A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The Richland One School Board voted three years ago
to revoke the charter of the Midlands Math and Business Academy. During the
appeals process, the school has been operating without a charter. Now the
courts have sided with the district, forcing the school to close next week...
South Carolina Public
Charter School
District (approved April 2013). In 2011 the State Charter School
Advisory Committee rejected the application.
Website
http://greenedcharterschool.org/,
designed by Atlantic Wind Productions (designs websites for other Gulen
charter schools in the region, as well as other organizations associated with
the Gulen movement, e.g. Istanbul Center.
Location/District
1440 Pelham Rd.,Greenville (the first charter school in Greenville County). The school acquired the
former Pelham Oaks Shopping Center.
Enrollment
Grades
K-12
Individuals involved
Akif
Aydin, Baran (aka Barry) Menguloglu, Imtiaz Haque, A. Kadir Yildirim
[Abdulkadir Yildirim], and Adem Dokmeci. Project Director [Abdulbasit] Akif
Aydin is a co-founder of River
City Science
Academy, a Gulen
charter school in FL. He is also the president of the South Carolina Dialogue
Foundation, and was previously director of Amity
Turkish Cultural
Center in FL where he was also its Turkey trip
guide. Baran Menguloglu is a South Carolina Dialogue Foundation board member.
Imtiaz Haque traveled to Turkey
on a South Carolina Dialogue Foundation-sponsored trip. A. Kadir Yildirim was
the chair of the GREEN Charter School Planning Committee. Adem Dokmeci, GREEN Charter
School’s principal for 2013-14 was
principal of River City Science
Academy in Florida during 2012-2013.
Greenville
County Schools, following initial review by the State Charter School Advisory
Committee
Location/District
Greenville area; originally to open fall
2007
Enrollment
For
grades 6-12, 480 students
Individuals involved
Names
appearing on 2006 application: Ali Ozer (lead), Guven Yucesan, Mevlut Tascan,
Ethan E. Ballard, Ruth Augustin. Augustin has been replaced by Joan
Breitenbruck in 2008 and 2009 documents.
Notes
SC charter
school law required applicants to first submit their charters to the State
Charter School Advisory Committee (SCSAC) for review and recommendation,
after which the local school board made the final decision. The school’s 5/2006
application was approved by SCSAC, but rejected in 11/2006 by the Greenville County school board (for an unsound
financial plan and inadequate evidence for community support). That decision was
overturned at the state level because of procedural issues and was remanded
for a rehearing. The rehearing took place in 4/2009 and the board rejected
the school once again. A PowerPoint presentation by the school held up Fulton Science
Academy, TEACH (now FSA High School)
in GA, plus River City Science
Academy and Sweetwater Branch
Academy in FL as
models. All four are Gulen charter schools associated w/ Grace Institute (see
below).
The South Carolina Secretary of State
issued a certificate of incorporation for Palmetto Education Corporation as a
nonprofit corporation on January 5, 2006. The registered agent for the
corporation was Guven Yucesan. Its address was listed as 230 Roper Mountain Road, Greenville,
South Carolina 29615.
The corporate filing was amended on June 26, 2006 to reflect that the
corporate name had been changed to “Greenville Science.”
From the 2010
brochure: “Membership is a contractual agreement where a candidate school
Governing Board adopts the Grace Institute standards and pays a per-pupil fee
to partake in the Institute’s activities and to benefit from membership
services.” Services listed: “Professional development workshops for new
administrator and faculty; Standards based teaching, assessment, and
evaluation support; Budget development support; Marketing, recruitment, and
enrollment support; Curriculum development research and support;
Accreditation standards support; Operations support.”
Individuals involved
Board
members on 990s for 2007, 2008, 2009: Ali Ozer, Kenar Sener, Namik Sercan,
Selim Ozdemir, and Yucel Aktas; w/books in care of Avni Cokavci and Ilbey
Budak [see Occonee
Science Academy
above; probably Ismailcem Budak Arpinar]
Notes
All
member schools are in the Gulen movement-identified charter school network.
Previously appearing on website: “Current members include these two original
schools [FSA Middle and High] as well as (in order of their opening years)
Stars Middle School, River City Science Academy Middle and High School, Orlando Science
Middle and High School, Sweetwater Branch Academy Middle and High School, New
Springs Middle School, Fulton Sunshine Academy Elementary School, River City
Science Academy Elementary School, and Sweetwater Branch Academy
Elementary School.”
At the moment, South Carolina mother Gretchen Herrera isn't worried about whether her son has to take state tests in reading and math this year.
He has to be in school for her to worry about that.
Last week, Ms. Herrera told me about how she doesn't want her son Anthony, 12, to take the tests because his two diagnoses, Asperger syndrome and Type I diabetes, are a somewhat lethal combination. Anthony did well on the one test he did take, but his blood sugar spiked to a dangerous level during the exam. She kept him from most of the testing last spring as a result, unable to get official permission from the school to do so despite a note from a doctor.
Then last weekend, Ms. Herrera staged a petite protest outside the South Carolina state government buildings in Columbia.
When she got home, there was a letter waiting for her. The online charter school her son attends said Anthony is no longer welcome.
The school said because Ms. Herrera signed a contract when she enrolled Anthony, a contract that includes a clause about taking state tests, and violated that contract, her son was being withdrawn from the school, effective immediately.
Ms. Herrera told me she did sign that contract—"except the part about testing," she told me. The school, which didn't make adequate yearly progress as measured by No Child Left Behind, hasn't called me back to explain more about its decision. The immediate question: Why unenroll Anthony now, and not months ago when he didn't take the state tests?
As Ms. Herrera researches schools that she believes would be a good fit for Anthony, he has been sitting at home, his access to the online charter school cut off...
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) A WMBF News investigation into salaries and expenses at public schools in Horry County has finally led to a charter school opening-up its books.
Bridgewater Academy, which gets more than $1 million of residents' tax dollars through Horry County Schools, failed to turn-over documents to WMBF News for months. On March 8, WMBF News sent a letter to Bridgewater's acting principal, Steve Wilson, requesting the documents. State law requires publicly-funded organizations to reply within 15 business days. But no one from the school responded until we let them know in late April that they were violating the law...
WMBF News informed the board they were not complying with South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act and again requested specific dollar amounts.
The board promised us they were working on it, but again after not getting the documents for weeks, we decided to show-up at one of their board meetings the night of July 20.
We asked Ms. Walters, who serves as the secretary on the board, if we could speak outside of their meeting during a break.
We pointed out that we were trying to find out how much Bridgewater spends on administrator and teacher salaries.
"And we've been slow in getting that to you because we've never been asked that question before. And we actually had to create those documents," Walters replied.
Walters mentioned that they have a small staff, which made the situation more difficult. But we pointed out that another charter school in Myrtle Beach, the Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success, had complied with the law and turned-over the information to us. They also have a small staff.
"I can't speak for them," Walters told us. "And I don't know how their staffing or their organization is. We did go through a little upheaval this year with the administrator [Craig Crawford] leaving and then temporarily filling it. And that was a challenge that maybe they didn't have to undergo."
The upheaval was still apparent at the board meeting WMBF News attended last month with teachers showing-up saying they still didn't have a contract and weren't sure where classes would be held this year...
The point throughout the WMBF News investigation has been for community members to know how schools in Horry County are spending tax payer money.
The law in South Carolina is clear. You have a right to know. All legal information can be found under the Freedom of Information Act guide: http://www.scpress.org/Documents/2011FOI.pdf
Jay Bender, an attorney in Columbia who's an expert on First Amendment cases, tells WMBF News that if Bridgewater's board members had never turned over the documents they could've been charged with a misdemeanor.
But, he says, unlike other criminal violations you can actually tell courts in South Carolina that you were unaware of the law and be found "not guilty."
An Horry County charter school's board chairman declined to give the school's financial records to a parent, though the records are open to the public, according to state law.
Gail Baillargeon, parent of a fourth-grader at Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success charter school last year, said she was denied an opportunity to review the school's books when she requested a meeting with school financial officials to do so.
Bill Sammons, chairman of the school's board of directors, told Baillargeon in a letter that day-to-day financials of the school are not available for public review...
Bill Rogers, executive director of the S.C. Press Association, said the school's records are public.
Baillargeon said she twice requested in writing a time to meet with the school's financial committee to review financial records. The request was made at the school's Jan. 18 board meeting, as well as in an email sent to the board on the same day, according to copies she sent The Sun News.
She said in a telephone interview that she asked for a meeting because of concerns she had with financial management of the school.
Courtney Fancher, the school's principal and executive director, said she could not respond to an individual Freedom of Information Act request.
Baillargeon received a letter dated Jan. 26 from Sammons. In it, he said, "The day-to-day financials of Palmetto Academy are not available for public review; therefore, you will not be able to schedule a meeting with the Finance Committee to 'review the books' as you requested. One way that you may stay up-to-date on the PALS' financial happenings is by routinely attending Board meetings. Additionally, you may be reassured to learn that PALS uses an independent financial consulting firm, Kelley-Moser Consulting, for the management of all of the school's finances."
Rogers said the letter is "completely wrong." He said the school is a public entity and the financial records are open to the public.
Rogers said a written request to receive financial information does not have to say it is a FOIA request to be valid...
The first director of Riverview Charter School has accused her former employers of luring her to Beaufort with false promises, misrepresenting her responsibilities and firing her without cause, according to an amended lawsuit filed this month.
Eleanore Bednarsh and her husband, Gary, are suing in the Court of Common Pleas of the 14th Judicial Circuit for 20 causes, including fraud, defamation, civil conspiracy and breach of contract.
The suit, filed Oct. 14, lists the Beaufort County School District and Riverview Charter School as defendants, as well as several current and former members of the Riverview board of directors and a school district liaison to the school.
The school district stands by a statement issued in September, after an earlier version of the suit was filed, saying it is not directly involved in the matter, according to Jennifer Staton, district risk manager. The district never employed Bednarsh, never supervised her employment and did not fire her, the statement said.
The district is Riverview's sponsor, but charter schools can hire their own employees.
Bednarsh was hired in April 2009 at an annual salary of $90,000. She was fired the following December after Riverview officials said she didn't meet performance goals. She did not receive severance pay…
An offer by the first director of Riverview Charter School to resolve a dispute over her abrupt firing with a $242,000 payment was not accepted, according to court filings.
Eleanore Bednarsh made the offer to end her pending lawsuit against the school June 18.
Riverview didn't accept the offer within the allotted 20 days, so it expired, according to court documents.
Bednarsh's lawyers filed papers in March to preserve and gather evidence that could be used in a civil lawsuit…
The school district was not involved in Bednarsh's hiring or termination, according to a statement it issued Friday.
"The district and several district officials have been sued about a matter that does not directly involve the district, and we have responded appropriately," the statement said. "We regret that taxpayer funds must be spent for this purpose, but we have no alternative but to defend the district."…
Lawyers for the first director of Riverview Charter School filed for a protective order and bill of discovery last week to preserve and gather evidence that could be used in a lawsuit related to her abrupt firing…
Bednarsh was fired halfway through her first year as Riverview's director because she failed to meet performance goals, officials said in January. She did not receive severance pay.
She and her lawyers are asking to begin discovery by accessing e-mails, voicemails, notes and other records related to Bednarsh and her employment, according to the complaint. They are requesting access to electronic storage devices, including personal computers and cell phones owned by the defendants…
The Apple Charter School hasn't even opened yet, but it's already suing the Charleston County School District for more money.
The new charter school on James Island plans to serve low-achieving kindergartners through sixth-graders, and it's asked the court to force the district to pay its rent, maintenance and transportation costs. In May, the charter school asked the board to pay its $200,000 annual lease and $123,000 for student transportation, but the school board turned down the request.
State law calls for charter schools to pay such costs with the money allocated to them by formula, but a law applicable only to Charleston County prohibits the district from denying a charter school anything that is otherwise available to a public school.
Some, such as the Apple Charter School, interpret the local law to mean the district must cover these costs because it does so for non-charter schools. But paying those costs would be giving the school more money than the state formula requires, and that money would come from the district's general operating fund that covers the expenses for every other county school…
The debate about what the local law, Act 189, means in terms of the district's obligation to charter schools has been ongoing for years, and the district has sued the state to determine whether it's constitutional. A circuit judge ruled the law was valid, and the board appealed the case to the state Supreme Court earlier this year…
CALHOUN FALLS, S.C. -- A Calhoun Falls Charter School teacher is being held at the Abbeville County Detention Center after police said that he had sex with a student.
James Christopher Taylor, 39, was charged with criminal sexual conduct and was denied bond during a hearing on Tuesday…
"I happen to know the guy and he's always seemed like a nice person to me," said Josh Gary. "I've known him for several years and I just hope it's not true."
Police said they do not believe there are any other students involved.
"You're going to have two sides hurt," Alewine said. "You got to have his side devastated. Her side is going to be devastated. The community is going to be devastated. We fought hard for our charter school up here and it's going to hurt the school."...
A North Charleston charter school set up to help at-risk children is the worst-performing school in the county, spends less than half of its budget on classroom expenses and houses a private, for-profit day care center owned by the school's two highest-paid employees.
Susan G. Boykin Academy has spent more than a half-million dollars that it didn't have during the past four school years by delaying bill payments and making arrangements to pay back its creditors.
The Charleston County School Board voted earlier this month to shut down the school at the end of this school year for poor student achievement and its lack of sound fiscal management, and the school district's attorney has alerted state authorities about concerns with the school's spending.
School officials say they're using taxpayer money as effectively as possible to educate high-poverty, low-achieving students. They say the private day care center is run separately from the school and it's intended to help pre-school students.
Boykin Academy opened in the fall of 2005 and enrolls about 130 children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The school is rated "at-risk" on the state report card, and its test scores are the lowest among district elementary schools.
Despite its students' needs, the majority of the school's money hasn't gone directly into classrooms. An analysis using the school's most recent audit showed more than 52 percent of its funds went to non-instructional or support services, far more than Charleston County's other elementary charter schools, which spent 26 percent to 38 percent of their funds that way. The skewed spending has meant the charter school hasn't bought SmartBoards, classroom computers or library books, and it hasn't employed a guidance counselor or media specialist. Such equipment and positions are standard for district schools.
An external review team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visited the school in February as part of the charter renewal process. Their report on the school used the word "alarming" to describe the percentage of funds not dedicated to face-to-face teaching, and it criticized its number of administrators. For example, the combined salaries and benefits for two of the school's highest paid employees -- executive director and founder Dee Miller and chief operations officer Danell Miller -- totaled more than $150,000 for last school year, or roughly 10 percent of its $1.5 million budget. Dee is married to Danell...
...John Emerson, in-house attorney for Charleston County School District, said he's contacted the state attorney general's office and the State Ethics Commission because of his concern about the use of taxpayer money and property relative to the day care center. The day care center at Boykin Academy appears to be the only for-profit business of its kind run on a district school's campus, he said.
Dee Miller said she doesn't see any problem in the relationship involving her and her husband, the charter school and the day care.
When the school paid for the space now used by the day care, it spent roughly 10 percent of its budget on rent. The monthly costs included $7,500 for the main building's mobile units and $2,500 to lease 2.3 acres of land off Rivers Avenue. The external review of the school described the mobile units as in dire need of improvement, and it cited cracked ceilings, leaning steps and poor drainage on campus. The buildings and grounds neither provided "an atmosphere that is conducive to meeting health and safety requirements nor do they enable students to achieve expectations for student learning," according to the February report...
...Although charter schools are public schools funded by taxpayers' dollars, they operate largely independent of the district. They have separate boards that are supposed to oversee them, but in the case of Boykin, minutes from recent board meetings were unavailable and one-third of its board positions are vacant, according to the February review.
Besides a lack of oversight, the school hasn't been forthcoming with district officials about the number of teachers working at the school and whether they meet state mandates for its percentage of certified teachers.
About half of the school's 22 employees are teachers, but school leaders gave the names of only eight teachers when asked by district officials for a complete list of teachers. Dee Miller said she didn't list the three others because they teach special areas, such as art, but two of the names listed on the sheet supplied by the school taught special areas. Miller said the school's attorney told her she didn't need to list special area teachers after she started making the list, and she didn't think about revising the list before submitting it.
The state requires those teaching core academic areas, such as English and math, in a charter school to be certified in those areas or have a baccalaureate or graduate degree in that subject. Two of the six core academic teachers listed by the school aren't appropriately certified for the subject they teach, according to district officials, and that violates state law. The school contends it has the required percentage of certified teachers.
