah State Board Of Education. The school will not receive their monthly Minimum School Funding Program money. This is the money the state distributes to every school every month so they can pay teachers, bills and materials.
IRS Investigating Epic Charter Schools Finances
The IRS said it will be comparing documents it’s requesting to information provided on the annual tax forms for Community Strategies, Inc., the legal name for Epic Charter Schools’ board. The agency is looking for compliance in three areas: whether Epic has operated in ways allowed by its nonprofit tax status, whether it accurately reported revenue and expenses, and whether its governing board is adequate to “prevent and identify any loss of your organization’s assets.”
Teachers without licenses taught at Seattle-area charter schools, audits find
Teachers who lacked proper accreditation taught at charter schools in Seattle and Tacoma, in violation of state rules. This was discovered through an audit; State Auditor Pat McCarthy called these findings “unprecedented.”
A ‘punitive model’ for failing schools: GOP proposal would let charters take over district schools
The move is an extension of GOP school choice initiatives that favor charter over public schools. Struggling schools may elect to be replaced with a “Fresh Start” school, or might be forced into the arrangement if they don’t improve on their own. “Fresh Start” schools would be run by an Achievement District School to eventually replace a failing school on the same campus or within its attendance boundaries. They operate out of a vacant building or one which is being leased or purchased from a school district.
Kairos charter school in St. Louis under scrutiny for private management
The sponsor of Kairos Academies, a charter school in the Marine Villa neighborhood, has raised red flags over the school’s financial and leadership practices involving a shadow group that employs nearly two-thirds of the staff.
NC board revokes Raleigh school’s charter, cites school leaders’ ‘self-dealing’
A 600-student charter school in Raleigh must close next year. The North Carolina State Board of Education voted to revoke Torchlight Academy’s charter Thursday, without discussion. The board discussed the matter in closed session Wednesday.
Chaos at School Board Meeting
Pioneer Prep not being transparent and removed Board Members
Newark charter school faces threat of management takeover due to loan default
A Newark charter school that defaulted on a loan agreement could be put in receivership or face foreclosure, drastic moves that illustrate the power private lenders wield over some public schools.
NOLA Public Schools accuses Singleton Charter operator of violating state sunshine laws
The NOLA Public Schools district early this month issued the Dryades YMCA governing board, which runs the soon-to-close James M. Singleton Charter School, a warning letter accusing it of violating the state Open Meetings Law when it disbanded its Education Advisory Committee — intended to oversee the school.
Baker city leaders upset over new charter school, considering lawsuit
“We do not need any more charter schools in the city of Baker,” said Mayor Darnell Waites. “Here’s the deal, if you want to build a school, you can build it anywhere in East Baton Rouge Parish, but we do not need a charter school in the city of Baker.”
A bill to bypass local school boards on charter decisions passes Tennessee Senate committee
A bill allowing charter schools to bypass the local approval process passed a key Senate committee Wednesday amid a renewed round of contentious debates around charter school expansion in Tennessee.
Easton charter school is losing its 5th principal in less than 5 years
In less than five years, the Easton Arts Academy Elementary Charter School has run through five principals.
IPS likely to close Joyce Kilmer School 69 after losing innovation charter partner
Indianapolis Public Schools will likely close Joyce Kilmer School 69 on the eastside after losing the charter partner tasked with turning around the school.
Kindezi Academy, the charter operator that revamped the school in 2016, announced Friday that it would end its partnership with IPS and shut down operations in June due to low student outcomes and facility issues.