#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
A Black teacher questioned Eva Moskowitz’s response to George Floyd’s death. Now, Success Academy is facing bigger questions about race.
Four days after the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, a Brooklyn Success Academy teacher emailed her network’s CEO, one of the nation’s most prominent charter school leaders, asking why she hadn’t said anything publicly.
Southeastern San Diego’s Gompers charter school laid off more than a third of its teachers
Phylicia Johnson isn’t sure what to do for her son’s education next school year. Her 12-year-old son, who goes to Gompers Preparatory Academy in southeastern San Diego, is going to lose five of his six teachers next school year due to layoffs.
Why NC needs to hit the pause on school choice until we meet students’ basic needs
In North Carolina, charter schools and vouchers increase the costs of educating students. Both programs should be paused until we have a system that meets students basic needs.
Glendale charter school parts ways with principal following anti-Semitic, racist texts
Heritage Elementary charter school in Glendale parted ways with its principal on Monday after an employee posted to social media a series of anti-Semitic and racist messages the principal had sent to the employee.
Head of Pa. charter schools group steps down after posting that Floyd protesters ‘disgust me’
The executive director of a Pennsylvania charter school advocacy group has stepped down after posting on Facebook that protesters of the death of George Floyd “disgust me” and “all lives matter.”
Palisades Charter High School takes money from a program meant for small businesses without a plan of how it will be spent.
Since the government funds its operations, Palisades Charter High School’s revenue has not been affected by Covid-19. The school is also supposed to operate as a non-profit, not a business.
One year after Kennedy HS graduation scandal, New Beginnings charter group votes to dissolve
One year after a graduation scandal rocked John F. Kennedy High School, its independent nonprofit operator, the New Beginnings Schools Foundation, quietly and succinctly voted in a pandemic-allowed virtual meeting to dissolve the organization.
State Law on Superintendent Severance Excludes Charter Schools
State law gives the Commissioner of Education power to reduce a school district’s funding by the amount that a superintendent’s severance payment exceeds one year’s salary and benefits. But the relevant section of the Texas Education Code doesn’t apply to charter schools, a Texas Education Agency spokesman said Monday.
Professor, students examine charter school hiring practices
Despite the importance of nurses, librarians and counselors, according to the researchers, there has been little research about the extent to which charter schools — schools that receive government funding but operate independently of the established state school system in which they are located — employ these crucial personnel.
Senator says he was asked to delete Epic emails
A state senator says he was asked to delete emails by the official who oversees Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board weeks after she downplayed her communication with him to an attorney representing Epic virtual charter school.
Canales: We need more transparency at Texas charter schools
State Rep. Terry Canales wants more transparency at Texas charter schools and says he will introduce legislation next session to demand it.
The Edinburg Democrat does not like the way IDEA Public Schools has been run over the past few years. Referencing Texas’ largest charter school network, Canales titled a recent post on Facebook, “Charter Schools Gone Wild.”
IDEA Public Schools co-founder getting $900K severance following resignation
IDEA Public Schools co-founder Tom Torkelson will receive $900,000 as part of a separation agreement reached last month, when he resigned as CEO after a two-decade run with the state’s largest charter school operator, according to a copy of the deal obtained Friday.
Memo to charter school advocates: Get your facts straight; stop undermining traditional public education
North Carolina charter advocates continually complain of an “unfair” funding system despite regularly outspending comparable traditional public schools. An analysis of expenditure data from the ’18-19 school year indicates that charter schools maintain a small, $83 per-student local funding advantage over similar public schools. Charter advocates seeking greater investment in charter students should stop trying to take money from the less-advantaged traditional sector and instead work together to ensure state leaders deliver adequate funding for all students.
Gemski: BVP took advantage of a loophole
I want to start off by saying I fully understand that these truly are challenging times for both public and private entities alike. But I have to admit that I was shocked and, honestly, a bit appalled when I learned that Blackstone Valley Prep, a charter school here in Cumberland, had decided to accept a $4 million Paycheck Protection Program loan.
Did some charter schools double-dip in federal coronavirus relief funding?
In April, the charter school’s board called a special meeting to take $550,600 of Cares Act money via a Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan. Those loans were intended by Congress to shore up small, struggling businesses that would otherwise lay off their employees as revenue dried up