STATE | # ACTIVE | # PENDING | # INACTIVE* | TOTAL |
FL | 8 | 5 | 3 | 16 |
* Denied, withdrawn, closed, or unknown status
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SCHOOLS
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RIVER CITY SCIENCE ACADEMY | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2007 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation River City Education Services, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | Duval County Board of Education |
Location/District | 7565 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville (“Beach Campus”) / Duval County Public Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades 6-10; 551 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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STARS MIDDLE SCHOOL | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2007 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Stars Education Services, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | Leon County Schools Board of Education |
Location/District | 1500 Miccosukee Rd., Tallahassee / Leon County Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades 6-8; 181 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | Originally located at 1234 Blountstown Hwy., Tallahassee. urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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ORLANDO SCIENCE SCHOOL (originally called Discovery Academy of Science) | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2008 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Discovery Education Services, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | Orange County School Board |
Location/District | 2427 Lynx Lane, Orlando / Orange County Public Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades 6-9; 425 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | In 2005, Discovery Education Services (DES) submitted an application for the “Discovery Academy of Science.” With the district recommending a denial, DES withdrew its application before the school board’s vote. In 2006, DES submitted another application which the school board later denied (10/2006). DES appealed this decision to the State Board of Education and won (2/2007), after which the district approved its application (6/2007). DES requested, and was granted, a one-year extension for its school which it had now renamed the “Orlando Science School.” urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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SWEETWATER BRANCH ACADEMY | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2008 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Neosprings, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | School Board of Alachua County |
Location/District | 1000 NE 16 Ave. Bldg C., Gainesville / Alachua County Public Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades 6-9; 124 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | “urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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NEW SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2010 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation New Springs, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | School Board of Hillsborough County |
Location/District | 2410 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa / Hillsborough County Public School |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades 6-7; 113 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | In 2007, a five-year contract for this school was approved; it was terminated in 2009 because the school never opened. A second application was approved in 5/2010. urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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RIVER CITY SCIENCE ACADEMY – ELEMENTARY | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2010 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation River City Education Services, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer/Term | Duval County Board of Education; five-year contract approved |
Location/District | 3266 Southside Blvd., Jacksonville (“Southside Campus”) / Duval County Public Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades K-5; 219 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | The application was approved in 11/2009. urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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SWEETWATER BRANCH ACADEMY – ELEMENTARY | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2010 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Neosprings, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | School Board of Alachua County |
Location/District | 1000 NE 16 Ave. Bldg C., Gainesville / Alachua County Public Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades K-5; 146 students in 2010-2011 |
Notes | urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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NEW SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | |
Status | ACTIVE: opened 2011 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation New Springs, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer/Term | School District of Hillsborough County; four-year contract |
Location/District | 2410 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa / Hillsborough County Public School |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades K-5 |
Notes | urchases services from the Grace Institute (see blue box below). |
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BROWARD MATH AND SCIENCE SCHOOL | |
Status | PENDING: approved on 5/12/2012 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Riverside Science, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | School Board of Broward County |
Location/District | 6101 NW 31st St. Margate / Broward County Public Schools (Ft. Lauderdale) |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades K-12; est. maximum enrollment of 1200 students |
Notes | Approved 11/9/2010, but withdrawn 6/21/2011. On 3/20/2012, the district approved a $375,000 federal planning grant for the charter school. In 5/2012, the school was approved for the second time. |
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DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE (formerly Pinellas School of Math and Science) | |
Status | PENDING: approved on 6/12/2012 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Galaxy Education, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer/Term | School Board of Pinellas County / 5-year agreement |
Location/District | Undetermined location / Pinellas County School District |
Enrollment | Grades K-8, poss. up to K-12; enrollment of 600 students, poss. up to 1000 |
Notes | The district approved a $350,000 charter school planning grant on 3/16/2012. |
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MIAMI-DADE SCIENCE SCHOOLS | |
Status | PENDING: approved on 11/24/2010; initial year 2012-2013 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Sweetwater Education, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | School Board of Miami-Dade County |
Location/District | ? / Miami-Dade County Public Schools |
Enrollment | Grades K-8; 900 students max. |
Notes | No recent activity |
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ORLANDO SCIENCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | |
Status | PENDING: approved on 11/8/2011; planning to open fall 2012 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Discovery Education Services, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | Orange County School Board |
Location/District | 2427 Lynx Lane, Orlando / Orange County Public Schools |
Website | |
Enrollment | Grades K-5; up to 600 students |
Notes | the middle/high school site |
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PALM BEACH SCIENCE ACADEMY | |
Status | PENDING: approved on 11/24/2010; initial year 2012-2013 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Palm Beach Science, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | School Board of Palm Beach County |
Location/District | ? / Palm Beach County Public Schools |
Enrollment | Grades 6-12; 900 students max. |
Notes | This is the second charter school application submitted by Palm Beach Science, Inc. The first application for a school interchangeably called Palm Beach School of Science and Palm Beach Science Academy was denied in 11/2007. During that effort, Fulton Science Academy in Georgia was described as a “sister school.” In 3/2012 the district recommended a $375,000 charter school planning grant. |
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ATLANTIC SCIENCE ACADEMY | |
Status | APPROVED in 11/2004 but never opened |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Sweetwater Education, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer/Term | School Board of Miami-Dade County; ten-year term |
Location/District | 635 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables / Miami-Dade County Public Schools |
Enrollment | Grades 6-12; 840 students max. |
Notes | Originally called Miami-Dade Charter Middle and High School. Application was approved by the school board in 11/2004. In 3/2005, the name was changed to Atlantic Science Academy. In 6/2005, Sweetwater Education requested and was granted an amendment to defer the opening, but the school never opened. |
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RIVERSIDE SCIENCE ACADEMY | |
Status | DENIED in 11/2009 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Riverside Science, Inc. (see green box below) |
Authorizer | Broward County Public Schools school board |
Location/District | Intended site at 8200 South Palm Drive, Pembroke Pines / Broward County Public Schools |
Enrollment | Unknown |
Notes | This school was still featured in the Broward County Public Schools Parent Guide 2009-2010. Emre Akbaba is associated w/school as principal. |
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OSCEOLA UNIVERSAL SCHOOL | |
Status | DENIED in 10/2006 |
Applicant | Non-profit corporation Universal Education Services d/b/a Osceola Universal Schools |
Authorizer | School Board of Osceola County |
Location/District | Kissimmee area / School District of Osceola County |
Enrollment | Grades 6-12; 840 students max. |
Notes | The applicant appealed the school board’s denial decision to the State. The Charter School Appeal Commission recommended denying the appeal. However, the State Board rejected the recommendation and granted the appeal, overturning the district’s application denial. The School Board of Osceola appealed that decision. The Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the district in late 2008. |
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NON-PROFIT CORPORATION CHARTER HOLDERS
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DISCOVERY EDUCATION SERVICES, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 205773949 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 8/26/2005 by Omer Tezel, Mustafa Ince, and Mehmet F. Taskan. Other associated individuals are Dllaver [sic Dilovar] Usmanov, Ersan Songur, Fatih Demiroz, Gokhan Ozgur, Julie Oliver (AKA Julie O. Colak), Melissa Palmer, Orhan Karahan, Sirin Coskun, Tahir Duzyol, Ugur Baslanti, and Yusuf Sert. |
Notes | Loans totaling $86,127 in 2007 from Usmanov ($25K), Taskan ($36,145), Baslanti ($14,982), and Sert ($10K). |
Schools | 1. Orlando Science School (originally called Discovery Academy of Science) 2. Orlando Science Elementary School |
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GALAXY EDUCATION, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 453533747 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 7/28/2011 by Sirin Coskun, Fatih Demir, Derya Yildirim, Shemzi Balla, and Ezgi Caliskan. |
School | 1. Discovery Academy of Science (originally called Pinellas School of Math and Science) |
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NEOSPRINGS, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 431999055 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 2/16/2003 by Fatih Gordu. Other associated individuals are Arjet Gega, Aydin Alptekinoglu, Deniz Tekin, Dundar Yilmaz, Emer Yasun, Fethi Goktepe, Murat Cetin, Oguzhan Topsakal, Tamer Kahveci, and Ugur Baslanti. |
Notes | Neosprings, Inc., dba Sweetwater Branch Academy. Loans totaling $28K in 2007 from Baslanti ($20K), Gordu ($3K), Kahveci ($3K), Gega ($2K). |
Schools | 1. Sweetwater Branch Academy 2. Sweetwater Branch Academy Elementary |
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NEW SPRINGS, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 204248193 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 7/25/2006 by Ismail Guvenc, Serkan Ozek, and Necmettin Yildirim. Other associated individuals are Bishop Charles Leigh, Chris Hamlett, Dogan Tozoglu, Emre Akbaba, Erdem Onsal, Hasan Basri Celebi, Huseyin Arslan, Ilbey Budak, Miguel A. Labrador, Mustafa G. Sahin, Serkan Gunpinar, Tevfik Yucek, and Yalcin Akin. |
Notes | Leigh participated in a Turkish Cultural Center-Tampa trip to Turkey. Hamlett “... has 2 known relationships including Seher Demeril-Hamlett and Mehmet Demeril...” (CorporationWiki.com). Loans totaling $558,680 in 2008 from Yucek ($20,960), Guvenc ($13,000), Onsal ($4,620), Gunpinar ($100), and Sema Education Agency ($520,000, see blue box below). New Springs, Inc. and the Sirius Foundation, d.b.a. Istanbul Cultural Center of Tampa Bay have the same address on some Form 990s (6210 Sheldon Road, Apt. 2706, Tampa). |
Schools | 1. New Springs Middle School 2. New Springs Elementary School |
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PALM BEACH SCIENCE, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 800670766 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 6/15/2007 by Yasar Burak Savak. Other associated individuals are Abdul Bagci (poss. AKA Yasin Bagci), Burak Erkuloglu, Dogan Tozoglu. Fwat (sic Fuat) Sen, Rasim Cinar, Renat Shaykhutdinov, Stacey Erbay, Yalcin Akin, and Yusuf Demirelli. |
Notes | Bagci “worked for Sema Education, Inc.” (see blue box below) and “has been working for Coral Springs Foundation (=Anatolia Cultural Center).” |
School | 1. Palm Beach Science Academy a.k.a. Palm Beach School of Science |
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RIVER CITY EDUCATION SERVICES, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 205773949 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 6/12/2006 by Selcuk Buyuksarac. Other associated individuals are Abdulbasit Aydin, Adem Dokmeci, Ahmet Birdal, Angeline T. Romero, Dave Andrus, Dogan Tozoglu, Elizabeth Dorrian, Enes Calik, Sinan Turkel, and Tonja/Tonya Boswell (Note: Angeline Romero is married to Selcuk Buyuksarac). |
Schools | 1. River City Science Academy 2. River City Science Academy – Elementary |
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RIVERSIDE SCIENCE, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 261453559 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 6/22/2007 by Ferhat Erkan. Other associated individuals are Hasan Kaya, Ibrahim Yildiz, Ilby Budak, Renat Shaykhutdinov, and Stacey Erbay (married to Ali Erbay – see Sweetwater Education). |
Schools | 1. Broward Math and Science School 2. Riverside Science Academy |
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STARS EDUCATION SERVICES, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 201343297 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 6/23/2004 by Yalcin Akin. Other associated individuals are A. Samet Kul, Arif Dagli, Bill Gladwin, Dogan Tozoglu, Mesut Kovankaya, Natalie M. Provo, Necati Aydin, and Zeki Ademir (note: Gladwin is the recipient of at least one of the Gulen movement’s free, guided trips to Turkey, via the Tallahassee Tolerance and Dialogue Group at FSU; Provo died in 2010. Her obituary stated, ” In her last years, her life was enriched by the many friends she made in the Turkish community in Tallahassee and Auburn.”). |
School | 1. Stars Middle School |
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SWEETWATER EDUCATION, INC. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 201181159 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 2/21/2003 by Cengiz Alacaci. Other associated individuals are Abdukyasin Bagci, Ali S. Erbay, Banu S. Yildiz, Elvan Aktas, Etem Oksayoglu, Halil Kutlu Erol, Isa Afacan, Mehmet Y. Ulutas, Mustafa Utku, Nezih Pala, Omer A. Zeyrek, Unal Coban, Vakkas Koca, and Yalcin Akin. |
Schools | 1. Atlantic Science Academy 2. Miami-Dade Science Schools |
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UNIVERSAL EDUCATION SERVICES, INC. d/b/a Osceola Universal Schools. | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN = 204357591 |
Individuals involved | Incorporated on 2/22/2006 by Mehmet Taskan. Other associated individual are Gia Songur, Harun Sahbaz, Mustafa Ince, and Reina Sabio. Dissolved by Mehmet F. Taskan on 4/30/2012. |
Schools | 1. Osceola Universal School, sometimes written Osceola Universal Charter School |
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SERVICE PROVIDERS
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GRACE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH & RESOURCES (AKA GRACE SCHOOLS) | |
FEI/EIN Number | EIN = 262674420 |
Website/Address | http://graceschools.us/, “5755 Nortpoint [sic] Pkwy, Suite 1, Alpharetta, GA |
Services | From the 2010 brochure: “Membership is a contractual agreement where a candidate school Governing Board adopts the Grace Institute standards and pays a per-pupil fee to partake in the Institute’s activities and to benefit from membership services.” Services listed: “Professional development workshops for new administrator and faculty; Standards based teaching, assessment, and evaluation support; Budget development support; Marketing, recruitment, and enrollment support; Curriculum development research and support; Accreditation standards support; Operations support.” |
Individuals involved | Board members on 990s for 2007, 2008, 2009: Ali Ozer, Kenar Sener, Namik Sercan, Selim Ozdemir, and Yucel Aktas; w/books in care of Avni Cokavci and Ilbey Budak [see Occonee Science Academy above; probably Ismailcem Budak Arpinar] |
Notes | All member schools are in the Gulen movement-identified charter school network. Previously appearing on website: “Current members include these two original schools [FSA Middle and High] as well as (in order of their opening years) Stars Middle School, River City Science Academy Middle and High School, Orlando Science Middle and High School, Sweetwater Branch Academy Middle and High School, New Springs Middle School, Fulton Sunshine Academy Elementary School, River City Science Academy Elementary School, and Sweetwater Branch Academy Elementary School.” |
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SEMA EDUCATION & HEALTH DEVELOPMENT (AKA SEMA Education Agency or Sema Education, Inc.) | |
Fed. Tax ID | EIN unknown |
Website/Address | None / 560 Lexington Avenue 16th Floor New York, NY |
Services | Provides very large loans to Gulen charter school operators ($332K in GA, $520K in FL) |
Individuals involved | Melih Yildirim of Sema signed the letter of forgiveness for the balance of $166,000 plus interest for its loan to Fulton Educational Services, Inc. (the non-profit operating Gulen charter schools in Georgia) http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/1/3/4513391/letter_from_the_lender.pdf |
Notes | Little is knows about this organization. Its address and phone number is shared with both the Turkish Cultural Center-Manhattan and the Council of Turkic American Associations. |
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Read about the Grace Institute and related Gulen charter schools in Florida @ http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/florida-schools-orlando-river-city-sweetwater-stars-new-springs.html
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