Legacy Charter School (Idaho)

“Former Legacy principal: Charter violated procedure.” Idaho Press-Tribune (ID), 3/14/2013

NAMPA — Former Legacy Charter School co-principal and teacher Monika Gangwer said she was fired after she blew the whistle on an effort to jump a student ahead on a post-lottery waiting list.

A lawsuit, filed March 8 in Canyon County, names the school, Harbor School Method creator Rebecca Stallcop and Legacy Charter Board Chairman Bart McKnight.

The 21-page lawsuit says Gangwer refused to let the student, known as “Jane Doe,” attend the Legacy kindergarten class, even though Stallcop said the student should be admitted because of an error in the lottery process...

According to the lawsuit, Gangwer also had become concerned in early 2012 that Stallcop seemed to operate Legacy, Liberty and Victory charter schools as one, even though each school is a distinct and separate entity.

The complaint alleges that Stallcop illegally transferred money and property among the schools, without proper documentation or board approval...

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Ricardo Flores Magon Academy

“Marcos Martinez, head of Ricardo Flores Magon Academy, resigns his post.” Denver Westword (CO), 3/8/2012

Marcos Martinez, the controversial founder of the Ricardo Flores Magon Academy and subject of our cover story "A Hard Line," has resigned. So, too, have two other employees whom the school's board of trustees asked to take a paid leave while they investigated complaints against them. The school is now searching for a new leader.

Meanwhile, it seems that Martinez is making moves in Wyoming.

Liberty's Torch, a monthly newspaper in Cheyenne, recently ran a story about Martinez's efforts to start a branch of the Ricardo Flores Magon Academy there.

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“Charter school chief rules with iron fist, say teachers.” Denver Westword (CO), 11/29/2011... 

Board minutes show that fifteen staff members — a good portion of whom were fired by [Marcos Martinez, the head of Ricardo Flores Magón Academy charter school in Westminster] for "not being a good fit" — left in the first four years of the school's existence.

Some of them say Martinez favored male staff members and those who were Hispanic. They say he also created an uncomfortable working environment.

Mitchell is suing Martinez and the school in U.S. District Court. She believes Martinez discriminated against her because she has a disability — asthma — that exacerbated her illness. Further, she believes Martinez treated her differently than other employees because although she herself is Latina, she's married to a white man.

Another former teacher filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming she'd been discriminated against because she was a woman, especially during and after her pregnancy. She settled with the school.

RFMA's problems don't end there, however. The school, which moved to a new location this fall, has also been criticized by state education officials for its high teacher turnover rate and its use of Che Guevara as a role model for young children. It has been slapped on the wrist by the county health department for not having hot water or a food-service license at its old facility and is embroiled in a lawsuit with its previous landlord...

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New Heights Academy

“Fired exec: Charter-school chief fudged books.” New York Post (NY), 3/21/2012

The founder of one of the city’s largest charters schools falsified financial records and okayed illegal construction work while serving as its principal, according to a whistleblower suit filed by a former school exec.

Stacy Winitt, executive director of the New Heights Academy in upper Manhattan, allegedly justified her shady practices by claiming her school was “too small to get caught,” court papers charge.

Former COO Gene Fisch Jr. says he was fired after warning two members of the board of directors “that submitting false numbers to the government based on fabricated and forged documents amounted to misappropriation of funds and that ‘someone could go to jail.’”

New Heights, which has about 760 students in grades 5 through 12, budgeted $888,000 in federal grants and $11.7 million in state grants last year, according to its annual report.

Fisch’s Manhattan federal court suit seeks unspecified damages, including twice his lost wages, for retaliation and breach of contract.

Fisch says he uncovered “serious financial misconduct” after being hired by New Heights in July 2008, and refused to sign off on its annual audit because “the numbers used for the audit were not credible.”

He also says Winitt ordered demolition work inside the building at 1818 Amsterdam Ave. without a permit, “with the intention not only to deliberately violate the law, but to do so deceitfully.”...

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