October, 2019
OCT 31, 2019 – San Diego Cooperative Charter School Is in Meltdown Mode
The San Diego Cooperative Charter School is in crisis. The future of 180 kids at one campus and even the entire institution – known for its progressive, child-centered learning model – are uncertain.
OCT 30, 2019 – What Is This Charter School Hiding?
El Camino Real Charter High School still refuses to release records that show how public funds were allowed to be used for private benefit.
OCT 30, 2019 – State overpaid $1.4 million to St. Louis charter school due to false attendance records
Fraudulent attendance records spurred at least $1.4 million in state overpayments to the now-closed St. Louis College Prep Charter School, a state audit disclosed Tuesday.
OCT 28, 2019 – Taxpayers could help fund Cape Coral charter schools
The city is digging itself into debt to pay for the buildings of these charter schools. An analysis of just how bad the issue is showed it will total more than $60 million when you factor in total principal and interest. That’s because of the lease agreement on these buildings. The debt service on them is $3.2 million per year.
OCT 28, 2019 – Attorney General Looks Into Closed Kansas City Charter School That May Owe Millions To Missouri
A Kansas City charter school that closed in 2018 still owes millions of dollars to the state – and the Missouri Attorney General’s office has gotten involved.
OCT 28, 2019 – Dallas Charter School CEO Donna Woods Convicted In Kickback Scheme, Then Returns To School
A Dallas charter school CEO was convicted in a corruption scandal, yet she returned to school just days after a federal jury found her guilty.
OCT 27, 2019 – Fate of Southwest Early College High School’s charter to be determined by SCS board this week
The allegations that were found to be true from the investigation included incomplete class schedules, staffing shortages, students with IEPs not receiving proper resources, lack of textbooks for dual enrollment, and students unable to take credit recovery classes.
OCT 27, 2019 – My Tour of Achievement First
“The teachers spewed a stream of punishments, and I often couldn’t even see what the students were doing wrong,” writes Senator Sam Bell. “The students kept losing points or getting yelled at for things like not looking attentive enough.“
OCT 25, 2019 – Crosstown High students protest against education changes
Students say the school has not lived up to its promise. In a letter, students outlined issues they have including an unfair grading system that is failing students who are passing, curriculum that is below high school standards, and they say the school purposefully segregates black and white students into different grade groupings.
OCT 23, 2019 – Neuse Charter School director steps down
A Memphis charter school that promises to help students earn college credit and get their associate degree could close in a matter of weeks.
It comes after a Shelby County Schools investigation found several violations.
OCT 21, 2019 – Are suburban and charter schools pushing special ed students to RCSD’s door?
Analysis of over three years of RCSD data shows students departing suburban and charter schools for RCSD are much more likely to be homeless or living with disabilities than the students being retained
OCT 18, 2019 – A Philly charter school denied a young girl’s enrollment because of her ADHD, lawsuit says
An education advocacy group sued a Philadelphia charter school on Thursday, alleging it barred a 6-year-old from enrolling after learning she required services for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
OCT 18, 2019 – Founder and CEO of embattled Inspire charter schools resigns
The announcement comes about two weeks after seven county superintendents, including San Diego’s county superintendent, officially requested a state fiscal agency to audit the Inspire network for potential fraud.
OCT 17, 2019 – Former head of Holly Springs charter school questions rapid growth, alleges board interference
In its opening year, Pine Springs Prep enrolled 100 more students than the 396 listed in its application. Now in its third year, it has enrolled 769 students, almost 200 more than the 587 projected in its application.
OCT 16, 2019 – Charter school that opened in Kent this fall abruptly closes
A charter school in Kent that debuted at summer’s end suddenly closed because of a staff exodus and dwindling student enrollment — making it the fourth Washington charter school to shutter in the past year.
OCT 16, 2019 – This company set up charter schools across North Carolina. Its leaders have left.
An organization that helped set up charter schools in North Carolina and Arizona has lost several of its leaders and cut back on its work, leading two N.C. schools to drop the organization’s services.
Now, those schools — which represent about 11,000 students — are wondering what to do next.
OCT 15, 2019 – Charter school future in jeopardy due to low enrollment
The future of an Aurora charter school is in jeopardy because it’s in breach of its contract with the Aurora Public School District (APS), a spokesperson for the district said.
APS sent a notice to the Aurora Community School on Oct. 3, telling the school they had breached their contract with regard to financial viability based on the school’s under-enrollment, a spokesperson for APS said.
OCT 15, 2019 – South L.A. Charter School Founder, Son Get Probation for Misusing $200,000 in Taxpayers’ Money
The founder of a charter school in South Los Angeles and her son were each sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to misusing $200,000 in taxpayers’ money meant for the campus, prosecutors said Tuesday.
OCT 14, 2019 – Many Texas school districts are relying on their own talent to run controversial charter partnerships
Last week, leaders participating in the new partnerships gathered at Texas Wesleyan University to discuss why they turned to the controversial law: It gives them more state money and flexibility in things like staffing and curriculum.
OCT 10, 2019 – Beyond the Books: 2 Utah charter schools could close by year’s end
The Utah State Charter School Board voted Thursday morning to begin the process of closing two financially troubled charter schools.
OCT 10, 2019 – California to Audit Charter School Network for Alleged Fraud
A statewide group of county superintendents has requested a sweeping state audit to investigate potential fraud by the Inspire home charter school network.
OCT 11, 2019 – Morning Report: Charter Scandal Exposes Holes in State Processes
Just one process in California is designed to act as an early warning system when financial shenanigans are going on inside schools. It’s a yearly audit, by a “state-approved,” “independent” auditor, according to the Department of Education.
OCT 08, 2019 – 8-year-old girl in Michigan denied school picture because of red in her hair
Paragon Charter Academy has a strict dress code, outlining that hair color must be in “natural tones” for pictures. Hairstyles must be “conservative” and “extreme hairstyles” aren’t allowed.
OCT 07, 2019 – McIntosh charter school director resigns
The director of McIntosh Area School, as well as a teacher and a paraprofessional, resigned in the wake of a regular meeting of the charter school’s board of directors.
OCT 05, 2019 – 17 Nevada charter schools on notice over performance
The State Public Charter School Authority put 12 charter schools on a notice of concern Friday after the latest star rating results from 2018-19 showed low performance and gave five more schools a notice of breach of contract because of routine underperformance.
OCT 04, 2019 – Inspire Charter Schools offered to pay families, staff to recruit students
In 2015, Inspire promised families $200 and staff $100 for every student they referred to the home charter school
OCT 01, 2019 – ‘Craziness’: How Montgomery’s first charter school has devolved into chaos in less than six weeks
LEAD Academy, Montgomery’s first charter school, has been a chaotic mess since it opened less than six weeks ago…
OCT 01, 2019 – LEAD Academy principal: Charter school not in compliance with state laws
The former principal of Montgomery’s first charter school said she was let go after raising questions about whether the school was following state laws on charters.
OCT 03, 2019 – State auditors: Charter school managers fail to follow own expense report rules
Five senior managers at one of Long Island’s fastest-growing public charter schools charged more than $60,000 in credit-card expenses without receipts or itemizations required by their school’s own rules, state auditors reported.