#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
Former head of Livermore charter schools charged with misleading investors
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged former CEO of the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation, Bill Batchelor, with allegedly misleading investors when acquiring a $25 million bond for Livermore charter schools.
IDEA charter school network landed grants with political help from Education Department, congressman says
A U.S. congressman is demanding answers from the U.S. Education Department, alleging department employees complained to his office about political interference in the awarding of a multimillion-dollar federal grant to the controversial IDEA charter school network.
Whistleblower teacher put on leave by charter school
The teacher who contacted WRAL News with concerns about having to report to work at Youngsville Academy during a stay-at-home order was put on administrative leave by the school’s principal Wednesday.
Charter school company spends big on luxury travel
Last October, the CEO and president of the largest charter school company in Texas took a trip to Houston. They didn’t travel the way most public-school employees would have. Instead, they traveled by private jet, their spouses and five children came along for the trip, and they got around Houston not by Uber or rent car, but in a chauffeured SUV.
Education Advocates Say Cyber Charters Spend Millions on Ads
Cyber charter schools appear to be spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money on advertising, but at least one refuses to show the details.
Commonwealth Charter Academy is one of the biggest cyber charters in the state and recruits students through extensive and expensive advertising.
Epic Charter Schools’ for-profit management firm refuses to release documents to investigators, Oklahoma attorney general says
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office went to court on Thursday because it says Epic Charter Schools’ for-profit operator has not been cooperating with the state’s investigative audit.
The School Says It’s Not A Virtual Charter. State Legal Experts Aren’t So Sure
An agricultural-focused charter school is under scrutiny from the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE), because according to the board’s legal counsel the school is operating like a virtual charter school when state law says it shouldn’t be.
One of Rhode Island’s first charter schools is closing
The Academy for Career Exploration, which was one of Rhode Island’s first charter schools when it opened in 1997 as the Textron Chamber of Commerce Academy, informed the state Department of Education last month that it would close rather than craft a reform plan that might have kept it open.
The Detroit district considers reauthorizing two charter schools to allow them time to transition — or improve
District officials are considering extending contracts for the Barack Obama Leadership Academy and David Ellis Academy, but only for two years. The short extension, officials say, will give the schools time to show the kind of academic improvement that might warrant a longer contract, or to secure a different authorizer.
Ethical questions raised around Cornerstone charter schools’ real estate deals
On a bitter morning last month, the board for Cornerstone Madison-Carver Academy met to hear from the school network’s founder, Clark Durant, about a plan aiming to reinvigorate funding for the schools.
Florida charter schools: From innovators to pariahs | Dockery
After charter conversions became a reality, the next step was to establish charter schools operated by nonprofit organizations with expertise in an area that addressed a special need of students. Then the charter school movement expanded to nonprofits without a specialty. And, of course, that eventually led to for-profit charter schools.
Oklahoma Watch: Epic Charter School grads less likely to enroll in college
In a five-month investigation, Oklahoma Watch found that fewer than 1 in 5 of Epic’s 2019 graduates enrolled in a public Oklahoma college or university last fall. Its rate was lower than rates for all of the state’s 10 largest school districts, according to an Oklahoma Watch analysis of education data.
Fraud investigator will comb through Easton charter school finances
The Easton Arts Academy Elementary Charter School board hired a fraud investigator Thursday to review the school’s finances.
Board President Michelle Zattoni said Fraud Forensic Investigations LLC will perform a comprehensive review of the school’s ledgers.
Students at Colorado Springs charter school walk out to protest safety concerns
Airing several complaints, a group of students at CIVA Charter Academy walked out of classes Wednesday and called for an outside investigation of operations, finances and practices.
Public oversight of Michigan charter schools inadequate, report says
Public oversight of Michigan’s charter schools needs to be strengthened to ensure tax dollars are spent productively and that students are well-served, says a new report by a nonprofit public affairs research group.