Boys Preparatory Nashville

"Case of Boys Prep shows charter schools face same startup challenges."  The City Paper (TN), 6/21/2013

Dozens of students have left the school. Parents have accused the executive director of assaulting two students. And although the year-end test scores have yet to be released, school leaders say they won’t be pretty...

Rivalries within the leadership at the school shifted attention from the kids in the building to the adults in the boardroom. Meanwhile, handling the school’s 100 seventh-grade boys — a third of whom have some form of learning disability — proved tougher than the founders fathomed...

The Boys Prep board also began hemorrhaging members. In the charter’s short history, 18 people have left the board, some of whom said they felt forced out or were exhausted from dealing with the school’s internal politics.

Tennessee Virtual Academy

“TN virtual school draws criticism.” The Tennessean (TN), 9/10/2012

As state officials lambaste the Tennessee Virtual Academy for low achievement scores and discuss new oversight methods, the school’s management company is facing an investigation in Florida, overcoming a list of citations issued in Georgia and recovering from reports of poor results in many of its schools.

The virtual academy allows students in grades K-8 to take all their classes online, monitored by a certified teacher. It is managed by K12 Inc., a publicly traded for-profit company that has contracts for differing levels of involvement with at least 2,000 other schools across the nation.

In its first year, the Tennessee academy ranked among the bottom 4 percent of districts in the state on a measure that shows student progress from year to year.

State Rep. Joe Pitts, D-Clarksville, called the school “a risky experiment that blew up in our face.”...

Gulen charter schools in Tennessee

STATE	# ACTIVE	# PENDING	# INACTIVE*	TOTAL
TN	1	1+	2	4+

* Denied, withdrawn, closed, or unknown status

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TOTAL ENROLLMENT IN 2010-2011 = 277 STUDENTS

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SCHOOLS

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MEMPHIS SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE
Status	ACTIVE, opened in 2010
Management	READ Foundation, dba Memphis School of Excellence; partnering w/the Cosmos Foundation (“Texas-based Cosmos Foundation will open Memphis School of Excellence.”) http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/06/new-charter-leaders-savvy-supported/
Authorizer	Memphis City School District
Location/District	4450 S. Mendenhall Road, Memphis / Memphis City School District
Website	http://www.sememphis.org/
Enrollment	Grades 6-9; 2010-11 enrollment = 277
Notes	Ali Gumus, principal

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W.E.B. DUBOIS CONSORTIUM SCHOOL CONVERSIONS (nine schools)
Status	2nd ATTEMPT PENDING: The first application was denied in late October 2011. The charter operator planned to submit his applications again. http://www.memphisflyer.com/CityBeatBlog/archives/2011/10/27/herenton-will-try-try-again&cb=dd2a590ba9a5e3e53229f91ee8eed90a&sort=desc#readerComments
Management	W.E.B. Dubois Consortium of Charter Schools, partnering with the Cosmos Foundation http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/03/herenton-applies-for-charter-schools/
Authorizer	Shelby County Schools/Memphis City Schools (joint school board)
Location / District	The original application was an attempt to operate seven charter schools in Memphis, and two more in the county. The first planned takeovers were of Orleans Elementary, Manassas High and Booker T. Washington schools.

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KNOXVILLE CHARTER ACADEMY
Status	DENIED
Non-profit	Iris Educational Foundation board of directors is the governing board of Knoxville Charter Academy
Authorizer	Knox County Board of Education
History	The school’s application for a K-8 school to enroll up to 600 students was initially denied in Nov. 2010. It was later approved with the district requiring the operators to agree to set of stipulations. Note: the stipulations appeared to be an attempt to counter some of the questionable activities that had been observed at other Gulen charter schools. KCA was supposed to open for 2011-12, but the operators sought approval for, and received, a one-year extension. KCA was continuously unable to secure a location, so in May 2012 the school board unanimously voted to deny giving the operators another extension.

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NASHVILLE CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL, RENAMED NASHVILLE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Status	DENIED, all four attempts were rejected
Non-profit	Nashville Academy, Inc.
Authorizer	Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
History	In September 2006, an application was submitted for the Nashville Charter Middle School . It was denied in November, and the school’s appeal to the state board was also denied. In September 2007, the same group applied under a new name, the Nashville Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). That application was also denied. NAST’s third attempt was denied in November 2008. NAST made a fourth attempt which was denied in December 2009.

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MANAGEMENT

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READ FOUNDATION (dba Memphis School of Excellence)
Federal Tax ID	EIN 943487601
Website	None
History	Memphis Commercial Appeal: “Texas-based Cosmos Foundation will open Memphis School of Excellence.” (3/6/2010) http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/06/new-charter-leaders-savvy-supported/
Individuals involved	Executive Director: Cem Akkus; No Form 990 posted

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IRIS EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Federal Tax ID	EIN 271792425
Website	None
History	The foundation's initial address, as listed on the Tennessee Department of State's website, was the same as that of the Knoxville Turkish Cultural Center, AKA Universal Dialogue http://www.universaldialog.org/ displays same website as http://knoxvilleturkish.org/ . http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/dec/10/foundation-drives-new-charter-academy-focuses-math/?partner=RSS
Individuals involved	Board members in application: Suzan Mertyurek (also on the boards of Triad Math and Science Academy in North Carolina, another Gulen charter school, as well as Virginia International University, a Gulen-operated private institution for higher education), Lydia Pulsipher, Rashad Mahmudov, Leyla Achilova (AKA Achilov, Kayumova; taught at Sonoran Science Academy, a Gulen charter school in AZ), Ege Sarisaltik.

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NASHVILLE ACADEMY, INC.
Federal Tax ID	EIN 203991207
Website	None
Individuals involved	“While Dr. Ismail Fidan, NCMS’ sponsor and Governing Board Chair, is a consultant to two charter schools, one in Nevada and another in Fulton County, Georgia, there is little evidence of his direct involvement in educational administration or curriculum and instruction beyond his own evident expertise in his academic field. (A letter from the Fulton County charter school for which he is a consultant cites his service in raising money and recruiting teachers.) Two board members are graduate students in economics; a fourth is an architect. The fifth is an area manager for Taco Bell, with considerable experience in restaurant management.” http://state.tn.us/sbe/Jan07/NCMS/NCMS_Response_to_MNPS_objection.pdf Ismail Fidan “...worked for Fulton Science Academy governing board for two years and also for the Coral Academy of Science in grant writing and fundraising.”* http://state.tn.us/sbe/Jan07/NCMS/NCMS_Response_to_MNPS_objection.pdf *NOTE: Both schools are in the Gulen charter school network.

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W.E.B. DUBOIS CONSORTIUM OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
Federal Tax ID	Unknown
Website	None
History	It is not known how this charter school group and the Cosmos Foundation entered into an arrangement with each other. The situation presents a mutation of the established Gulen charter school pattern.
Individuals involved	Willie Herenton, Tanya Dawson, Veronica Finnie, Vernon Grouse, Regina Haley, Sara Hall, Keith McGee, Ernest Strickland, Brent Taylor. “Next year, Herenton intends to submit two applications for charter schools in suburban Shelby County.”

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PARTNER ORGANIZATION

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COSMOS FOUNDATION / HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Federal Tax ID	EIN 76-0615245
Website	http://www.cosmostx.org/
Services	The Cosmos Foundation and the READ Foundation are engaged in a "Support Service Agreement." Cosmos is paid 3% of the READ Foundation's annual state funding.
Individuals involved	Names appearing on IRS Form 990s (2002 to 2009): Ali Tekin, Bilal Akin, Burhanettin Kuruscu, Cengizhan Keskin, Cocksun Cetinkaya, Ellen A. MacDonald, Fatih Yigit, Gokturk Tunc, Ibrahim Sel, Iker Gure, Ismet S. Isik, Kadir Almus, Kudbettin Aksoy, Levent Bulut, Lynn Mitchell, Mehmet Okumus, Mustafa Atik, Mustafa Guvercin, Mustafa Ozen, Nihat Guvercin, Oner Ulvi Celepicikay, Ozgur Ozer, Selahattin Aydin, Soner Tarim, Tevik Eski, Umit Pecin, Yetkin Yildirim

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Learn more about the Cosmos Foundation / Harmony Public Schools HERE and HERE and HERE.

Omni Prep Academy-North Pointe

SCHOOL'S OUT-TROUBLES AT OMNI PREP CHARTER SCHOOL LEAVE STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND TEACHERS IN LIMBO AND RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE REGULATED; April 14, 2011; Memphis Flyer (TN) 

…[Courtney] Eskew and another kindergarten teacher called the meeting to explain why they had resigned from Omni Prep lower school the preceding week, only eight weeks before the end of the academic year. The following Monday, April 4th, three more teachers would resign…

Omni Prep North Pointe charter school was founded last year by Cary Booker [Newark mayor Cory Booker’s brother] and Marc Willis and opened last August…

News outlets and Omni Prep administrators alike reported that the five teachers left because Omni Prep told teachers in mid-March that they would only receive one-third of their paychecks. (This was not the first time Omni Prep had been unable to pay teachers; they skipped a pay period in July, which was made up in back pay.) But the former teachers have since come out in defense of their resignations, citing a host of concerns about the overall functioning of the school…

Teachers agree that the school's plan was exciting and inspiring on paper, but they soon became apprehensive about how the vision would work in practice. For Eskew, doubts began when teacher training was cut short so teachers could commit themselves to recruiting students.

"I think the fact that I started to work for a school that had no students — that was my first moment of doubt," Eskew says. "We were told, Training is stopping because we don't have our quota. We asked, How many students do we have? They said five. And two of them were one of the principal's own kids."…

Teachers also expressed concern over not being fingerprinted, a standard safety procedure for working with children in the Memphis City Schools system. They were similarly uneasy about their training being cut short…

But the former teachers' complaints don't stop there. No books, no curriculum, no consistency, and no recourse for their concerns were among the top grievances. Many teachers complained about the way students were grouped by ability: basic, proficient, and advanced. At the beginning of the year, Eskew says, "I was asked to divide my students into three groups based on ability — no instruction as to how to do that. Just 'group them by the end of the day.'"…

"I can't say that the administration, as far as Marc Willis and Cary Booker, was aware of all the problems we were having as a lower school," she says. "They were very rarely present, unless giving tours to members of the board or visitors or potential donors."…

Because Omni Prep did not get the enrollment numbers the founders expected and did not receive the state funds they budgeted for, financial worries were present from the beginning…

[Memphis City School Board member Tomeka] Hart believes charter boards should be required to go through school board training, just like the Memphis City School Board does. "If the board is doing what a board should do, it would be the first to know the issues that a charter school may face. Part of it is making sure that those boards are present and accountable, the same way we have to be…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Watch the FOX TV news report HERE. 

Nashville Global Academy

'Bad' Charter School May Close Over $400K Debt: Global Academy Is One Of Nashville's First Charter Schools, June 29, 2010, WSMV.com (Nashville, TN)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- More than 150 parents might need to quickly find a new school for their kids, as Nashville Global Academy -- one of the city's first charter schools -- could be shut down this week.

"This is a serious issue," said Metro School Board Chairman David Fox. "This is clearly a bad charter school."

Metro Schools leaders said Global Academy in Whites Creek owes the district at least $400,000 for the reimbursement of fuel, food services, employee benefit bills and BEP, or per-student funding…

Global Academy had already been on probation this year for a number of incidents, including a child being left on a bus and for creating a fourth grade when the charter didn't allow it. Now with these money problems, the Metro School Board will decide Thursday whether the school's charter should be revoked…

Memphis Academy for Health Sciences

Charter School Discipline: Memphis Academy for Health Sciences discipline practices questioned (WREG-TV, February 25, 2009)

Fast Facts:

• Parents say Memphis Academy for Health Sciences disciplines unfairly
• MAHS paddles students who act up in front of assembly of student body weekly
• Charter school board member says discipline keeps school safe

Antonius Hart and his wife, Rachel wanted a good learning environment for their sons so they chose Memphis Academy for Health Sciences, a charter school. However, they're wondering if the charter school system, one that allows each individual school to set their own rules, is a good one and if more oversight isn't needed.
"It's been ran like he's a dictator, an enforcer," said Hart, the student's father.
The Harts 9th grade son was told to leave the school for good after he threw an obscene finger gesture at a teacher. First, he was paddled during what's called chapel. That's when every Friday students who misbehave are brought into an assembly and disciplined before the entire student body.
Hart said, "I guess its like some kind of primitive humiliation type thing. They whoop them in front of all of them. I guess this is to show if we enforce this right here, this is what's going to happen to you."
After the paddling, the school decided that wasn't enough. The principal sent Hart's son a message on the son's personal cell phone. The message said, "Tomorrow you will be suspended as a result you will have to transfer from MAHS. I still can't believe what you did. It cannot be justified."
The Harts say the school should have called a parent. Plus, they say he'd already been punished once.
The director of the board for MAHS wouldn't give us an on camera interview because he says this is one situation that involves one set of parents and in doing so, it would overshadow all the good things his school is doing.
In a telephone interview Bernal Smith II told News Channel 3, "We tell our parents up front. Corporal punishment is a part of our discipline program. It's a part of what allows us to keep a safe sound environment in our school."
As for as paddling students in front of the student body, Smith said, "We use that so the rest of the students that witness that, it's a deterrent for them not to behave in the same way."
The Harts believe because they have spoken out against the charter school's discipline practices, their other son, a special needs student at the school. He is currently suspended for hitting another student in the back. The Hart's says their son denies hitting anyone.
Smith won't talk about specifics concerning the Hart children but he says it is unconscionable to think anyone at the school has an axe to grind with any student.
News Channel 3 has called the Tennessee Department of Education to find out how much autonomy charter schools have when it comes to discipline. We were told the person we needed to talk to was in a conference all week. News Channel 3 will keep you posted about what they say.