Kid Street Learning Center Charter School

"Guilty plea in Santa Rosa School embezzlement." KTVU (CA), 1/10/2012

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A former Santa Rosa charter school official has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $400,000 to fund a prescription drug habit.

The Press Democrat reports that Sheila Accornero entered her plea Monday to felony counts of grand theft, forgery and possession of a controlled substance. Under terms of the plea deal, she'll get no more than five years and eight months in prison when she's sentenced on Feb. 28.

Accornero was the business manager of Kid Street Learning Center, where prosecutors said she forged the principal's signature on hundreds of checks written out to her. She was arrested in August after her credit union noticed suspicious deposits in her account.

Authorities say the stolen money was used to buy hydrocodone and OxyContin.

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“$400,000 embezzlement suspected at Kid Street Charter School; Finance director arrested on embezzlement, burglary, forgery and drug violations.” The Press Democrat, 8/10/2011

The finance manager of a Santa Rosa charter school will face charges Thursday of embezzling nearly $400,000 to support a prescription narcotics habit, Santa Rosa police officials said Wednesday.

Sheila Accornero is suspected of writing checks to herself and hiding money through accounting techniques during the five years she managed the books for the Kid Street Learning Center Charter School on Davis Street, Sgt. Michael Lazzarini said...

Accornero, 42, the school’s finance and business manager, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at the school and is being held without bail on suspicion of embezzlement, forgery and burglary.

She had prescription narcotics, including Vicodin and hydrocodone, in her possession, a violation of her probation for a prior drug related-conviction in 2009, police officials said...

Lazzarini said school officials were unaware of the fraud when investigators Tuesday asked them to look over the books for evidence of embezzlement.

“Annual reports never showed any discrepencies, but that’s consistent with embezzlement cases,” Lazzarini said. “She’d write checks to herself and forge the administrator signatures.”

Investigators received a tip several weeks ago suggesting they look into the 42-year-old Cloverdale woman’s “financial lifestyle,” Lazzarini said...

Investigators uncovered $400,000 in funds channeled to Accornero dating as far back as three years ago. They suspect they may find more misappropriated funds with a more detailed examination of the accounting books...

The suspected loss would represent a significant portion of the annual revenue received by the charter school’s parent organization, Kid Street Learning Center Inc...

None of the money taken from the school has been recovered, Lazzarini said...

Academy for Science and Design

“Merrimack charter school wrongly denied nearly 70 students lottery access.” Nashua Telegraph (NH), 08/24/2011

Nearly 70 students were wrongly denied their right to enter an admissions lottery for the Academy for Science and Design charter school this year, the school acknowledged in a letter sent to parents this week.

The school chalked up the error to “inadvertent human error,” though e-mails provided by parents whose children were rejected show they were told if their children didn’t score 70 percent on a math placement exam, they were not eligible to attend the school. Using placement test scores to deny students would be a violation of the school’s charter and possibly state law...

[Thomas Frischknecht, chairman of the school’s board of trustees] said the issue came to the board’s attention last week when parent Janet Sukkar attended the meeting with her family and told the board her son had been denied admission because of his math placement test score. She provided correspondence to corroborate her claim, according to meeting minutes.

Sukkar declined comment Tuesday. She and other parents have provided e-mails they received from the school to The Telegraph, which clearly indicate their children were not admitted to the school because of their performance on the math placement test.

Mary Mattingly, director of admissions at the school, wrote in an April 5 e-mail that students who did not score 70 percent or above on the placement “will unfortunately be declined.”...

Mattingly is no longer the admissions director, Frischknecht said. There has been a reorganization at the school which was, in part, response to the admissions issue, but Frischknecht would not say whether Mattingly was part of that...

“This lack of communication and the confusion or frustration it may have caused is something we regret and wish to apologize for,” the school wrote in its letter, co-signed by Frischknecht and David Chauvette, director of the school. Chauvette did not return a phone call Tuesday...

Frischknecht said the placement exam was intended to be used as a guide for the school and the parents. If students don’t score high enough, parents were supposed to be able to choose to enter the lottery, knowing their child may not be able to handle the advanced curriculum, he said.

“The problem is that did not happen for those students,” Frischknecht said...

The issue raises questions about the state Department of Education’s ability to oversee the charter schools it is authorizing, the number of which is expected to climb significantly...

Guffey Community Charter School

"Former Guffey Community Charter School volunteer arrested.” Fairplay Flume (CO), 08/19/2011

A former volunteer at the Guffey Community Charter School turned himself in to the Teller County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 15 on a Park County warrant stemming from allegations that he abused a child in connection with a school trip.

Robert Alfieri, 55, of Florissant, has arrest charges against him for crimes against at-risk juveniles, a class 6 felony, and child abuse and third degree assault, both class 1 misdemeanors...

Becky Minnis, the Fairplay-based Re-2 School District superintendent, who has some degree of authority over the charter school, which is within Re-2, said Alfieri has been a volunteer and his wife taught at the charter school in Guffey.

"His wife was a teacher there, and she has since resigned," Minnis said. "She resigned at the end of the school year."

Alfieri didn't return a phone message seeking comment on the case...

According to the arrest warrant, Alfieri was a volunteer snowboard instructor teaching Guffey Community Charter School students how to snowboard at Ski Cooper...

Mercury Online Academy (virtual school)

“Upland online charter school closes doors after one week of class due to declining enrollment.” Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (CA),  08/23/2011

UPLAND - The large banner and signs outside Mercury Online Academy's learning facility says it's still enrolling students, but that's far from the case.

Due to a lack of enrollment, the free K-6 charter school closed its doors Friday, one week into its school year.

"We had a back-to-school night on Aug. 11 and met with parents and told them the (enrollment) numbers were not looking good and that we might not be able to open there this year," said Jason Erdmann, the chief administrative office for the charter school in Upland.

"I wanted them to know and told them that we would leave enrollment open for a another week, but there just weren't enough students who enrolled."

By the time school started - Aug. 15 - there were only 20 enrolled students, Erdmann said, which is not enough to pay for the staffing and the rent of the center.

This past Monday, the school's doors were closed.

"When I went to school to pick up my kids on Friday, they were standing in the courtyard crying their eyes out," said Janette Cervantes, who has three children at the academy...

Erdmann said the charter did a lot of advertising and marketing to draw enrollment throughout the year. He said officials manned a booth at the city's Lemon Festival.

"For us to hire a teacher, we need at least 17 students per grade and that was not happening," he said.

Mercury Online school's learning facility is housed at the former Pacific Christian School. That school closed in 2008.

Kern Becker, the executive director for the Pacific Christian Center, said that although Mercury's final rent payment is pending, he trusts "they will pay what they owe."...

Allsport Academy

“5 years for ex Tucson teacher in student-sex case.” Arizona Daily Star, 08/23/2011

A former charter school teacher was sentenced to five years in prison and a lifetime of probation Monday in Pima County Superior Court.

Aaron Montoya, 31, was indicted in July 2010 on three counts of sexual conduct with a minor and pleaded guilty to two of those counts last month.

Montoya's now former wife called police after she caught him with a 14-year-old girl at their home, according to court records. The girl told police she'd had sex with Montoya at a hotel three or four times and once at his house.

Montoya taught the girl at Allsport Academy, 6211 E. Speedway, a charter school run by his father.

His father fired him...

Gulen charter schools in Arkansas

STATE	# ACTIVE	# PENDING	# INACTIVE*	TOTAL
AR	5	0	3	8

* Denied, withdrawn, closed, or unknown status

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TOTAL ENROLLMENT IN 2010-2011 = 904 STUDENTS

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SCHOOLS

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LISA ACADEMY – LITTLE ROCK
Status	Active, opened in 2004
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education; denied expansion for grades 4 & 5 due to student screening concerns (4/2011) http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2011/04/11/dermott-west-side-school-in-distress
Location/District	21 Corporate Hill Dr., Little Rock / Little Rock School District
Website	http://www.lisaacademy.org/
Enrollment	Grades 6-8; 2010-11 enrollment = 306
Notes	Ali Gumus, superintendent, and Cuneyt Akdemir, principal (referenced May 2011); now being referred to as “LISA West”

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LISA ACADEMY HIGH – LITTLE ROCK
Status	Active, opened in 2005
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education
Location/District	23 Corporate Hill Dr., Little Rock / Little Rock School District
Website	http://www.lisaacademy.org/
Enrollment	Grades 9-12; 2010-11 enrollment = 170
Notes	Ribbon-cutting for newly constructed building 10/2011

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LISA ACADEMY – NORTH ELEMENTARY
Status	Active, opened in 2008
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education
Location/District	5410 Landers Rd., Sherwood (North Little Rock) / Pulaski County Special School District
Website	http://www.lisanorth.org/
Enrollment	Grades K-5; 2010-11 enrollment = 214
Notes	Emin Cavusoglu, superintendent, and Mehmet Uguz, principal (referenced May 2011); school drew “...criticism for locating in an affluent area after stating in its original charter school application that it wanted to locate in a disadvantaged area and serve at-risk students.” http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/charter-school-invasion/Content?oid=863881

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LISA ACADEMY – NORTH MIDDLE
Status	Active, opened in 2008
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education
Location/District	5410 Landers Rd., Sherwood (North Little Rock) / Pulaski County Special School District
Website	http://www.lisanorth.org/
Enrollment	Grades 6-8; 2010-11 enrollment = 162

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LISA ACADEMY – NORTH HIGH
Status	Active, opened in 2008
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education
Location/District	5410 Landers Rd., Sherwood (North Little Rock) / Pulaski County Special School District
Website	http://www.lisanorth.org/
Enrollment	Grades 9-10; 2010-11 enrollment = 52

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LISA ACADEMY - SPRINGDALE
Status	Denied in 2007
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education
Notes	Board voted 4-3 to deny the application; “...board members said they were puzzled by the choice of location… ”http://arkansasnews.com/2007/11/05/education-board-approves-changes-to-arkansas-history-guidelines/

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LISA ACADEMY - JOHNSON
Status	Denied in 2008
Management	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation
Authorizer	Arkansas State Board of Education
Notes	Proposed K-12 school; rejected 6-2 (“Some board members questioned the need for the school.”)

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DOVE SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE
Status	Denied by the Springdale School District in June 2009, and also denied by the State Board in November 2009
Management	Sky Foundation, Inc. dba Dove Science Academy
Authorizer	Springdale School District, Arkansas Department of Education
Notes	The school’s appeal to the ADE was denied because the school “…would not offer a service the district does not already provide.” http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2009/nov/10/state-board-denies-request-dove-school/

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MANAGEMENT

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LITTLE SCHOLARS OF ARKANSAS FOUNDATION
Federal Tax ID	EIN 061665076
Website	None
History	“…the founders of LISA Academy — UALR professors Serhan Dagtas and Ibrahim Duyar — envisioned a college-prep school that emphasized science, math and technology…” (Arkansas Times) http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/whats-the-point/Content?oid=868071
Individuals involved	Names appearing on IRS Form 990s (2004-2008): Ali Gumus, Birol Furat, Murat Kalaci, Emin Cavusoglu, Ilker Akkus, Kemal Aydin, Mikail Abdullayev, Murat Kalayci, Mutlu Mete, Omer Ozmeral, Ramazan Ozgen, Sinan Kockara, and Tansel Karabacak.

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SKY FOUNDATION, INC. dba DOVE SCIENCE ACADEMY
Federal Tax ID	EIN 731578930
Website	None
History	Schools chartered “by Turkish immigrants studying at Oklahoma State University.” (The Oklahoman, 1/1/2006); “...the founders of the school had the vision of creating a place that emphasized math and science...” (NewsOK, 3/28/2011);
Individuals involved	Names appearing on Sky Foundation Form 990s (2002-2009): Birol Furat, Birol Ozturk, A.Y. [Ali Yavuz] Zeybek, Elvan Ceyhan, Fevzi Simsek, Gultekin Kaya, Hakan Yagci, Halil Ibrahim Tas, Hasan Buzuk, Ihsan Kara, Ilhan Guzey, Can Topuz, Kamil Celik, Orhan Kucukosman, Volkan Cicek, Ilker Gure, Yalcin Akyildiz, Zekeriya Yuksel, and Zeynei Gunay.
Notes	Until 2009, the Form 990s listed the address is 4444 N. Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City. Also listed at this address is the Oklahoma City branch of Raindrop Turkish House, a regional Gulenist “cultural” organization.

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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	Little Scholars of Arkansas Foundation and the Cosmos Foundation are in a “Support Service Agreement”; Cosmos gets 3% of LISA 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. 
• Learn more about the LISA Academy HERE.