Parkway Academy Charter High School

“Parkway Academy put on notice.” Sun Sentinel (FL), 3/20/2012

The Broward School Board put Parkway Academy on notice Tuesday that its poor record of student achievement could result in it being shut down.

Board members voted unanimously to send a letter to the Miramar charter school notifying it that its charter won’t be renewed in June. The charter, which specializes in automotive studies, was the only F-rated high school in Broward County last year. It enrolls about 517 students.

This isn’t the last chance for the school, though. It can appeal the decision.

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“Parkway Academy of Miramar fined $260,800.” West Volusia Beacon (FL), 6/22/2010

GAINESVILLE — Parkway Academy of Miramar has been penalized for major violations committed by its athletic program.

The school has been reprimanded, fined $260,800, its entire athletic program placed on five years of restrictive probation and three additional years of administrative probation, and the school's football program was placed on five years of restrictive probation and three additional years of administrative probation...

The penalties are in response to violations of multiple provisions of association regulations, including multiple counts of student-athlete ineligibility.

The school currently is serving restrictive probation for violations in its girls' basketball program...

The Florida High School Athletic Association office began its investigation in the 2008-09 school year, particularly the football team's student-eligibility...

The investigation determined that 32 specific violations of FHSAA bylaws and policies were committed, including:

... participation of non-school students in practice;

... participation of ineligible student-athletes in interscholastic contests;

... participation in illegal football scrimmages;

... violations of athletic-recruiting policies; and

... falsification of information to the FHSAA investigative consultant.

"It is not only the tremendous number of FHSAA bylaws and policies that have been violated by Parkway Academy, but also the egregiousness of those violations that are so appalling," said Executive Director Roger Dearing. "This investigation, which took more than four months to complete, along with the subsequent report and findings, represent the most serious levels of offenses with which the association has had to deal in recent years...

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“Teen Dies in Shooting After School Dance in Miramar.” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 5/6/2006

A teenager was shot and killed Friday night following an altercation at a school dance at Parkway Academy High School in Miramar...

A disturbance inside the cafeteria carried over to the outside of the school where the shooting took place. The victim was identified as Devon Sutton, 19, the brother of the disc jockey at the event.

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“Teen Suspect In School-bus Shooting Could Be Charged As Adult.”11/17/2005

A 17-year-old Miramar girl accused of shooting her classmate appeared Wednesday in court, where she likely will be charged as an adult.

Tuesday morning the suspect was the last person to get on the bus to school. She pulled a chrome handgun from behind her back, reached over a seat with students and shot Cheatham in the shoulder, the affidavit says. Then the suspect pulled back the gun's slide, ready to shoot again.

The bus driver quickly grabbed the suspect and forced her off the bus before driving off.

The girls are both juniors at Parkway Academy High, a 480-student charter school in Miramar...

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Coral Academy of Science - Reno

REACTION TO ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING AT CORAL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL. MyNews4 (Reno, NV) 12 May 2010 

…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…

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NEVADA SCHOOL ATTACKS PROFANE SPEECH IN POEM.  Free Speech Matters 22 April 2006 

UPDATE:

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.

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Read the restraining order HERE.

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Read about the Gulen charter schools in Nevada HERE.

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Additional reading: Coral Academy of Science - Evidence of affiliation with the Gulen Movement  http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/coral-academy-of-science.html

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Prairie Crossing Charter School

“Fired principal sues Prairie Crossing Charter School.” Daily Herald (IL), 3/20/2012

Former Prairie Crossing Charter School principal Brian Greene has filed a lawsuit contending his firing in December was based on false claims against him by Director Nigel Whittington and two others.

Greene’s attorney, Anthony Esposito of Libertyville, filed the suit Tuesday in Lake County circuit court. More than $50,000 in damages are sought from the Grayslake public choice school for claims including breach of contract, defamation, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Court documents state Whittington made bogus claims against Greene in a letter last Nov. 29 recommending the principal’s dismissal. Whittington falsely stated Greene disclosed the substance of confidential teacher union negotiations to a parent and lied about the completion of curriculum maps, the suit says.

The lawsuit also contends false comments by former Prairie Crossing board member Mark Dybas and his wife, school spokeswoman Dilrukshi Dybas, were used by Whittington as part of his ouster. The Dybases have a child who attends the school...

Along with the charter school, Whittington, the Dybases and all board members were named individually.

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FEUDING CHARTER SCHOOL BOARD SEEKS GUIDANCE FROM STATE. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) 13 Aug 2007; 

Prairie Crossing Charter School's board president says she doesn't want bickering among her colleagues to hurt education there, so she's asked a state agency for help.

Temporary legal advice and oversight for the elected officials at the suburbs' only charter school is on the way from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Representatives from the state are expected to meet with officials at the Grayslake public school this week. In part, the board wants state guidance on "acceptable standards for civil behavior."…

In the past month or so, the following incidents have occurred at Prairie Crossing, which is the suburbs' only charter school:

- Board member John Rizzo leveled accusations against a colleague. After some board members tried to quiet him, Rizzo went into the audience and said he'd continue speaking as a parent, not an official.

At one point, board member Kim Vander Yacht demanded Rizzo's removal from the meeting room.

- Wiens and three others tried to oust board member Laura Elizabeth Fay as treasurer. Wiens contended Fay overstepped her bounds. The moved failed in a 4-4 vote.

Fay said her opponents were upset she reported the school had a "precarious cash flow."

- Director Myron Dagley issued a memo stating a "hostile and ugly" office atmosphere created by a board member prompted three employees to threaten to quit.

State board of education officials hope this week's meeting creates a better understanding between the feuding board members, spokesman Matt Vanover said…

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HOSTILITY AT THE CHARTER SCHOOL? DIRECTOR TRIES TO STOP RESIGNATIONS OVER ONE BOARD MEMBER. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) 24 Jul 2007

Prairie Crossing Charter School's director says a "hostile and ugly" office atmosphere created by a board member has triggered the pending resignations of at least three administrators.

Myron Dagley, the director and top administrator, issued a memo last week stating Prairie Crossing is "dead in the water" if the employees suddenly quit…

Dagley didn't name the board member he contends is causing problems or the employees who want to quit. He said the pending resignations of three or possibly four staffers stem from personal attacks and accusations of inappropriate actions spread by the board member…

He said the board member at issue has created a "hostile and ugly work environment," prompting his friends to ask if Prairie Crossing Charter School is a "crazy place."

Administrators subjected to the rumors and innuendo live in the Grayslake area and have been confronted by residents about such "tripe" while in the community, Dagley said…

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COST OF CHARTER SCHOOL LAND DEAL QUESTIONED. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) 16 Nov 2006

At least one board member at Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake is frustrated with one of its co-founders, who sold land to a nearby private Montessori program for $10.

Prairie Crossing board member John Rizzo of Gurnee said it would have been good if the charter school had received a similar $10 deal from Victoria Ranney. She was a founding board member when the public charter school opened in 1999.

Ranney is president of Prairie Holdings Corp., which developed the namesake subdivision where the charter school was built. The public school borrowed $2.3 million to buy its buildings and property from Prairie Holdings.

"If we were not paying debt service (like interest) on $2.3 million," Rizzo said, "we'd be in much better shape than we are now."

However, Ranney said Wednesday that Rizzo's reasoning was unfair. Lake Forest Montessori School broke ground last week for a building on a Prairie Crossing organic farm site that it purchased for $10.

"The situation is not comparable," Ranney said.

Ranney said she won't be drawn into any effort to pit the two schools against each other because her family has put its support behind both institutions…

Financial woes recently led Prairie Crossing's interim director to say officials must consider reducing staff and halting almost all spending in discretionary accounts so the school can live within its means.

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PETITION ASKS FOR ELECTED BOARD APPOINTED MAJORITY UNDER FIRE ON PRAIRIE CROSSING'S SCHOOL BOARD. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) 17 May 2006

Whether Grayslake's Prairie Crossing Charter School is better off with a nine-member board that consists of mostly appointed members was up for debate Tuesday night.

Six of Prairie Crossing's board members are appointed and three elected by parents. A petition with about 120 signatures presented at Tuesday's board meeting contends Prairie Crossing should become more democratic and have six of the nine board members elected by parents.

Proponents of the current structure say Prairie Crossing is a nonprofit corporation unlike traditional school districts and needs a board that selects most of its members with the right expertise…

Todd Lemmon represented those who want a board mostly elected by Prairie Crossing parents. He said that would lead to better representation and accountability.

"It just goes right to the heart of good corporate governance in a democracy," Lemmon said.

However, parent Steve Barg said Prairie Crossing's board works well under the current system and that a majority of elected members could tamper with the "unique, innovative and different" charter school. He also questioned the petition submitted by Lemmon.

"I've heard from several parents who feel they were pressured into signing (the petition), and now regret that they did," Barg said…

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Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow

STATE QUESTIONS ATTENDANCE RATES AT INTERNET CHARTER SCHOOLS; Sept. 23, 2006; Associated Press, via Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Attendance has been so good at some of Ohio's Internet charter schools that the state is wondering if the numbers are too good to be true.

The Ohio Department of Education plans to give attendance figures a second look after 20 of the schools - state-funded public schools where students do work online from home or other sites - reported perfect attendance for the last school year. Others had rates that were nearly perfect.

At least two schools, including Ohio's biggest, admit that they don't count students expelled for being absent for at least 21 days.

"This sounds like just another way that charter schools are gaming the system," said Lisa Zellner, spokeswoman for the Ohio Federation of Teachers. "What does this do for the student? The point is to be educating these kids, giving them what they need."…

The state's largest Internet charter school, the 6,664-student Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, has reported perfect attendance for the past three school years…

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ONLINE SCHOOLS UNDER SCRUTINY; May 3, 2002; Wired 

More than 30 publicly funded virtual charter schools have launched during the past five years, and parents have largely been pleased with the results.

But the alleged mismanagement of two academies run by for-profit companies is prompting states to request more regulatory authority.

Educators say the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) in Ohio and Einstein Academy in Pennsylvania, both of which are run by private companies, have ignored numerous academic guidelines while operating with questionable accounting practices…

[Ohio Federation of Teachers] president Tom Mooney said ECOT is "really being run by Bozo and Clarabell," claiming that management company Altair Learning Management had no background in education or technology. However, Mooney said they were "shrewd enough to smell a really good opportunity."…

The audit, which was released in April, showed that the company overcharged the state by $1.65 million for teaching hours it could not substantiate, and that $500,000 worth of computer equipment given to students who left the program were not recovered.

The auditor's office said ECOT's net loss of $3.8 million during the school year "causes substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern."

ECOT recently agreed to pay back $1.6 million to Ohio's department of education over the next three years. ECOT superintendent Jeffrey P. Forster, who saw 30 percent of his students leave the program during its first year, said that because of cost cutting, the academy is on solid financial footing…

The federation also cites a recent charter granted directly to Akron "industrialist" David Brennan's White Hat Management company instead of to a nonprofit as required by state law.

Mooney said that when legislators passed the charter school law, they never envisioned cyber schools and "did not set up appropriate guidelines for oversight."…

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Allen Village School

INFORMATION ISSUED BY U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI ON SEPT. 25: FORMER CHARTER SCHOOL PRESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO MORTGAGE, INVESTMENT FRAUDS; September 25, 2006; US Fed News Service 

The U.S. Department of Justice's U.S. Attorney's office for the Western District of Missouri issued the following press release:

Bradley J. Schlozman, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former president of Allen Village School's board of directors pleaded guilty in federal court today to mortgage and investment fraud schemes.

James Elliott Coleman, 58, of Raytown, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Dean Whipple this afternoon to all of the charges contained in an April 20, 2006, federal indictment.

By pleading guilty today, Coleman admitted that he participated in a $778,336 mortgage fraud scheme and a $40,000 investment fraud scheme that were perpetrated against an older widow and her daughter. Coleman also admitted that he used some of the proceeds of the investment fraud to repay money he embezzled from the charter school.

Mortgage Fraud

Coleman admitted that he participated in a conspiracy from December 2001 to July 29, 2004, to defraud mortgage lenders and individual victims. As a result of the mortgage fraud conspiracy, Coleman personally obtained approximately $148,214.

Coleman solicited two victims, an older widow and her daughter, to invest in real estate. Coleman prepared false and fraudulent loan applications and supporting documentation for submission to mortgage lenders in the names of straw borrowers, caused inflated appraisals to be prepared in relation to the properties, and submitted false and fraudulent loan applications and documentation to mortgage lenders...

Between 2003 and July 29, 2004, in an attempt to lull the mother and daughter into believing that their investments were safe and secure, Coleman fraudulently advised them that there had been delays in the progress of Allen Village, but that Phase I was already underway and Phase II was about to break ground.

Coleman admitted that he used part of the money from the investment fraud scheme to repay funds he embezzled from Allen Village School, a Kansas City charter school where he had served on the board of directors and as business manager, board treasurer and president. Coleman has been charged in a separate indictment with embezzling $47,368 from the school.

Coleman also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of interstate transportation of funds obtained by fraud, which were related to a series of financial transactions in which Coleman caused funds to be transferred across state lines in furtherance of the conspiracy and as a result of the conspiracy and scheme to defraud.

Under federal statutes, Coleman could be subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole on the conspiracy count and up to 10 years in federal prison without parole on each of the 10 counts of interstate transportation of funds obtained by fraud, plus a fine up to $250,000 on each of the 11 counts. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Parker Marshall. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Contact: Don Ledford, 816/426-4220.

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Language Academy

CHARTER SCHOOL FACES FINANCIAL INQUIRY-THE SUPERINTENDENT ASKS FOR A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE LANGUAGE ACADEMY. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WANTS TO KNOW IF IT'S EMBEZZLEMENT OR JUST BAD ACCOUNTING; August 22, 2006; St. Petersburg Times (FL) 

LAND O'LAKES - Pasco County schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino has asked for a criminal investigation into the Language Academy after someone told district officials that there had been embezzlement at the charter school, she said.

"It's my job to make sure that they're accountable to the public and follow the contract," Fiorentino said Monday.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is having "ongoing discussions" with school district officials in an effort to determine whether there was a crime - or possibly bad accounting - at the school.

"We're still determining what direction we need to go," sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin said.

An audit of the bilingual school is expected to come out later this month. Fiorentino believes the school is about $150,000 in debt and said as much as $500,000 may be unaccounted for from the tenure of the academy's founder and former principal, the Rev. Gary Carson.

Carson resigned as the charter school's principal in March 2004, citing the demands of dealing with a family illness and heading the Westminster Presbyterian Church as its pastor.

During its first two years, the Language Academy was cited twice in school district audits for not complying with financial, staffing and curriculum rules. The school also struggled to keep balanced bank accounts and failed to properly document some purchases…

But school district officials and a former church treasurer say the problems at the Language Academy ran much deeper than unbalanced checkbooks.

"A lot of things going on at the school shouldn't have been going on, in terms of administration," former church treasurer Walter Sellers said.

Sellers said that Carson was recently "defrocked," or stripped of his ministerial duties, for seven years by the Presbytery of Tampa Bay…

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New Voyage Academy

STORMY END FOR CHARTER SCHOOL: NEW VOYAGE ACADEMY HAD FINANCIAL, STAFFING PROBLEMS; March 18, 2006: Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN) 

A St. Paul charter school plagued by management and financial problems was dissolved Friday, leaving about 50 children without a school.

A week in which classes were cancelled for three days so school leaders could resolve their differences culminated Friday in a series of stormy meetings between parents, the school's recently fired director and the board of New Voyage Academy. All but one board member wound up resigning, and the 10-year-old school was shut down…

Representatives from the state Department of Education, St. Paul Public Schools, the Center for School Change and the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools were on hand Friday along with school officials at New Voyage's University Avenue site for a series of meetings, which included consultations with the commissioner of education and the attorney general's office. In the end, the decision was made that the school needed to dissolve immediately.

"(The Minnesota Department of Education) says it is bankrupt," said Mary Chorewycz, executive director of research and development for St. Paul Public Schools, which sponsored New Voyage…

Chorewycz said that recommendation was based on the school's financial problems, unlicensed and inadequate staff, inadequate discipline, poor student performance and unstable leadership.

The school has had seven directors in five years, Chorewycz said. "How can you offer a consistent program for children with that much change?"

The most recent strife among school leaders centered on the frequency of elections for board seats and concerns about potential conflict of interest involving a board member who also was employed by a firm that consults with charter schools…

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Minnesota Business Academy

BUSINESS CHARTER SCHOOL IS CLOSING; THE MINNESOTA BUSINESS ACADEMY IS THE LATEST CHARTER SCHOOL IN THE STATE TO FAIL BECAUSE ENROLLMENT NEVER HIT PROJECTIONS; April 28, 2006; Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) 

Another Minnesota charter school is closing shop, victim of too many expenses and too few students. St. Paul's Minnesota Business Academy will shut down for good at the end of the school year.

One of the state's highest-profile charter schools opened to much fanfare six years ago. Its demise dramatizes the fate that befalls many charter schools. While the vast majority of the state's 123 charters are thriving, others struggle on, believing they'll attract more kids than the realities of the market allow - until it's too late…

The school had the backing of then St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, city business leaders and former Lt. Gov. Joanne Benson, who once served as MBA's chief education officer. It moved into the former Science Museum of Minnesota building in 2000.

But refurbishing the old museum into a high school cost nearly $10 million, debt that required an enrollment of 440 to cover costs. It never came close, said Executive Director Jerry Neff. Last summer, the school persuaded St. Paul to forgive half its debt. It wasn't enough. It still needed 315 pupils this year to meet its budget. In September, 240 showed up. Currently, 188 students are enrolled and 61 will graduate in June, Neff said.

School officials told students about the closing Thursday. Many were crushed…

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THE BUSINESS MODEL FAILS THE MINNESOTA BUSINESS ACADEMY; Apr. 27 2006; City Pages (Minneapolis, MN) 

Last summer, the St. Paul City Council voted to forgive a $750,000 loan to the Minnesota Business Academy, an experimental charter school that enjoyed the backing of many prominent politicians and business people. At the time, there was considerable skepticism voiced over the bail out. The school--which aimed to immerse its "associates" in the business culture--had struggled financially from its inception six years ago, largely because of the more than $9 million it expended on start up costs.

After the City Council came to the rescue, MBA executive director Jerry Neff expressed optimism about the future, telling worried parents, "We're here to stay." Some former students, staffers and others affiliated with the school were far less sanguine about the prospects. "I would not recommend this school to anyone," former MBA board chair Kathy Mirsch told City Pages at the time. "I think it's living on borrowed time."

As it turned out, Mirsch had the better crystal ball. Last night, the MBA board voted to shutter the operation at the end of the current school year. The main reason: the school could not consistently enroll enough students. Executive director Neff attributed the enrollment woes in part to media coverage of the MBA's financial difficulties.

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Q: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RUN A SCHOOL LIKE A BUSINESS? A: YOU GO BROKE.-THE STUDENTS LEARNED HOW TO SIT IN CUBICLES AND WRITE MEMOS. THE STAFF LEARNED HOW TO ASK FOR A BAILOUT; June 22, 2005; City Pages (Minneapolis, MN) 

At a time when public schools all over the state have been under siege, the Minnesota Business Academy has enjoyed a valuable perk: vocal support from some of the state's most prominent corporations, business people, and politicians. Former Lt. Governor Joanne Benson served as the chief education officer for four years. Governor Tim Pawlenty doled out praise when the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce became the school's official sponsor last year. And a virtual who's-who of big corporations--Xcel Energy, General Mills, Ecolab--have lent their support, offering student internships and sending company officers to serve on its board…

Granted, the school has had its share of troubles, a fact that no one denies. Since it opened five years ago in the former Science Museum building in downtown St. Paul, the fledgling charter program has been saddled with debt. In part, this is because the MBA has struggled to attract students: After taking out loans to renovate the building, it needed to attract at least 440 pupils to cover its debts. But the school never got close. In 2003, nearly a quarter of the student body dropped out or was expelled. Throughout its history, the MBA has endured ceaseless staff turnover.

Yet two weeks ago, when the Minnesota Business Academy made its latest pitch for help, supporters painted a portrait of an institution on the verge of turning its troubles around. With staffers, students, and parents packing St. Paul City Hall, the City Council--by a 5-2 margin--agreed to accept the MBA's bailout proposal. That decision wiped the slate clean on $750,000 owed to the city (from a $1 million start-up loan) and it paved the way for the refinancing of about $10 million in other debts…

But in the view of some of the school's critics--including a number of former students, teachers, board members, and parents--the city's actions did little more than forestall the inevitable: the shuttering of a school that they say has floundered since the day it opened its doors. The place they describe is not the bold alternative and educational innovator touted by politicians and corporate PR officers.

Laura Mirsch, who graduated from the school with honors in 2004, says the MBA's problems were never strictly financial. She thinks arrogance and inexperience on the part of some of the MBA's founders played a large role, too. "Basically, it was run by a bunch of businesspeople who thought they knew more about education than public educators," Mirsch says.

When Mirsch arrived as a freshman, she recalls, the students were each shown to a personal cubicle with a computer and a phone. The idea--that kids would learn well in a businesslike setting--didn't mesh with the reality of lightly supervised 14-year-olds left to their own devices. "It was total bedlam," Mirsch remembers. "You were supposed to do your work in the cube, but a lot of the kids were making prank calls and screwing around all the time."

The cubicles didn't last long. In fact, change has been the one constant at MBA. Heavy student and staff turnover included three executive directors--i.e., principals--in five years. According to Neff, just three of the school's original twelve teachers remain on staff…

Kathy Mirsch--a former chair of the MBA board, a volunteer coach, and the mother of Laura--says she found herself frustrated during her years of involvement with the school. She blames many of the school's failings on a "totally unrealistic" business plan. "[The founders] had this vision of what they thought would happened," she says. "They thought a bunch of well-behaved, highly motivated kids were going to come to the school and work in cubicles and be self-motivated and self-directed. It was ridiculous."…

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Rehoboth Charter Academy

"Regulation of charter schools debated after academy is shut down." The Press-Enterprise (CA), 2/17/2008

…The Riverside County schools office cited concerns about conflict of interest, among other problems, in 2006 when it refused to sponsor a Riverside charter school. The Riverside Unified School District declined to renew the charter for the school, Rehoboth Charter Academy, and the operators appealed to the county office.

County schools officials said they were uneasy that the husband of Rehoboth's principal was serving as president of the school's board. The school closed in 2007, after an unsuccessful appeal to the State Board of Education…

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CHARTER SCHOOL IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY GETS ONE LAST CHANCE: REHOBOTH'S OPERATORS ARE OPTIMISTIC THAT OTHER MEASUREMENTS WILL SUPPORT THEM.-THE FUTURE OF REHOBOTH CHARTER ACADEMY IN RIVERSIDE HINGES ON ONE LAST PLEA TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION; February 9, 2007, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Press-Enterprise

The board's advisory commission voted 9-0 last week to deny renewal of the school's charter. The decision was based largely on Rehoboth's failure to show adequate student academic performance, the panel said.

Rehoboth's operators, Principal Toya Flakes and her husband, the Rev. Sherman Flakes, said they remained optimistic, particularly after the commission suggested alternative methods of measuring academic performance. The state board meets March 7 and 8…

The Riverside Unified School District, which had sponsored the school since 2001, decided in June not to renew the school charter, saying it had a poor academic record and persistent operational problems.

The charter school, which has 250 students, appealed unsuccessfully in August to the Riverside County Office of Education.

Each agency highlighted the school's consistently low scores on the state's Academic Performance Index. The API rates schools from 200 to 1,000 based on student performance on standardized tests.

During the past three years, the state advisory commission noted, Rehoboth has been either the lowest or second-lowest performing school among Riverside Unified's 30 elementary schools. In addition, the 75 API growth it boasted for the 2004-05 school year was "wiped out" the following year with a 22-point drop…

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CHARTER RENEWAL SOUGHT-REHOBOTH ACADEMY HAS GAINS TO TOUT, CRITICS WITH COMPLAINTS; May 12, 2006; The Press-Enterprise (CA)

RIVERSIDE - A Riverside charter school that prides itself on small class sizes and a unique curriculum will seek renewal of its five-year charter Monday at a public hearing before the Riverside Unified School Board.

After a shaky start, Rehoboth Charter Academy has improved in its five years -- particularly in finance management and instruction -- but a few lingering concerns remain, district officials said.

Adding uncertainty to the renewal is a small group of parents who have accused the school of mishandling students and reneging on promised facilities.

Other parents have praised the 250-student school for its caring attitude and effective instruction…

Rehoboth, which derives its name from the Hebrew word meaning room enough for all, began in the 1990s as a private Christian school at Rehoboth Tabernacle Church. The Rev. Sherman Flakes and his wife, Toya, closed the private school, petitioned Riverside Unified for a charter in 2000, and leased space at a church on Colorado Avenue…

The school, however, continues to score low on the state's Academic Performance Index, which rates schools from 200 to 1,000 based on student performance on standardized tests. Its score of 697 in 2006 is lower than all but one of Riverside Unified's 29 elementary schools…

Too often, Rehoboth's financial audit would show the school as financially sound, but the district's audit would not, he said.

In May 2004, the school was reported to be $500,000 in debt, and some payroll checks bounced.

Flakes said the bounced checks resulted from changing payroll companies. The school has since operated with a balanced budget, she said…

Fine said an area of continuing concern is the school's lease.

The Praise Community Fellowship Church on Colorado Avenue leases the building to Rehoboth Tabernacle Church, which then subleases to Rehoboth Charter Academy.

Because Rehoboth will not share the master lease with the district, Fine is concerned about conflicts of interest, he said…

The most recent concerns stem from a small group of parents who allege that their children have been harassed, shoved and belittled at school. They also say the school promised such amenities as playground equipment, computers and a nurse to lure them to the school.

"They're not giving the children what they're promising," said parent Kim Westbrook, who has two sons at the school. "My plan is to shut the school down."…

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A. Phillip Randolph Leadership Academy

"When charters close, public schools foot the bill." Voice of San Diego (CA), 12/4/2007

Spending scandals brought down Children's Conservation Academy, a City Heights charter school shuttered in 2007, only two years after it opened. A year earlier, A. Phillip Randolph Leadership Academy dissolved, with questions swirling around its finances. Its closure echoed that of Jola Community Charter School, a girls' charter that sunk two months after opening in 2005.

These schools and two other closed charters owe more than $300,000 to San Diego Unified School District in unpaid fees and property taxes. None have repaid the district. School staff doubts they ever will…

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DISTRICT REVOKES RANDOLPH CHARTER-AUDIT FOUND FISCAL MISMANAGEMENT; July 12, 2006; San Diego Union-Tribune (CA) 

A. Phillip Randolph Leadership Academy opened last September in rented space at a southeastern San Diego church, promising to deliver free, quality education to underprivileged children.

Less than a year later, the taxpayer-funded charter school named after a black labor leader has been shut down by the San Diego school board. Trustees voted unanimously yesterday to revoke the school's charter, or educational contract, with the San Diego Unified School District.

Audits by the district found financial mismanagement and failure to comply with state laws. The school had received about $400,000 in public money and failed to properly to document and justify much of its expenses, auditors reported.

Randolph laid off all of its teachers in May when it ran out of money to pay them, relying on volunteers until the school closed for the year last month.

Randolph's board of directors insisted there had been no intentional wrongdoing, and that no one had profited. To the contrary, academy board members said, many people made great personal financial sacrifices to start the school, including putting up houses as collateral to borrow $150,000 to cover expenses.

The Rev. Richard F. Smith Jr., who sits on Randolph's board and is the school's bookkeeper, blamed the school's troubles on a lack of support and guidance from the district. Smith also said the district withheld money from Randolph. …

Randolph held classes in trailers parked at the Greater Gospel Center Church of God in Christ on Webster Avenue near Mount Hope Cemetery. It originally served about 100 predominantly Latino and black middle and high school students, but its enrollment shrank to 64. Fewer students meant less funding.

Randolph was one of 13 charter schools that opened last year under the district's sponsorship and oversight. Its staff included teachers who previously worked for the Sojourner Truth Learning Academy, a charter school the district shut down in 2004 because of financial problems. [See HERE]

District audits accuse some Randolph staff members and board members of misappropriating $171,554, hiring teachers without proper credentials and engaging in “conflict of interest/self-dealing in violation of law.”

The school didn't obtain accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, audits said. That means the credits high school students earned at Randolph are not likely to be recognized for graduation or college entrance.

The school owes the district $79,210 and the state about $25,000 for closing early and not meeting its enrollment projections, according to the district…

Smith's business, Quality Tax & Financial Services Inc., had a $60,000 contract to do the school's bookkeeping, but he said his company was paid only $40,000 because the school ran out of money.

Smith stressed that the contract was awarded to his business before he was asked to join the board. For years, he said, he has handled accounting work for churches and other organizations in town, and he got involved with Randolph because he wanted to do something for the children of his community.

But site visits to Randolph by a district administrator did not paint a flattering picture.

District administrator Wendell Bass noted that students were not adequately supervised. “Students entered and exited class at will, sometimes without the teacher knowing they had left. Parents picked up students well before the day ended,” Bass wrote in a report…

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Imani Institute Leadership School

SPECIAL AUDIT: SUPERINTENDENT OWES $341,000 TO CLEVELAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL; December 21, 2006; US Fed News Service

The Ohio State Auditor issued the following news release:

Auditor of State Betty Montgomery today released a special audit of the charter school Imani Institute Leadership School in Cleveland. The audit names Donna Johnson, superintendent of the school, in findings for recovery totaling $341,166.

"The Imani Institute is, unfortunately, a poster child for poorly run community schools," said Montgomery. "From lack of bookkeeping to improper purchases, this school was clearly not run in a way that places emphasis on educating our children."

Imani closed at the end of June 2005 due to lack of a sponsor. During the charter school's regular audit for the 2003 fiscal year, auditors identified several questionable debit card purchases such as restaurant charges and gasoline and clothing purchases. Further, school officials were unable to provide revenue and expense records. Montgomery's office declared the school "unauditable" for the 2003 fiscal year. Montgomery then opened a special audit to further investigate.

The special audit reviewed three procedures; review of revenues, review of expenditures and a review of the extended period of July 1, 2003 through October 31, 2005. The entire audit encompassed January 1, 2001 through October 31, 2005.

Throughout the special audit, Imani officials failed to provide receipt books or revenue and expense ledgers. Montgomery was forced to subpoena records from Imani's financial institutions in order to obtain information on Imani bank accounts. With considerable time and effort, auditors used the bank information to create a history of all of Imani's revenue and expenditures.

Ultimately, a total of $341,166 in findings for recovery was issued against Superintendent Donna Johnson including:

* $1,184 for money collected but unaccounted for.

* $187,506 for checks issued to cash and unaccounted for.

* $44,637 for cash unaccounted for.

* $17,559 for general expenditures unrelated to operations of a community school (home warranties, home installation of postage machines and computers, meals at restaurants, furniture, etc.).

* $7,856 for insufficient funds fees.

* $25,859 for exceeding Donna Johnson's authorized payroll. Montgomery's office has notified the IRS because Johnson's W-2 forms were understated.

* $6,724 for unauthorized reimbursements for expenditures unrelated to operations of a community school (gas, airfare, plants, and out of state hotel charges).

* $7,867 for ATM withdrawals (Parliamentarian Ernest Johnson also named in these findings for recovery).

* $32,843 for debit transactions (Parliamentarian Ernest Johnson also named in these findings for recovery).

* $4,840 for overpayment of loan transactions. (Marcus Wright of AHRMS Management Company also named in this finding for recovery).

* $4,291 for consultant payments (Consultant Rashid Alaji also named in this finding for recovery).

Montgomery also issued questioned costs in the amount of $482,159. Auditors could not locate voucher packages, checks, reports and other supporting documentation related to various federal grants received in fiscal years 2001, 2002 and 2003. Further, Imani could not account for the money spent from grant funds and therefore could not verify funds spent were for the purpose of the grants.

Imani Institute Leadership School's contract expired June 30, 2005. It was ineligible to reopen because it was unable to engage a new sponsor. The school opened in 2000.

In April of 2005, the San Diego City School District recommended the approval of a charter school to be opened by Donna Johnson in California. Her new school opened in September 2005 and closed in November 2005. In October 2006, Ms. Johnson surrendered the school's charter. For informational purposes, Auditor Montgomery sent a copy of her special audit to the California Department of Education and to the San Diego City School District.

As is routine with audits containing findings for recovery, a copy of the special audit will be sent to the local prosecutor and the Attorney General's office. A full copy of the special audit report is available online at: www.auditor.state.oh.us.

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Shortly thereafter, this charter school operator moved to California and opened up another charter school. No background check was conducted.

NO SURPRISE- HARBINGER OF CHARTER SCHOOL FAILURE IGNORED; January 6, 2007; San Diego Union-Tribune (CA) 

With one phone call to Ohio's state auditor – or simply a Google search – the San Diego Unified School District could have learned that Donna Johnson, seeking a charter for the Jola Community School in Mount Hope, had just left a long record of financial chaos in her operation of the Imani Institute Leadership School, her previous charter school in Cleveland.

So chaotic a record for so long, in fact, that Ohio's state auditor, already skeptical of Johnson, was conducting a special audit. So chaotic for so long that even minimal due diligence should have kept San Diego officials from dismissing questions about Johnson's performance in Cleveland as irrelevant to San Diego.

Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery has now issued the special audit. It finds public money meant for Imani was spent for pricey women's apparel and Luther Vandross concert tickets. It finds that throughout Imani's operation Johnson ignored generally accepted accounting principles and Ohio financial reporting requirements. It finds that Johnson owes Ohio $341,156, and cannot account for $482,159 in federal grant money.

Now Johnson owes the San Diego district $162,516 in funding for Jola, which folded in fall 2005 after two months' operation for lack of students, facilities and money. It has yet to close its financial books to the district's satisfaction.

This should have come as no surprise, if it had to come at all. Our two-minute call to State Auditor Montgomery and a one-minute search of her Web site turned up an audit report posted in November 2003 noting that the financial statements Johnson provided for Imani “omit all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles” and listing eight “material weaknesses” in Imani's accounting.

Either the San Diego district's vetting process is wholly inadequate or the district staff is far too gullible. Whichever, it needs fixing, now.

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