#ANOTHERDAYANOTHERCHARTERSCHOOLSCANDAL
UPDATED: Epic charter school penalized $530K for excessive administrative costs
Epic One on One virtual charter school has been penalized more than $530,000 for exceeding the state limit on administrative spending, a limit imposed by state statute meant to keep the bulk of state education funding in the classroom.
Bank buys Dayton charter school property for $590K
With a go-ahead from a bankruptcy court, a Delaware bank recently bought the property of a Dayton charter school — owned by a bankrupt charter school operator — for nearly $600,000.
The inconvenient truth about charter ‘success’: They weed out students; traditional public schools must teach all
Though charters are open to all by lottery, as a group they enroll a significantly smaller percentage than public schools of our neediest children, such as English language learners, special education students or those from the poorest families.
Build a wall’: State puts Odyssey Charter under formal review after ‘discriminatory’ remarks
The Charter School Accountability Committee will now be tasked with determining whether Odyssey Charter has violated the terms of its charter and probationary conditions of its charter renewal.
Epic’s financial web includes related companies, organizations
The connection between Epic and Five Points Technology is just one example of how some of the state funding sent to Epic moves to companies and nonprofits managed by Epic staff or individuals with close ties to the virtual charter school, according to a review of tax records, audits and invoices by The Frontier.
Charter school backlash shows why oversight is needed in Texas [Opinion]
IDEA Public Schools recently cancelled a multimillion-dollar lease for a private jet and San Antonio Spurs tickets after a wave of negative backlash. State officials should dig a bit deeper to ensure IDEA and other charter management organizations, or CMOs, operating in Texas are behaving ethically and in the best interest of all Texas students.
State will close Jersey City charter school campus, report says
M.E.T.S. Charter School, which has one campus in Newark and one in the Jersey City Heights, has suffered from poor performance, high turnover, and a disruptive classroom atmosphere, according to a letter from state Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet, which was obtained by Chalkbeat.
Former Charter School Finance Officer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud
A Hilo woman pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud by embezzling funds from the charter school where she worked. Kelaukila Estabilio, 39, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, 2020, before US District Judge Derrick K. Watson.
Alabama looks to shut down controversial charter school before it opens
Today’s vote by the Alabama Public Charter School Commission denied a request by Woodland Prep officials to extend the deadline to obtain a certificate of occupancy for the school. That denial opened the door for the Commission to begin revocation procedures.
Dehesa Says inspire charter schools apper to be skirtging transparency laws
Today’s vote by the Alabama Public Charter School Commission denied a request by Woodland Prep officials to extend the deadline to obtain a certificate of occupancy for the school. That denial opened the door for the Commission to begin revocation procedures.
Ohio charter-school-bonus loophole needs closing – for good
Left uncorrected, Ohio law seemingly requires that the state — that is, Ohio taxpayers — pay millions of dollars in undeserved bonuses to failing and poorly performing charter schools.
Charter netwroork leader apologizes for really dumb unhelpful financial decisions
The head of a Texas-based charter school chain publicly apologized for “really dumb and unhelpful” plans that included leasing a private jet for millions of dollars and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on San Antonio Spurs tickets.
Dallas Charter School CEO Convicted in Kickback Scheme
A Dallas charter school CEO was sentenced Thursday to more than seven years in federal prison for her role in a corruption scandal following an investigation by the FBI Dallas Field Office, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
After backlash over $2M luxury jet, IDEA charter schools to stop spending $400K on Spurs tickets
Several weeks after IDEA Public Schools nixed plans to spend millions of dollars on a charter jet lease, the charter network’s leader announced the end of additional “hard to defend” spending practices Thursday, including the purchase of tickets and a luxury box for events at San Antonio’s AT&T Center.
For DeVos, the Pandemic Is Another Opportunity for Profit
While the focus should be on how to keep students, teachers, and staff safe—while still providing some form of quality public education—DeVos is using the pandemic as an opportunity to support private and charter schools, despite their not being a feasible option for many.