Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A man at the center of a Contact 13 investigation is facing charges that he defrauded the state and stole $1.3 million tax dollars all under the guise of education.
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- It was another late night on Tuesday at Quest Academy...Principal Connie Jordan was fired for abusing her authority and using taxpayer dollars for personal gain...A former employee wrote a letter to the board saying the high school administration is incompetent and self-serving...Also facing action Tuesday night was business manager Robin Vitiello and office manager Melissa Hester. Board members told Hester that school video cameras caught her and Jordan destroying records in Jordan's office last Monday when the school was closed for Martin Luther King Day.The auditor that Quest hired found checks cut to Robin Vitiello that appeared to be unapproved bonuses. There are also allegations that she was forced to kick some of that money back to former principal Jordan.
Caroline Bass sinks behind a mountain of markers and student artwork and watches as her charter school is disassembled Thursday...
The Las Vegas Charter School of the Deaf, in the northwest valley, went bankrupt this summer after just three school years, said Bass, who's on the board of the school that took 10 years of planning to open. Even worse, board members are now $90,000 in debt because of the school's costs, which government funding didn't come close to covering...
Of the nine Nevada charter schools that have closed since 2000, none were for poor student performance, but for financial problems or bad record keeping...
The state provides about $5,000 per student to charter schools. For the deaf school, that amounted to about $55,000 a year at its peak, which wasn't even enough to pay its two teachers, an aide and a director...
The $5,000-per-student funding rate is the same at normal public schools, but charter schools have to start from scratch, finding a building, books and equipment.
"Your money is eaten up immediately," Bass said.
That's especially true at a school as small as the deaf school, where state funding doesn't cover operational costs, said Dan Tafoya, coordinator of the Clark County School District's Office of Charter Schools.
"You need a large number of students to stay operational," said Tafoya, noting that the district's smallest charter school is the Delta Academy, which has 225 students. Odyssey Charter School has about 1,500 students. "You really have to watch your P's and Q's."...
LAS VEGAS -- With budget battles brewing over schools and how much should be spent on them, many parents are turning to charter schools as another option. A charter school is a school that is publicly-funded by the state, but run privately by its own governing board.
Often, those schools will get help from an Education Management Organization to handle things like book-keeping and setting the curriculum. But what happens when the school decides it doesn't need the management anymore?
The Imagine School in the Valle opened in 2008, using just a few rooms at a YMCA. They had help from an EMO called Imagine that took care of hiring and accounting, and even found the school a building in Centennial Hills.
Three years later, the school's enrollment is in the hundreds and they are looking to get rid of Imagine.
"Imagine has tried to usurp our authority on many occasions, but this is the board's charter school," said school treasurer Ann Barnes...
"Imagine Schools took the financial risk, the financial up-front risk to secure that building long-term. The board is not at risk for that long term lease," said Imagine Schools co-founder Eileen Bakke...
At this point, there is no agreement between the two sides. Imagine is looking for a new school board and new kids to pay the rent on the building. The board has two years to re-up with Imagine or get out -- an option Anne Barnes says is fine with her.
"I feel relieved. I don't have to worry about the blood battles. We've had some real tough negotiations with Imagine and I'm relieved we don't have to go through that in the future," she said.
The state Board of Education says the Valle board is completely within its rights to operate the school without the management company, but they really do need a building. The possibility exists if they can't find one in two years, the school may have to dissolve, and neither side wants that.
Nevada Education Department officials do not want an out-of-state company opening a second charter school in the Las Vegas Valley this fall, but they can’t prevent it...
At issue is Imagine School in the Valle...
In the past few months, state education officials have become increasingly concerned about Imagine Schools’ management of the North Las Vegas campus, citing a lack of qualified teachers, poor student performance and shoddy bookkeeping.
Charter schools receive the same per-pupil state funding as traditional public campuses, and officials say there have been enough problems at 100 Academy to convince them that spending taxpayer money on another Imagine school is a bad idea.
But in October 2006, when 100 Academy was just a month old, the state Education Board approved sponsorship of Imagine School in the Valle. So far, no one’s found an escape hatch that would allow the state to cancel the sponsorship. Education officials say the situation highlights yet another problem with the way the charter school approval process works.
“There are so many holes in the system to be patched,” said State Board of Education member Cindy Reid, chairwoman of the charter schools subcommittee. “Right now, it seems we are locked into sponsorship, despite new information that’s come to us after the fact.”...
...Imagine Schools has applications pending to open two additional campuses in the Las Vegas Valley.The Nevada Education Department is recommending rejection of both applications, citing “serious deficiencies,” including Imagine’s shaky track record both locally and in other states. The charter schools subcommittee meets today, with a full board vote set for Saturday.
In October, the Clark County School Board considered revoking 100 Academy’s charter, but backed off when Imagine Schools forgave $285,000 in debt the school owed for its management. School Board members said they weren’t pleased that 100 Academy was spending 25 percent of its per-pupil funding — $1.2 million — on rent. The landlord is School House Finance LLC, an affiliate of Imagine Schools. Board members also wanted 100 Academy’s principal to report to the governing body, rather than be an Imagine Schools employee...
…A 15 year old girl was approached by a man, who grabbed her arm and tried to kidnap her. The girl screamed, struggled and pulled away. Then the man ran away.
The girl reported the crime, and Coral Academy on East 9th Street was put on lockdown for two hours.
"We were scared someone on campus was trying to kidnap one of the students, it was kind of scary thinking it could've been one of us instead of person who it was," said Alexis…
April 22nd, 2006: after winning a restraining order in federal court — so that administrators at Coral Academy of Science could not prevent him from reciting the poem of his choice — Jacob Behymer-Smith won 2nd place in the Nevada state finals of the "Poetry Out Loud" contest with his recitation of W.H. Auden's "The More Loving One." His performance wins the school a $1000 prize to support literary programs. For details and commentary, visit the Nevada State Arts Council website or local blog Reno & its Discontents.
April 11, 2006: Coral Academy of Science student Jacob Behymer-Smith won the district "Poetry Out Loud" competition (a national recitation contest co-sponsered [sic] by the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts) with his recitation of W.H. Auden's "The More Loving One." As he prepares to compete in the state finals on April 22nd, the school administration has sought to keep Behymer-Smith from reading that poem, citing concerns that it contains "profane" language (click here for the text of the poem). Below is NCAC's statement to the school, with support from the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, PEN American Center, and the National Council of Teachers of English…
The More Loving One
W. H. Auden
Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.
How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.
Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.
Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.
STATE
|
# ACTIVE
|
# PENDING
|
# INACTIVE*
|
TOTAL
|
NV
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
CORAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE – RENO ELEMENTARY
| |
Status
|
ACTIVE, opened 2000-2001
|
Management
|
Coral Education Corporation
|
Authorizer
|
Washoe County School District
|
Location/District
|
1701 Valley Road, Reno / Washoe County School District
|
Website
| |
Enrollment
|
Grades K-5; 357 students in 2010-2011
|
Notes
|
Yildiz Ak, executive director (2010-11); Board members: Feyzi Tandogan, Hanifi Oguz, Janice Huntoon, Mary E. Tagle, Mehmet H Gunes, Murat Yuksel, and Selcuk Ozdemir (on website accessed May 2011)
|
CORAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE – RENO MIDDLE / HIGH SCHOOL
| |
Status
|
ACTIVE, opened 2000-2001
|
Management
|
Coral Education Corporation
|
Authorizer
|
Washoe County School District
|
Location/District
|
1350 E 9th St., Reno / Washoe County School District
|
Website
| |
Enrollment
|
Grades 6-12; 445 students in 2010-2011
|
Notes
|
Yildiz Ak, executive director (2010-11); Board members: Feyzi Tandogan, Hanifi Oguz, Janice Huntoon, Mary E. Tagle, Mehmet H Gunes, Murat Yuksel, and Selcuk Ozdemir (on website accessed May 2011)
|
CORAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE – LAS VEGAS
| |
Status
|
ACTIVE: ,opened 2007-2008
|
Management
|
Coral Education Corporation
|
Authorizer
|
Nevada State Department of Education
|
Location/District
|
8185 Tamarus Street, Las Vegas / Clark County School District
|
Website
| |
Enrollment
|
Grades K-11; 882 students in 2010-2011
|
Notes
|
Feyzi Tandogan, executive director (2010-11); Board members: Abdullah Akturk, Ann Diggins, Erdinc Acar, Fatih Ozer, Hasan Deniz, Matt G. Aten, and Seyhmus Baloglu (on website accessed May 2011)
|
CORAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE – CARSON CITY
| |
Status
|
INACTIVE: DENIED in 2011; see http://nde.doe.nv.gov/BoardEd/Meetings/2011/2011-01-25_Minutes_OrientationCharterSub.pdf
|
Management
|
Coral Education Corporation
|
History
|
Presented to the Nevada State Board of Education by Feyzi Tandogan and Fatih Ozer
|
Notes
|
Reason for denial: “troublesome fiscal concerns”
|
CORAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE – VALLEY
| |
Status
|
UNKNOWN: attempted in 2010
|
Management
|
Coral Educaion Corporation
|
History
| |
Notes
|
Reason for denial: “Failed to achieve completeness/compliance”
|
CORAL EDUCATION CORPORATION
| |
Federal Tax ID
|
EIN 880442692
|
Website
| |
History
|
“…founded in 1999 by a group of Graduate Students dedicated to contribute to our society by means of science education.” (website accessed May 2011)
|
Individuals involved
|
Eray Idil, Fatih Yilmaz, Feyzi Tandogan, Hakan Kardes, Nihan Aldis, and Vokhan Akbas (source: IRS Form 990s for 2006-2009).
|
ACCORD INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH
| |
Federal Tax ID
|
EIN 260658913
|
Website
| |
Location
|
13950 Milton Ave. Suite 200A, Westminster, CA (same address as the Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation, operator of Magnolia Public Schools in CA).
|
Services
|
The schools purchase program development, curriculum, professional development, and financial services from AIER. The fee is not known.
|
Individuals involved
|
Adem Oksuz, Ali Korkmaz, Ertan Salik, Faruk Taban, Hasan Deniz, Murat Arbas, Osman Sen, Suat Utku Ay, Carol Barkley, Suleyman Bahceci, and Yasin Cetindilin (source: IRS Form 990s for 2007 and 2008, and website accessed May 2011)
|
Proponents of the county's only public charter school are hoping that Douglas County school board members will override the recommendation of their own staff and renew Sierra Crest Academy's charter…
In the report, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Lyn Gorrindo writes that Sierra Crest's curriculum is noncompliant, devoid of “standards-based” education.
“No student projects or rubrics can be produced upon request,” Gorrindo stated, referring to this academic year. “Previous years allowed for ‘double dipping' of seat time for projects in core content areas. Tracking of state standards not available. No essential content guide could be produced as described in the charter.”
Double dipping, Gorrindo said, is counting hours for one project in many different content areas. For example, she said, the school has interpreted five hours in one project to mean five hours in history, five hours in English and so forth, instead of dividing up the actual hours into their real content equivalent.
In her report, Gorrindo cites this year's audit of Sierra Crest courses. In first-semester government, students had five assignments, out of which two were based solely on participation and two were movies with questions. In first-semester chemistry, only six out of 16 assignments aligned with standards; seven of the chemistry assignments had to do with physics, and one was about loss of biodiversity.
First-semester English II had 13 assignments, out of which 10 were music lyrics, with no grades produced until Oct. 19. For first-semester English I, the district could find no grades at all, though grades appeared on the students' transcripts…
* * * * * *
PLANS FOR NEW CHARTER SCHOOL IN WORKS, July 2, 2010, The Record-Courier (Gardnerville, NV)
In the wake of Sierra Crest Academy's charter revocation, which was effective June 30, supporters of the closing school are banding together to form a new charter school in Carson Valley.
On Wednesday, former Sierra Crest board member Renee Sweeney said about 10 parents and at least two teachers from Sierra Crest are meeting Tuesday to form a committee and develop a new charter.
“We're not going to give up,” she said. “We need a charter school here.”
On June 8, the Douglas County School Board voted 4-2 to revoke Sierra Crest's 6-year charter. Sponsored by the Douglas County School District, the school came under fire for several compliance issues, chief among them a lack of curriculum and inadequate attendance reporting…
…It was teachers at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school sponsored by the Clark County (Nev.) School District, who reportedly exposed the school’s principal for calling several sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students into an office to finish incomplete answers on a standardized math test on one day in March 2010. That was “a serious offense because it destroys the integrity of the test,” Nevada Senior Deputy Attorney General Ed Irvin told the state board of education at a meeting last August, according to a summary of meeting minutes.
The test scores of the students involved were invalidated, says Carol Mason, test security coordinator in the Nevada Department of Education. The department suspended the principal’s license for 100 days but “did not find sufficient wrongdoing” to warrant revoking the license, says Sue A. Daellenbach, assistant superintendent for assessment accountability, research and school improvement in the Clark County district…
The middle school principal at Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy has been placed on administrative leave while state investigators look into allegations that she gave five students additional opportunities to complete a state standardized test.The high-stakes Criterion Referenced Tests are used to evaluate student progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. State law does not allow officials to give students extra help or time with the tests…
