Gulen charter schools

Please note: Since this entry was originally posted in June 2010, four separate pages have been created to provide readers with more detailed information:

• About Gulen charter schools
• Gulen charter school list
• The Gulen movement and its schools in the news 
• Gulen charter schools state-by-state

WIKILEAKS FILES DETAIL U.S. UNEASE OVER TURKS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS; April 4, 2011; Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)

Classified documents recently released by WikiLeaks recount U.S. officials' growing concern over large numbers of Turkish men seeking visas to work at American charter schools founded by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a powerful Turkish Muslim political figure who lives in the Poconos.

"Gulen supporters account for an increasing proportion of [the] . . . nonimmigrant visa applicant pool," a consular official in Istanbul, Turkey, wrote in 2006, according to one of the documents posted by WikiLeaks two weeks ago.

"Consular officials have noticed that most of these applicants share a common characteristic: They are generally evasive about their purpose of travel to the United States."...

An analysis of H1-B visas conducted for The Inquirer showed that the number granted for Gulen charter schools has grown substantially since that 2006 report. More than 2,500 have been issued since 2007...

As The Inquirer has reported, several federal agencies - including the FBI and the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education - are investigating whether charter employees working in this country on H1-B visas are kicking back part of their salaries to a Muslim movement Gulen founded known as Hizmet, or "Service," according to sources...

Other U.S. documents released by WikiLeaks detail diplomats' efforts to follow the Gulen movement in Turkey and their growing unease as they observed an increase in its followers heading to the United States to teach...

The embassy report questioned Gulen's ultimate aims and said the embassy had evidence the movement pressured Turkish businessmen to give money to Gulenist schools and activities.

"We have multiple reliable reports that the Gulenists use their school network (including dozens of schools in the U.S.) to cherry-pick students they think are susceptible to being molded as proselytizers and we have steadily heard reports about how the schools indoctrinate boarding students," the report said.

Many Gulen-sponsored high schools in Turkey are boarding schools. Scholars who have studied the Gulen movement in Turkey have found that many of those students wind up teaching in U.S. charter schools after earning degrees from Turkish universities with Gulen's support.

One of the most detailed reports in the WikiLeaks cache is titled "Fethullah Gulen: Why Are His Followers Traveling?"

Written from Istanbul in 2006, it describes Gulen as "at the apex of a growing global network of organizations that profess a peace-loving, ecumenical vision of Islam."

The writer continued: "Gulen's activities first piqued consular officers' interest several years ago when applicants began to appear seeking to visit a number of charter schools in the U.S. with which consular officers were unfamiliar."

After interviewing "thousands" of Turks seeking permission to travel to the United States, the consular office in Istanbul compiled "a substantial list of organizations that seem in some way affiliated with Gulen." The roster included the Zaman newspaper in Turkey and 30 charter schools the consular office had identified as of May 2006.

The report said that after U.S. authorities in Istanbul and Ankara denied many of the applicants permission to enter the United States on other types of visas, many returned in 2004 seeking H1-B visas "sponsored by Gulen-affiliated science academies."...

The former teacher also provided a document called a tuzuk, which resembles a contract and prescribes how much money teachers employed on H1-B visas are supposed to return to Hizmet.

But parents and American teachers complain that the Turks employed on H1-B visas - often as math and science teachers - have limited English skills and are paid more than their American counterparts who are certified.

Some have described how uncertified Turkish teachers are moved from one charter school to another when their "emergency" teaching credentials expire. Others recount a pattern of sudden turnovers of Turkish business managers, administrators, and board members...

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OBJECTIVES OF CHARTER SCHOOLS WITH TURKISH TIES QUESTIONED; August 17, 2010; USA Today 

They have generic, forward-sounding names like Horizon Science Academy, Pioneer Charter School of Science and Beehive Science & Technology Academy.

Quietly established over the past decade by a loosely affiliated group of Turkish-American educators, these 100 or so publicly funded charter schools in 25 states are often among the top-performing public schools in their towns.

The schools educate as many as 35,000 students — taken together they'd make up the largest charter school network in the USA — and have imported thousands of Turkish educators over the past decade.

But the success of the schools at times has been clouded by nagging questions about what ties the schools may have to a reclusive Muslim leader in his late 60s living in exile in rural Pennsylvania…

Top administrators say they have no official ties to Gülen. And Gülen himself denies any connection to the schools. Still, documents available at various foundation websites and in federal forms required of non-profit groups show that virtually all of the schools have opened or operate with the aid of Gülen-inspired "dialogue" groups, local non-profits that promote Turkish culture. In one case, the Ohio-based Horizon Science Academy of Springfield in 2005 signed a five-year building lease with the parent organization of Chicago's Niagara Foundation, which promotes Gülen's philosophy of "peace, mutual respect, the culture of coexistence." Gülen is the foundation's honorary president. In many cases, charter school board members also serve as dialogue group leaders…

The Turkish-affiliated schools focus on math and science and often appear as top scorers on standardized tests. Still, lawmakers, researchers and parents are beginning to put the schools under the microscope for hiring practices — they import hundreds of teachers from Turkey each year — and for steps they take to keep their academic profile high.

The schools' unacknowledged ties to Gülen, they say, mock public schools' spirit of transparency…

At minimum, the rapid growth of the Turkish-affiliated schools shows how the freewheeling world of charter schools has changed the face of K-12 education in the USA…

While the Turkish-affiliated schools disavow any connection to the Gülen Movement, Gülen himself maintains in legal filings that he's the inspiration behind their growth. But William Martin of Rice University in Houston says educators' assertions of "no organic connection" to Gülen are accurate…

In an e-mail interview, Mehmet Argin, principal of Tucson's Sonoran Science Academy, says his school's parent corporation, Daisy Education Corp., "has no legal or organic ties" with other schools. He cautions against linking charter schools founded by Turkish-Americans directly to the Gülen Movement "just because Turkish-Americans may be inspired by Mr. Gülen."…

Palm Bay Academy Charter School

PALM BAY CHARTER SCHOOL FACES SCHOOL BOARD WARNING, June 18, 2010, Florida Today

The Brevard County School Board requested a warning letter be drawn up for Palm Bay Academy Charter School after an auditor's report accused the school of having "a cavalier indifference to their financial responsibilities."

The audit, conducted in May, highlighted at least 10 major issues with the school's finances and record-keeping, including the failure to ensure that all employees and board members received proper fingerprinting and background checks…

Madhu Longani, the charter's principal, said that Thursday was the first time she'd seen the May audit, which was a follow-up on two earlier audits. After a 2008 audit raised some concerns, Longani said she hired a CPA to take over accounting. Longani said she's done everything in her power to comply with the district's requests for financial reports and other information…

Earlier this week, school board officials heard that the 2008 audit revealed 10 areas of concern including seven high-risk items. The follow-up audit, conducted by RSM McGladrey, revealed that only three of those areas had been fixed.

The audit revealed:

- Debt issued in the amount of $5.9 million in September 2006 and related activity in debt service was not recorded.

- The annual budget was not presented in accordance with government accounting standards. As of May 19, 2010, the charter's budget has not been received by the district.

- The school failed to submit the required student number estimates by deadline for four of the last five years. This is critical in calculating an accurate funding projection.

- The school did not have documents to prove that one of every five teachers tested had gone through proper background screening. Two of the four board members did not initiate their background screening until at least six months after becoming board members. According to Florida law, all school employees and board members must undergo fingerprinting and a background check.

Sending out warning letters like this isn't a new practice for the school district. In 2007, the school board closed three charters -- Explorer in West Melbourne and Osprey and Sawgrass in Rockledge-- because of alleged money mismanagement…

Charter schools run by churches

CHURCHES MIX WITH CHARTERS, June 17, 2010, Wall Street Journal

Four of the 27 new charter schools opening in New York City this fall have ties with religious organizations, although leaders assert curriculum and instruction will be secular.

Supporters say the new schools are a welcome addition amid overcrowded classrooms and heightened demand for charters, especially in neighborhoods with low-performing schools. But the development blurs the line between church and state, and also calls into question the distinction between public education and private groups, an issue with which charter schools already contend.

Four pastors are involved in starting charter schools, which receive public funding but can be privately run.

The Rev. A.R. Bernard's Brooklyn-based nondenominational Christian Cultural Center boasts a membership of 33,000, with 5,000 coming to services on any given Sunday. Now, 120 kindergarteners and first-graders will be attending Monday through Friday as it opens a charter school called the Culture Arts Academy Charter School at Spring Creek. The charter school will share the same building—but on a different floor—as the private school Mr. Bernard previously founded, Brooklyn Preparatory School…

New York State law will allow in certain situations for tax money to be allocated toward the books, supplies or buses of private schools. Experts say while these measures are not intended to fund religious instruction, it has been tough for the state to police.

"There's a lot of gray in how we distinguish between at what point public money is being used to promote religious instruction," said Luis Huerta, associate professor of education at Columbia University's Teachers College…

In interviews, the four pastors opening charters said that though they had no data on the religious makeup of their incoming classes, they sensed a mix of congregants and others.

The idea for the all-boys Imagine Me Leadership Charter School arose when a group of educators in the St. Paul's Baptist Church congregation sought a solution for the troubled youth of East New York, said the Rev. David Brawley…

The Rev. Calvin Rice, pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Jamaica, Queens, expects 68 students in the entrepreneurship-focused Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School. Like Mr. Brawley, he saw the founding of a charter school as a way to remedy community woes. "In our church, we talked about the dangers in the local public schools," he said, where gang violence disrupts teaching…

The Rev. Leroy Mullings of the Community Church of the Nazarene in Far Rockaway, Queens, said he hopes to recreate Harlem Children's Zone founder Geoffrey Canada's work by connecting the new Challenge Leadership Charter School with youth programs. Rev. Mullings was resolute, saying flatly that "the school is not tied to the church."

Family Life Academy Charter School

A $2 BILLION DECISION: THE CASE FOR REFORMING NEW YORK’S CHARTER SCHOOL LAW, April 2010, New York State United Teachers report

…The Family Life Academy CS is located in and financially inter-connected with a holistic ministry. The Family Life Academy CS is located inside a pastoral center, and pays the pastoral center more than $400,000 annually in rent. The pastoral center’s website features a bible and the charter school notes its strong commitment to service and community “through our practices and partnership” with the center. The pastor and the center’s treasurer are on the school’s board of trustees. The charter school’s audit notes the school’s principal is the wife of the pastoral center’s president…

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NEPOTISM, CONFLICT OF INTEREST FIND A HOME AT CHARTER SCHOOLS, April 22, 2010, NY Daily News

At some New York City charter schools, it's a family affair.

A Daily News investigation has found some charters hiring wives, husbands and children of school officials and board trustees as vendors, teachers aides and consultants…

Here's what The News' review found:…

FAMILY LIFE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL

This Bronx charter school hired the wife of a pastor whose nonprofit is paid to run the school.

The Rev. Raymond Rivera is also chairman of Family Life's board. His wife, Marilyn Calo, was hired as school principal and was paid $147,000 last school year, tax forms show.

The school also pays rent to Rivera's nonprofit, the Latino Pastoral Action Center, for its W. 170th St. building. Last year, Family Life shelled out $400,000.

"I do not vote or participate in board decisions regarding the Principal Marilyn Calo," Rivera wrote.

South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures & the Arts

NEPOTISM, CONFLICT OF INTEREST FIND A HOME AT CHARTER SCHOOLS, April 22, 2010, NY Daily News

At some New York City charter schools, it's a family affair.

A Daily News investigation has found some charters hiring wives, husbands and children of school officials and board trustees as vendors, teachers aides and consultants…

Here's what The News' review found:…

SOUTH BRONX CHARTER SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL CULTURES & THE ARTS

This school hired a bus company owned by a board trustee's husband.

In October 2007, the board of trustees first voted to hire AVET Coach Corp. to address the "dire needs" of students ineligible for free city busing. The company is owned by Carmen Goldberg. The board then approved a new board member - Elena Goldberg, an "immediate family member" of AVET's owner.

"If you don't have a serious watchdog over a school, this is what can happen," said Al Bryant, 70, guardian of Najm Bryant, 9, a third-grader at the school.

A school spokesperson said the contract lasted 18 months and cost South Bronx half what another bus company would have charged.

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BRONX TEACHER ACCUSED OF FORCING CHILD TO TELL CRUSH HE IS GAY, March 12, 2010, New York Post

A Bronx charter school is under fire from parents who say a teacher bullied kids -- and even forced one child to tell his crush, a girl, that he was gay.

According to court papers filed this week, the teacher, Jared Alessandroni, 29, threatened to "out" a straight 9-year-old boy, James Pastrana, to his class at the South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and the Arts, unless James told his crush he was gay.

"I was so humiliated," said Pastrana, who reluctantly scribbled the false confession in a note to the girl. "It started to spread around the whole class and then everyone wanted to call me gay."…

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CARMEN ARROYO'S GRANDSON QUITS AS HEAD OF CHARTER SCHOOL AFTER EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGE, June 12, 2009, NY Daily News

The nephew of City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo resigned Thursday as head of a Bronx charter school she helped fund - a day after he was charged with embezzlement.

Richard Izquierdo Arroyo - who's also Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo's grandson and chief of staff - Thursday notified the city he was resigning as chairman of the board of the South Bronx Charter School for International Culture and the Arts.

His city councilwoman aunt sponsored $1.5 million in taxpayer funds this fiscal year to help build a permanent facility for the school, which is temporarily housed in a public school…

On Wednesday, Izquierdo Arroyo was charged with stealing from a nonprofit group, SBCC Management Corp., that manages low-income apartment buildings in the Bronx. SBCC Management's director, Margarita Villegas, also was charged.

The duo stole more than $200,000 from the nonprofit to pay for designer clothes, trips to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and dozens of restaurant meals, a criminal complaint charged.

They also used the nonprofit's money to buy airline tickets to Puerto Rico for City Councilwoman Arroyo and her mother the assemblywoman.

SBCC Management's director, Villegas, is also a board member of the South Bronx Charter School. Officials said she's notified the city she'll step down from that position, too.

Villegas and Izquierdo Arroyo deny wrongdoing.

Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School

“Brooklyn charter school being charged $4M above market rate for current lease: audit.” New York Post (NY), 12/7/2012

A for-profit management firm is charging a publicly-funded Brooklyn charter school nearly $4 million above market rate for its current five-year lease, a state audit found.

The Michigan-based National Heritage Academies — whose questionable leasing practices were first exposed by The Post in April — has been using an affiliate to charge Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School a whopping $2.6 million in yearly rent for its Bushwick digs.

An audit by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli shows that the school’s board of trustees had independently appraised the site’s rental value at $1.8 million — but agreed to the higher rent anyway.

READ THE AUDIT (PDF)

They were apparently swayed by an NHA lawyer’s argument that the company wouldn’t get an appropriate return on its investment — including $13 million in renovations to the building — at the lower rate, auditors found.

The building lacks an auditorium, gym and cafeteria, forcing kids to eat lunch in their classrooms.

DiNapoli also rapped the firm for refusing to fully divulge how it spent the $10 million in public funds it received annually to operate the charter school.

NHA claimed portions of its financial formula contained proprietary information...

The Post reported in April that at another site managed by NHA — the Brooklyn Dreams Charter School in Kensington — rent was jacked up by as much as 1,000 percent, according to sources.

The firm’s real estate affiliate has been renting the site from the Brooklyn Diocese for $264,000 per year, according to a source — then subleasing it to the school for $2.76 million.

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“Charter school accused of scrimping on student supplies and support under state investigation.” Daily News (NY), 9/29/2011

A controversial Bedford-Stuyvesant charter school that parents charge is shortchanging students on supplies and services is being audited by the state controller's office.

Parents at the Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School on Quincy St. said school administrators aren't doling out the cash to pay for textbooks or extra help after school.

"The kids don't have the basics. They don't even get tutoring," said PTA President Faye Hodges, whose three children attend the school...

The filings also show that the school spent roughly $3.2 million on staff, including teachers and custodians, and earned almost $10 million last year.

The school made waves last year when the Daily News reported the wife of a top official for the company managing the school was given a cushy job...

A spokeswoman for the State University of New York, which oversees Excelsior, said SUNY has no policy barring nepotism...

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NEPOTISM, CONFLICT OF INTEREST FIND A HOME AT CHARTER SCHOOLS, April 22, 2010, NY Daily News

At some New York City charter schools, it's a family affair.

A Daily News investigation has found some charters hiring wives, husbands and children of school officials and board trustees as vendors, teachers aides and consultants…

Here's what The News' review found:…

BROOKLYN EXCELSIOR CHARTER SCHOOL

Brooklyn Excelsior hired the wife of a top official at the for-profit firm that was paid $7.6 million last year to manage the Bushwick-based school.

Irwin Kurz is director of school quality for all New York schools managed by National Heritage Academies, including Brooklyn Excelsior, where he has an office.

His wife, Arlene, is an instructional specialist at Brooklyn Excelsior. A spokeswoman for Heritage said Kurz does not oversee his wife and that they both have "impeccable records."

A spokeswoman for the State University of New York, which oversees Excelsior, said SUNY has no policy barring nepotism - unlike New York State.

"Hiring decisions for school staff are the responsibility of the school leader and school board," she said.

Attempted bribe of NY state assembly candidate

BEHAR CLAIMS BUNDLERS OFFERED $200K TO ASSEMBLY RACE TO SWITCH CHARTERS POSITION, Friday, June 18, 2010, City Hall News (NY)

Steve Behar, an attorney mounting an uphill race in Queens for the seat of retiring Assembly Member Ann-Margaret Carrozza, claims that two pro-charter school bundlers have enough faith in his candidacy to have offered to raise him up to $200,000 in exchange for him changing his position on charter schools to support their expansion…

…But in a letter written to the website Queens Teacher, Behar claimed that he was being courted to come out against the charters. [and here]

“In the last few weeks two separate ‘political fundraisers’ promised to raise between $100K and $200K for my campaign if I changed my position to favor charter schools,” Behar wrote. “Since I’m running against a well-funded inexperienced and unqualified candidate (Ed Braunstein) who works for the Albany leadership and is in the pocket of the lobbyists and the special interests, that money would have really helped my campaign. However, keeping to my core beliefs, I refused to change my position and thus refused the money.”

In an interview, Behar said he turned the bundlers down on principle. He declined, however, to give the names of the two bundlers, citing concerns about scaring away future potential fundraisers and donors to his campaign.

All Behar would say is that one of the people he claims was involved approached him three weeks ago at the New York State Young Democrats convention, and the other approached him at a political event a week ago. When asked which event, though, Behar said he could not recall…

The $200,000 supposedly in play here would have increased the size of his war chest exponentially, many times over: according to Behar’s ActBlue fundraising page, he has, as of Thursday night, raised online only $1,015 from 13 supporters for the race.

Magnolia Schools charter management organization

Note: The Magnolia Schools are Gulen schools.

This post has four sections:

• Background information about the approval of a petition for a charter school in Santa Clara County, California. The school, Magnolia Science Academy – Santa Clara, is slated to open in Sunnyvale for the 2010-2011 school year and is currently enrolling students.
• Revealing excerpts from an email exchange sent to me by a reader who, as a prospective parent, was in communication with a representative of the new MSA-Santa Clara school.
• Evidence which clearly contradicts the representative’s statements.
• Why so much about Turkey and Turkish?

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PART 1: Petition approved!
In July 2008, the San Mateo Union High School District rejected a charter school petition submitted by the Magnolia Educational and Science Foundation [aka Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation]. As the San Francisco Examiner explained:

“Undeterred by the district decision, the Magnolia Foundation turned to the California Board of Education and received authorization to open 10 new charter schools anywhere in the state during the next six years. The foundation can locate its schools within any district without seeking approval at the local level, according to Joseph Hurmali, the foundation’s president.” [Joseph Hurmali may be an AKA for Huseyin Hurmali who has "led many study tours to Turkey" including this Gulenist promotional tour.]

In March 2009, three Magnolia Charter Schools were approved (5-2) by the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
But because the Magnolia Science Academy-Santa Clara (MSA) did not open as planned in fall 2009, the Santa Clara County Board of Education sent a Notice of Violations in February 2010. “Administration defers recommendation to the Board’s legal counsel.”
In April 2010, the board members reviewed the status of the charter school’s remediation of the violation and voted (4-2-1) to approve the recruitment and enrollment revisions.
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PART 2: Answers given
This is a prospective parent’s May 2010 email communication with a staff member fielding questions about the school. Note the lines I've highlighted in bold.
From: PARENT
Subject: can we enroll?
To: santaclara@magnoliascience.org

even though the school is run by the Gulen Islamic movement, we are a Christian family would it be OK to enroll our children?

From: B...@...

Hi,
We have no affiliation with the movement. Some of our staff may have unofficial affiliation with the movement, though we do not question our teachers' affiliations with any political party or religious organization…
I believe you are misinformed by internet conspiracy theories. Let me correct a few things you mentioned in your email…
1. There is no country as "Islamic Republic of Turkey." Turkey is a secular country about to join European Union… [According to the U.S. Department of State, Turkey is officially known as the Republic of Turkey and is 99 percent Muslim]
3. We have no affiliation to Beehive or Chesapeake so I don't know their case. I just checked on the internet and it says they were closed because they had low enrollment and not enough financial security…
6. Turkish language is only offered at one Magnolia school as an elective out of nine schools. And that was due to demand from parents. We offer Spanish as primary foreign language. Based on demand from parents we have opened Chinese, Japanese and French in some of our schools. 8 out of 9 of our schools have never offered Turkish language…

From: PARENT

Thank you for your reply, but we were told that the Gulen schools teach Turkish language, dance, singing - they have a Turkish American Club and then take a Trip to the Islamic Republic of Turkey…

From: B...@...

…Some of our international teachers are Turkish. They probably organize cultural events with Turkish food. But I am very sure there is no religious concept mentioned or discussed with students. Baklava and shish kebab hardly constitutes a cultural enforcement…

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PART 3: Evidence clearly contrary to the staff member's claims
Eleven schools are listed on the home page of the Magnolia Schools Web site, two of which will be opened in the Fall of 2010. ALL of the active schools feature formal and institutionalized activities for students which give an intense exposure to Turkish culture and travel. I encourage you to follow the progressions and explore.
1. Magnolia Science Academy 1 – Reseda; Varol Gurler, principal

• Home page>Europe Trip: “MSA had a wonderful trip to Turkey with 4 students and 2 teachers during the spring break.”
• Home page>Arizona Trip and Turkish Contest [April 1-4]: “MSA had a trip to Arizona with 13 students, 3 parents and 4 teachers for four days during the spring break. We went to Grand Canyon. The following day we went to Phoenix for the Turkish Competiton [sic]. Our students competed in poem, skit and special talent categories.”
• Gallery>2008 Turkish Olympiads, 16 pictures
• Documents>After School Programs>Turkish club with Mr. Yilmaz

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2. Magnolia Science Academy 2 – Valley; Erdal Kocak, principal

• Social/Fun Clubs> “TURKISH CLUB - Students will have the opportunity of learning Turkish culture beside Turkish language and songs. Students will taste various Turkish food, make cultural filed [sic] trips and watch movies.”
• Gallery>2007-2008 Album>Trips>Turkish Class Six Flags
• Gallery>2009-2010 Album>Trips and Camps>After School Clubs>Turkish Folk Dance Club
• Trulia.com review for MSA2: “…They have a good foreign language program which includes Spanish, Turkish, and Russian…”

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3. Magnolia Science Academy 3 – Carson (formerly Gardena); “Matt”/Metin Demir, principal

• Left vertical bar>Turkish Contest: April 3-4th Mesa Arts Center In Phoenixs [sic], AZ Thanks to all the students that participated! Our trip to Arizona headed out Friday, April 2nd at 9a.m. The weekend was full of not only Acticvties [sic] during the Contest but also visiting the Grand Canyon, Raw Hyde, and Flagstaff. Students enjoyed sight seeing, Snow Ball fights, and Go Cart Racing. Nevertheless the Turkish Language & Performing Arts Contest was the highlight and main event of our trip. We had a total of 11 participants representing our school this year…Our very own [student name] won First Place in the Special Talent Category. Five states participated in the West Coast and we had the only winner in the state of California! Lets [sic] all congratulate everyone that participated.
• Left vertical bar>Anatolian Festival>Gallery page labeled “Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival,” 34 pictures
• Gallery>2009-2010 Albums>Turkish Language & Art Contest, 43 pictures
• Gallery>2009-2010 Albums> Europe Trip 2010, 85 Pictures: Photographs reveal a trip to Turkey, complete with minarets and a Turkish flag flying on a pole (see image above).

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4. Magnolia Science Academy 4 – Venice; Mustafa Sahin, principal

• Msa4 News, April 2010>Page 5>Arizona Trip: “The ext [sic] day, early in the morning, we went to the Mesa Art Center to watch the Turkish contest. Our friend November participated in the contest. She sang a Turkish song and we supported her.” And “On the last day, we watched the finals of Turkish Contest and many students performed singing, dancing, skits and poetry. That was unforgettable!”
• Msa4 News, April 2010>Page 6>Europe Trip: “The Europe Trip was an unforgettable journey to France and Turkey. The students went there over Spring Break. They flew into France, and stayed there for two days. On the second day, they headed to Turkey by flying over Europe. It was a total of eleven days and packed with many events to do and see. There was also a choice of just going to Turkey for nine days. Mr. Gurcan arranged all the trip details…After Paris they took a flight to Turkey, Istanbul for three days. They stayed at Ufuk School…They took another flight to Turkey, Izmir and stayed there for two days. They stayed at Marla Hotel. While they stayed at Marla Hotel they met the parents of one of the teachers from MSA6, Mr. Koray…
• From Trulia.com reviews for MSA4: "…They have Turkish, Ethics and Art classes too. Many of the teachers are Turkish. They go on field trips every month. There is also a yearly trip to Europe and Turkey…"and "…I don t [sic] like how many Turkish teachers there are because some of their accents are hard to understand..."

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5. Magnolia Science Academy 5 – Hollywood; Dr. Suleyman Karaman, principal

• Gallery>Year 2008-2009>Europe Trip>Turkiye, 21 pictures)
• Gallery>Year 2008-2009>Trips>Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival, 31 pictures
• After School>Club Descriptions: “TURKISH CLUB Students will have the opportunity of learning Turkish culture beside Turkish language and songs. Students will taste various Turkish food, make cultural filed [sic] trips and watch movies.”
• Documents>December 2009 Newsletter>MSA Student Parent Handbook: “Europe trip is scheduled for the spring break, in between March 25 and April 5. For more information, please see Mr. Emin”*
• Documents>MSA Student Parent Handbook: “Field Trips offer exciting ways to learn. MSA students will have the opportunity to go on field trips at various times throughout the school year. MSA plans many field trips, weekend getaways, summer camp, and our infamous Europe Trip during spring break.”

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6. Magnolia Science Academy 6 – Palms: “Ike”/FNU Ozis, principal**

• Gallery>Europe Trip 2010, 10 Pictures: Photographs of kids standing in front of famous French and Turkish landmarks
• Gallery>Arizona Trip 2010, 12 Pictures: Photographs of kids doing various activities along with a photo of students on stage at the Turkish Language Institute sponsored Turkish Language & Performing Arts Contest.
• Documents>MSA Student Parent Handbook (same as above for MSA5): “Field Trips offer exciting ways to learn. MSA students will have the opportunity to go on field trips at various times throughout the school year. MSA plans many field trips, weekend getaways, summer camp, and our infamous Europe Trip during spring break.”

7. Magnolia Science Academy – San Diego: “David”/possibly Durmush Yilmaz

• Gallery>Field Trips and Camps>Turkish Cultural Trip (Jan ’08), 19 pictures: Photographs of a small number of kids (6) on an outing to a beach and eating in someone’s home (Turkish-style floor seating around a short table)
• Gallery>Field Trips and Camps>International Trip (Apr ’08), 27 pictures: Photographs of kids (same three students) posing at famous Turkish landmarks
• Gallery>Academic Activities>Turkish Language & Performing Arts Contest (Apr ’10), 30 pictures

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8. Magnolia Science Academy 8 – Bell (LA County): Opening in 2010-2011
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9. Magnolia Science Academy – Santa Clara: Opening in 2010-2011
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10. Pacific Technology School – Orangevale*** (Sacramento County, opened September 2009)); Mahmut Altun, principal

• After School>Academic Clubs & Teams: “TURKISH CLUB Students will have the opportunity to learn Turkish culture and language. Students will taste various Turkish foods, go on cultural field trips, and watch movies.”

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11. Pacific Technology School – Orange County***; “Steven”/FNU Keskinturk, principal

• Gallery>Europe Trip, 51 pictures: Photographs of kids posing at famous French and Turkish landmarks and eating a meal “Turkish-style.”
• Gallery>Trip to Anatolian Festival, 27 pictures: Photographs of kids posing at famous French and Turkish landmarks and eating “Turkish-style.” [it appears the Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival was sponsored by the Pacifica Institute]

*NOTE: Images of the Europe trips never include countries other than France and Turkey
**FNU = first name unknown
***These schools earned the classification of Statewide Benefit Charter schools. From the California Department of Education: "The State Board of Education may authorize a five-year charter for the operation of a charter school that will provide instructional services of "statewide benefit" that cannot be provided by a charter school operating in only one school district, or only in one county. Statewide benefit charters must adhere to all other charter laws with the exception of geographic limitations. They must open at least two new sites/schools in different counties in areas with struggling schools. After the first two sites have operated for two years and met performance objectives, operators may open two additional sites each year."
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PART 4: Why so much Turkish? And other curiosities.
As a world language, Turkish ranks fairly far down on the world language popularity list:

1. Mandarin
2. English
3. Spanish
4. Hindi
5. Russian
6. Arabic
7. Portuguese
8. Bengali
9. French
10. Malay

And at long last there is Turkish at #22.
And as for the claim of only a remote connection to Turkey that simply involves exposing students to baklava and shish kebab, much more is going on and it is apparent if you watch this video of the 2009 California Turkish Olympiads produced by Ebru news (a Gulenist TV station):

160 students from 17 schools contested in 5 different categories in this years Turkish Language Olympics organized by the Pacifica Institute which is based in California. The students displayed their skills in singing, poetry, folklore, talent and sketch categories; however, some others contested in grammar and essay categories. [student name] from Sonoran Science Academy was awarded with 1st place in the poetry contest, while [student name] from Magnolia Science Academy in California took second place and [student name] and [student name] from Coral Science Academy in Nevada took the third place. In the sketch category, students from the Bay Area Technical School took the gold medal while the students of Sonoran Science Academy Broadway took the silver. The gold medal and a lot of applause went to Brandon Thandi from Sonoran Sunset Arizona displaying his masterful art of the water marbling. He simply painted two tulips next to American and Turkish Flags.Coral Academy of Science Nevada team of folk dancers got the gold medal and the cup.Every year Pacifica Institute organizes a Turkish Language and Performing Arts Contest. Students from all across the US compete in categories as varied as singing, poetry, sketch and folk dance.

Ebru is also the name for the Turkish craft of paper marbling.
For a review of this network of 100 U.S. charter schools, see U.S. Fethullahci charter schools.
B.Y.’s denials about the connection of Magnolia schools to Utah’s Beehive School of Science & Technology can also be easily challenged. From The Salt Lake Tribune (November 2009):

In 2007, Beehive received a $61,000 loan from Murat Biyik, who at the time was the school's vice principal. The loan was equivalent to Biyik's salary. Biyik is now principal at Magnolia Science Academy in Hollywood, Calif., part of a chain of charter schools once overseen by Erdogan.
And the foundation overseeing the Magnolia schools is home to another Beehive benefactor, Mustafa Keskin. Keskin is secretary of the foundation and loaned Beehive $49,000.
Other loans to Beehive include $20,000 from Buyamin Karaduman, and $30,000 from Suleyman Bahceci [Executive Director/CEO of Magnolia Schools], who both work for the Accord Institute in Tustin, Calif. [south of LA, near Santa Ana] The institute contracts with Beehive on curriculum design and performs teacher evaluations for the school.

Incidentally, Tustin, California is also the home of Ted Mitchell, the president and chief executive officer of the New Schools Venture Fund, an organization which exists to fund charter start-ups. Mitchell was appointed to the California State Board of Education in 2007 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and is currently serving as the Board’s president.

Academy at the Farm

MOM SUSPECTS COMPLAINT ABOUT SCHOOL LED TO DISABLED CHILD'S OUSTER, June 11, 2010, The Tampa Tribune (FL)

For three years, Shelby Hines was the face of Academy at the Farm's Make-A-Difference Walk, an event that raises money to help offset the cost of therapy for the charter school's special-needs children.

As the walk's honorary chairwoman, Shelby, a 16-year-old with cerebral palsy, was featured in newspaper articles and mentioned in Dade City Commission proclamations.

Her connection to the school is ending, though, under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Shelby's mother, Susan Hines, said she was told last week that Shelby can't return to Academy at the Farm in the fall. Hines suspects that's because she complained to the state and the Pasco County School District over the way Academy at the Farm hired its new director...

Dove Science Academy - Tulsa

SOME TEACHERS' SALARIES NOT MEETING STATE STANDARD, September 27, 2010, Tulsa World (OK)

Because public charter schools are exempt from the state minimum salary schedule, some local teachers earn thousands of dollars less than their counterparts teaching in traditional districts.

Each year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education produces a minimum salary guideline for public school teachers. The guideline increases teachers' salaries as their teaching experience and education increase…

Some local public charter schools, however, do not meet the minimum because of budget problems, administrators said.

Kaan Camuz, the superintendent of Discovery School of Tulsa and Dove Science academies in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, said the schools negotiate contracts with each teacher individually.

Education Department data show that often, the schools' pay does not meet the state's minimum salary standards.

"We would like to pay even more to our teachers, but with the budget cuts, we have to wait," Camuz said.

According to the state's database, at least 17 teachers at Discovery and Dove are paid less than the state's minimum.

One second-year teacher with a bachelor's degree at Dove Science Academy, for example, earns a total of $27,300 - or about $4,600 less than the state's minimum salary schedule for a person with a degree and one year of experience.

Camuz, who earned $75,000, said the schools usually pay more to math and science teachers because the schools emphasize those subjects. The state data, however, show that teachers of other subjects sometimes get as much, if not more, than math and science teachers…

NOTE: The above news story is an example of teacher salary practices which have been reported at other Gulen charter schools. A former teacher at one of the NJ charter schools wrote: “The school had my credentials and previous salaries, promised the same, and then undercut the salaries of anyone who was not Turkish.” AND “Teachers without credentials were teaching and earning higher salaries than fully certified teachers. Friends of the "Gulen Movement" just happened to "pop" in off the plane and given teaching jobs--some who couldn't even explain correctly in English a concise sentence.” http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/and-the-plot-thickens.html

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TEEN PLEADS GUILTY TO RAPING CHILD AT TULSA CHARTER SCHOOL, June 7, 2010, The Tulsa World (OK)

A Tulsa teenager pleaded guilty Monday to raping an 11-year-old student at a Tulsa school.

Donnie D. Johnson, 18, is to be sentenced July 19.

Tulsa County District Judge William Kellough ordered Johnson, who had been free on bond, placed in the Tulsa Jail after his guilty plea.

A Department of Corrections background report will be prepared before his sentencing. Johnson has no agreement with prosecutors concerning his punishment.

Assistant District Attorney Jack Thorp said he will request prison time.

Johnson, who was then 17, was charged in December 2008 with the first-degree rape of a sixth-grade student by force and violence at Dove Science Academy, 280 S. Memorial Drive.

Johnson, who was a high school student, and the girl both attended the Dove charter school.

Johnson is alleged to have raped the girl in a school rest-room on Dec. 11, 2008. He was arrested that day…

The girl told police that “an older boy named Donnie” followed her into the restroom, pulled his pants down, pulled her pants down, and raped her on the floor, reports indicate.

A civil lawsuit was filed last year in Tulsa County District Court on behalf of the girl and her mother against Dove Science Academy Foundation-Tulsa Inc., records show.

A $100,000 settlement was reached, with the plaintiffs’ law firm getting $40,000 in compensation for its services.

A judge approved a payment of $5,000 to the girl’s mother and an investment of $55,000 in an annuity on the girl’s behalf, records show.

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“Tulsa school board ends charter with Dove Science Academy.” Tulsa World (OK), 10/27/2010

Citing concerns about services for special education students and the legality of consequences for certain behavior infractions, the Tulsa school board voted unanimously Monday to end its sponsorship of Dove Science Academy, one of the city’s longest-operating charter schools...

The school board’s charter school committee had recommended that Dove Science Academy’s request for a five-year contract renewal be denied.

Board member Ruth Ann Fate, who serves as the committee chairwoman, questioned the school’s special education and disciplinary practices and claimed that the school has failed to comply with a laundry list of terms in its contract with TPS.

“The documentation submitted by Dove regarding its special education services and programs demonstrates substantive compliance problems in the IEPs (individualized education programs) developed. … This strongly suggests that Dove is plugging all special-needs students into one system rather than making individualized decisions,” Fate said, reading from a prepared statement.

She also cited “myriad deficiencies” in Dove’s student discipline handbook, including expulsion as a consequence and the withholding of student records in certain disciplinary cases, both of which are not allowed under Oklahoma law...

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TPS QUESTIONS ACADEMY'S APPLICATIONS, July 21, 2005, The Tulsa World (OK)

Tulsa Public Schools will review the enrollment practices at a charter school that has been asking applicants for information about their academic and discipline records.

A Tulsa World review of charter school applications found that Dove Science Academy asks if potential students have ever been suspended from any school, if they ever skipped or repeated a grade, and to list their honors, awards, clubs and activities.

Gary Lytal, assistant to the superintendent for school and district accountability, said the questions are improper because charter schools are "open enrollment" schools that must admit students regardless of past discipline or academic issues.

"To me, they should not be asking those questions. I think they use a random drawing, so there would be no reason to ask those questions," Lytal said.

State Superintendent Sandy Garrett also said charter schools cannot consider such information in admitting students under Oklahoma law.

"Our charter schools in Oklahoma are public schools. Some have certain themes but none are allowed to discriminate," Garrett said.

Assistant Superintendent LaVerne Ford Wimberly said she will seek a review of Dove Science Academy's enrollment practices.

"I expect them to enroll (students) based on space available -- first come, first serve. There should not be any discriminatory practice on the part of our charter schools," Wimberly said. "I will be asking for a review to determine whether the questions are being used for the excluding of students. If they are, I will have to make some recommendations to the principal, Mr. Yuksel."

Dove Science Academy served about 410 students in grades 6-12 last year. It was one of the first charter schools to open after the passage of the Oklahoma Charter School Act in 1999.

It is located in a former church building at 280 S. Memorial Drive.

Dove Principal Zekeriya Yuksel is currently out of the country, so the principal of its affiliated charter school in Oklahoma City, also called Dove Science Academy, responded to questions about the application.

Mustafa Dove, whose name was also listed as Mustafa Guvercin on his school's Web site, said the Tulsa school has used the same application since it opened. [guvercin translates to n. pigeon, dove]

"If they are objecting, that is not a problem for us to withdraw (the questions) from the application. That's not that big of a deal," Dove said.

He said the school has always drawn more applicants than it has had openings, so it has had to conduct a lottery to enroll students every year.

"Admission to the school is not on these issues, because there is a lottery at the end of the application deadline," Dove said.

Dove said the school does conduct interviews with potential students and their parents when they apply.

"We have an interview process. We explain our expectations, if they are suspended, even if they are not -- we go through our rules - - and explain our expectations to see if their expectations match with ours," he said.

Dove also answered questions about a statement in the student handbook that reads, "Any student suspended during the school year may be denied registration to Dove Science Academy the following year."

Lytal said a suspension should have no bearing on a student's enrollment in an open enrollment school once they have fulfilled the term of the suspension.

Of the statement in the handbook, Dove said: "This is here for encouragement for the students and to motivate them not to break the rules. In five years, there is no one we can recall who we didn't accept just because of this reason.

"We are not trying to expel students; we are here to educate students. We are being successful. We have lots of success," he added.

In April 2001, some Tulsa school board members said they were concerned that Dove and Deborah Brown Community School, the only two charter schools in existence in Tulsa at the time, were limiting their admissions and rejecting students with disciplinary problems.

Tulsa Superintendent David Sawyer said then that he had received several reports of Dove students being asked to withdraw from the school and return to their home public schools to avoid suspensions.

He urged Dove administrators to "seriously review" their policy.

A recent Tulsa World review shows that the other two Tulsa charter schools' applications are similar to the Tulsa Public Schools' enrollment form.

The Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences and Deborah Brown Community School ask applicants for information including their name, birth date, parent or guardian names, contact information and last school attended.

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HIB Visa Research for Dove Science Academy

Three organizations are listed:

1. Dove Science Academy (note different address on web form), Location: Tulsa, Ok 74112

2. Dove Science Academy – Oklahoma City, Location: Oklahoma City, OK 73106

3. Dove Science Academy, Location: Oklahoma City, OK 73106 (The figures for #3 are identical to #1)

Go to http://www.myvisajobs.com/Company.aspx?ID=160236

1. Dove Science Academy (note different address on web form below)

Company Name	Dove Science Academy
NAICS Industry	Educational Services
Economic Sector	Educational Services
Most Popular H1B Visa Address	919 NW 23rd Street Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Busiest H1B Visa Contact	Mustafa Guvercin, Principal*
Sponsor Rank	1,778
H1B Visa 2009	37
H1B Visa Salary 2009	$36,259
Green Card 2009	-
Green Card Salary 2009	-
H1B Visa 2001 - 2010	185
H1B Denied 2001-2010	3
PERM Total 2005-2010	22
PERM Denied 2005-2010	9
PERM Withdrawn 2005-2008	-
Green Card 2000 - 2010	41
Total Visa Petitions	226

Green Card applications

• 2001-0
• 2002-0
• 2003-18
• 2004-1
• 2005-8
• 2006-12
• 2007-1
• 2008-1
• 2009-0

H1B Visa applications

• 2001-11
• 2002-6
• 2003-8
• 2004-19
• 2005-8
• 2006-45
• 2007-31
• 2008-20
• 2009-37

2. Dove Science Academy – Oklahoma City

Company Name	Dove Science Academy - Oklahoma City
NAICS Industry
Economic Sector
Most Popular H1B Visa Address	919 NW 23th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Busiest H1B Visa Contact	Mustafa Guvercin, Principal
Sponsor Rank	8,224
H1B Visa 2009	26
H1B Visa Salary 2009	$35,045
Green Card 2009	-
Green Card Salary 2009	-
H1B Visa 2001 - 2010	48
H1B Denied 2001-2010	-
PERM Total 2005-2010
PERM Denied 2005-2010	-
PERM Withdrawn 2005-2008	-
Green Card 2000 - 2010	-
Total Visa Petitions	48

Green Card applications

• none

H1B Visa applications

• 2001-0
• 2002-0
• 2003-0
• 2004-0
• 2005-2
• 2006-3
• 2007-1
• 2008-16
• 2009-26

* In addition to being the principal of Dove Science Academy in Oklahoma City, Mustafa Guvercin also worked at other southern-state Gulen missionary schools. In 2007 and 2008, he is recorded as the C.E.O. of Abramson Science and Technology Charter School in New Orleans. In 2009, Guvercin is described as the Harmony Schools Cluster Superintendent in Austin. In 2010, he is described as Executive Director on a summer program brochure for Bluebonnet Learning Center in Houston (in which there is "no registration fee for Harmony and SST students").

Evidence of the affiliation between the Gulen Movement and the Dove Science Academy is found HERE.