December, 2019
DEC 27, 2019 – Nashville asks judge to overturn state decision to keep Knowledge Academies charter schools open
In an ongoing dispute over the future of Knowledge Academies charter schools, lawyers for the city are asking a Nashville judge for the authority to shut the schools down.
Dec 20, 2019 -Greg White and Tricia Reidy: Frustrated that Chinese charter school advertises on NEPR
Supporting the local affiliate of National Public Radio is certainly a worthy cause, of course. But it seems wholly inappropriate that taxpayer monies should be used to market PVCICS.
DEC 23, 2019 – State: Closed Arkansas charter school’s chief in contempt
The Arkansas Board of Education is seeking to have former charter school founder and operator Valerie Tatum held in contempt of court for failing to produce documents that will enable the state to audit the now-closed Covenant Keepers Charter School.
DEC 20, 2019 – Facing enrollment, financial issues, New Roots Charter School placed on probation by SUNY
New Roots Charter School has been placed on probation by the SUNY Board of Trustees Charter School Committee for multiple violations of its charter agreement, leaving the school’s future uncertain.
Dec 20, 2019 – Easton charter school fires its CEO, will file complaint against its solicitor
A lawsuit accusing Easton Arts Academy administrators of rigging grades and fudging employee evaluations was filed exactly one year prior to the date of Hughes’ termination.
DEC 18, 2019 – Founder of shuttered charter school arrested on embezzlement charges
Richard S. Rose, who served as superintendent, CEO and chief financial officer of Zoe Learning Academy, is expected to make his initial appearance in a federal courtroom at 2 p.m., where he will answer to charges of conspiracy, mail fraud, theft of government funds, money laundering and false bankruptcy declarations.
DEC 19, 2019 – Reporters faced resistance at every level when researching series on charter school waste
Some of the largest charter school operators in the state declined to answer questions about their financing or clarify details that we found in bond documents and other records.
DEC 18, 2019 – Stamford Academy charter school to close in 2020
Having weathered the closing of one of its charter schools over the summer, Stamford will say goodbye to its remaining one at the end of the current school year.
DEC 16, 2019 Marion Military Academy closes its doors
Marion Military Academy, the county’s only charter high school, closed its doors on Monday, citing years of financial struggles that it could not overcome.
DEC 17, 2019 – Problems continue for Montgomery’s first charter school
As former LEAD Academy principal Nichole Ivey-Price prepares for another hearing in her ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit against the charter school, a number of current and former LEAD employees have told APR that the environment at the school remains one of near-chaos.
DEC 16, 2019 – Flight canceled: IDEA charter school nixes plan to lease private jet
Texas’ largest charter school network abruptly grounded its plan to spend millions of dollars leasing and operating a private jet Monday, hours after the Houston Chronicle and a state teachers union raised questions about the arrangement.
DEC 15, 2019 – Inspire charter school says it sometimes struggles to monitor student work
School leaders within the Inspire homeschool charter network — where parents pick their children’s curricula — say they are struggling to ensure students meet statewide learning standards.
DEC 11, 2019 – Memphis charter school leader fired after internal investigation
Wilkins declined to tell Chalkbeat what the investigation revealed or why Johnson was fired. Chalkbeat attempted to reach Johnson Wednesday, but the phone number was disconnected.
DEC 11, 2019 – Newark charter school subpoenaed over $10M building markup after NorthJersey.com investigation
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed a Newark charter school seeking information on the purchase by its nonprofit support group of two former public school buildings that were flipped at a markup of close to $10 million.
DEC 12, 2019 – Sonoma Charter School finances raise alarm
An “urgent” call to parents from the director of Sonoma Charter School about a “budget crisis” was intended to grab the attention of parents and get them involved and show up at a meeting, the director, Marc Elin said, downplaying the level of drama of the message emailed Dec. 6 to school stakeholders.
DEC 11, 2019 – Charter school run by former Utah lawmaker faces allegations of mismanagement
Phil Faulkner couldn’t believe what his bosses were asking him to do. So he didn’t do it. Instead, he blew the whistle.
Up until last September, Faulkner was an employee of Charter Solutions, a charter school management company, and he was assigned to Utah Military Academy, a public charter school.
DEC 11, 2019 – Most Philly charter schools failed to test water for lead –– and city gave them a pass
Two years after Philadelphia officials pledged to crack down on lead in drinking water at school buildings, most city charter schools still haven’t tested for the dangerous neurotoxin. The lapse was not caught until now because the city agencies tasked with oversight have failed to enforce Philadelphia’s post-Flint-crisis water quality standards.
DEC 08, 2019 – What can we learn from Washington’s recent charter-school closures?
The issue is particularly pressing since Ashé is the fourth Washington state charter school to close this year. Destiny Middle School and Soar Academy, both in Tacoma, and Excel Public Charter School, which resided in the same building Ashé ultimately leased, also ended operations.
DEC 05, 2019 – State board deals a blow to IPS by backing charter operator
The Indiana State Board of Education dealt a blow Wednesday to a last-minute effort by Indianapolis Public Schools to retain control of three schools poised to be wrested away and handed to a charter school operator.
DEC 04, 2019 – City on a Hill in crisis: Police called to emotional parent meeting; students protest today
Police were called to a City on Hill parents’ meeting Wednesday night after the gathering became heated, with some parents yelling and screaming at the informational session about the charter school’s impending closure.
DEC 04, 2019 – State appeals court rules lawsuit against former leader of defunct Kinston Charter Academy can proceed
A State Court of Appeals panel has ruled there’s “insufficient evidence” to determine whether a former Kinston charter school operator can claim “public official immunity” in defense of charges that he misused public money.
DEC 03, 2019 – One A3 charter school defendant pleads guilty to conspiracy
One of 11 people indicted for the alleged A3 charter school scheme has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit a crime.
The defendant, Troy Kukahiko from Hawaii, is now scheduled to be sentenced on May 4.
DEC 02, 2019 – R.I. education chief recommends 5-year renewal for failing charter school
The commissioner of education has recommended a five-year renewal for a charter school despite at least four years of failing academic achievement, low graduation rates and a poor track record for placing graduates in construction jobs.
DEC 01, 2019 – IPS superintendent: Charter Schools USA fails to meet partnership standards
The facts are that CSUSA’s tenure at Emma Donnan is littered with high staff turnover, declining enrollment and a proposed future governance structure that was not clearly communicated or understood.
DEC 01, 2019 – Most virtual charter schools’ students don’t graduate
In a state where the average graduation rate is 83%, just 40.2% of Epic’s students graduated on time last year, according to recently released school assessment data from the state Department of Education.