Columbus Academy of Literacy and Mathematics

LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL WITH BUDGET TROUBLE CLOSES TODAY; February 18, 2011; The Columbus Dispatch 

A Columbus charter school that has been open only a few months will close its doors for good today. It simply can't afford to stay open any longer.

Nearly 90 students who attended the Columbus Academy of Literacy and Mathematics must find new schools to finish out the year.

The school, known as CALM, opened last fall in a wing of a North Side church. At its peak, the elementary school had 109 students - not enough to support its operation, said its sponsor. Most of the students live within Columbus City Schools boundaries.

The literacy and math academy was solid academically, said Todd Hanes, assistant superintendent at the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, which authorized and oversaw the school.

"There's not that misdeed" that has forced an abrupt end to some other charter schools, Hanes said. "This was a sad situation."

Charter schools need about 120 students to afford a principal, intervention specialists or special-education workers, and teachers for each grade, Hanes said…

"It was so devastating for families and teachers and myself," said Principal Heather Regis. "We hate how this has affected the families."

The school was founded by two women who once were affiliated with Chase Academy for the Communication Arts, a Columbus charter that closed suddenly last February and suffered enrollment and financial woes. Celia Jones, who was fired shortly before Chase closed, is listed in state business filings as an incorporator of the CALM school…

Hanes said he knows a midyear closing is difficult, but it was the responsible thing to do. The other options were to let the school accumulate debt or make deep cuts.

Read More

Promise Charter School

“San Diego Unified Closes Charter School Amid Violations.” 10News (CA), 8/3/2011

SAN DIEGO -- About 200 students will have to find a new school before the new school year begins after the San Diego Unified School District voted on Tuesday to close the Promise Charter School in Chollas View.

The school district said the Promise Charter School mismanaged its money, failed to comply with its charter and violated several state laws including laws requiring the school to report instances of child abuse.

Earlier this year, an investigation by the 10News I-Team exposed several reports of inappropriate behavior between former teacher Jose Valencia and his preteen female students...

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

“District Takes Step Toward Closing School.” Voice of San Diego 8 Jun 2011

The San Diego Unified school board narrowly decided Tuesday night to take the first step toward shuttering Promise, a Chollas View charter school where a district investigation found a long list of violations, from keeping faulty financial statements to running afoul of open meeting laws.

The K-8 school has been bitterly split into two camps of parents and teachers — those who back the principal and those that don't. But one message rang out from everyone Tuesday night: Don't close our school.

Even parents who backed a school district investigation that found Promise had violated state laws on conflicts of interest, failed to follow rules on student suspensions, and a long list of other problems, said they didn't want to dissolve it. Despite turmoil, Promise ranks in the top 10 percent among schools with similar challenges statewide...

Attorney Paul Minney said Promise would gladly pay for an outside mediator to bring parents and teachers together to work through disputes. But the school district concluded that Promise had still done too little to remedy the problems, blaming some on past leaders and simply denying others.

The school board voted 3-2 to send a letter to Promise that would trigger a hearing where the school could make a case for why it should stay open...

The controversial step toward closing Promise comes as San Diego Unified has reassessed its relationship with its charter schools, tightening its oversight and offering charters-in-the-making less help. Promise has been ground zero for its debates over charter freedom and accountability. Such shutdowns are rare: The last time a charter school was shuttered by San Diego Unified was five years ago, though others have dissolved on their own after being warned of problems...

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

CHARTER SCHOOL SHUTS OUT INVESTIGATOR; March 3, 2011; Voice of San Diego (CA) 

…San Diego Unified has been investigating Promise Charter, where a group of parents and teachers say Principal Jose Orozco has intimidated parents who disagree with him on school decisions by barring them from campus and harassing their children. Orozco and his supporters have denied the allegations and stood behind his choices.

The school district launched an investigation into the concerns last month, interviewing parents and staff and poring through documents. In a letter to the charter school board, Moises Aguirre wrote that when he came to the school in February, Orozco demanded that he leave and escorted him out.

Aguirre, who helps oversee charter schools for San Diego Unified and is assisting the investigation, wrote that keeping him out of the school was a violation of state law and grounds to revoke the charter.

"This conduct obstructs the District's ability to meet its oversight obligations and will not be tolerated," Aguirre wrote…

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

PARENTS DEMAND INVESTIGATIONS AT TWO CHARTER SCHOOLS; February 2, 2011; Voice of San Diego (CA) 

Parents and teachers at a small charter school in Chollas View are demanding that San Diego Unified launch an investigation of their school after the principal and new board members made a string of controversial decisions.

The Promise Charter School board changed dramatically last summer after some of its existing members, including the principal, voted to eject members and later added new ones.

Parents and teachers upset with the leaders allege that Principal Jose Orozco has intimidated parents who disagreed with him on everything from scheduling to staffing by barring them from campus and telling them to leave the school, and harassed their children by questioning them about their parents.

Fourth grade teacher Vicky Toscano said after one teacher was fired and others were told to reapply for their jobs, teachers have been afraid to question irregularities at the school, such as allegedly enrolling students who are too young for kindergarten. Teachers at the school have petitioned to form a union…

The same demands were made by teachers and parents from Tubman, another charter that has been in turmoil. Tubman teachers recently joined the San Diego teachers union and have fought the firing of a teacher, alleging she was discriminated against as a labor leader.

"Charter schools cannot be mini-dictatorships that exist on the dime of the public taxpayer," Barrera said. "And we need to make sure that we guard against that."

Charter board members are often chosen by other board members, not elected like a school district board. While some charters opt to have representatives who are chosen by the parents or teachers, voluntarily putting it into their own rules, it is not required by law. That means that charter boards can sometimes veer from what parents or staff want, and it can be hard to say who speaks for the school…

Read More

Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

VIOLATIONS OF FEDERAL LAW PUSH STATE TO MONITOR GWINNETT SCHOOLS CHARTER LOTTERY, DISCRIMINATION ALLEGED AT GWINNETT SCHOOL; February 15, 2011; Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA) 

For the second time in four years the state is investigating the enrollment process of the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology after complaints the elite charter school illegally screened applicants.

The complaints stem from the charter school's 2011-12 application, which appeared on the Gwinnett County public school's website for weeks as parents rushed to enroll. The application asked for math grades, test scores, gifted education and disability status, English language comprehension -- all so a student could gain entry into a public charter school that by law must have open enrollment.

The application also said the school would not provide services for those with disabilities or offer English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.

“Public schools have to provide those services,” said Louis Erste, state charter school division director. “ That is why you can’t put that on your forms. You would be breaking the law if you used the information to exclude the students.”…

Erste said he has no evidence Gwinnett intended to screen students. But in a document obtained through open records, the AJC found associate state superintendent Garry McGiboney admonished GSMST in late January for its application: “Our initial review indicates your current application does not comply with state or federal law or ... your charter contract."…

Tony Roberts, CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, is not so certain. He visited the campus a few years ago when it was under its inaugural administration. Roberts said he was asked for advice on weeding out applicants who couldn't handle the rigor…

Read More

Dakota Academy

JUDGE'S RULING PERMANENTLY CLOSES DAKOTA ACADEMY: THE JUDGE SAID THE SPONSOR TERMINATED ITS CONTRACT CORRECTLY AND THAT IT HAD "GOOD CAUSE" TO DO SO; August 27, 2007; Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) 

A Burnsville charter school will permanently close its doors after a judge's ruling that its sponsor correctly terminated its contract with the school.

Under state law, charter schools need sponsors to operate. Late last week, a Dakota County judge ruled on behalf of Dakota Academy's sponsor, Crossroads College of Rochester, and the Minnesota Department of Education, saying not only that the correct procedure was followed in ending the contract, but that Crossroads can "more than sustain its position that it had good cause to terminate its contract."…

The relationship between Dakota Academy and its sponsor started going south before the school even opened last fall, when Crossroads put the school on probation. Crossroads terminated its contract with the school in December because it said it was having problems getting financial data and other information from founders, Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump and his wife, Faith…

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

TROUBLE MOUNTS AT DAKOTA ACADEMY; THE BURNSVILLE CHARTER SCHOOL, FOUNDED BY HENNEPIN COUNTY DISTRICT JUDGE HARRY CRUMP AND HIS WIFE, MAY CLOSE THIS SUMMER; May 22, 2007; Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump and his wife, Faith, founded a Burnsville charter school to provide an innovative way to reach students who weren't being served in public schools. But less than a year after opening, Dakota Academy may have to close its doors amid allegations by its sponsor and a charter-school evaluation group that it failed to provide access to financial records and violated the state's Open Meeting Law at a March 26 meeting during which two new board members were appointed.

The sponsor, Crossroads College of Rochester, a small private Christian school, plans to pull out on June 30. Although Dakota Academy officials say they're seeking a new sponsor, if the school doesn't find one, state law requires it to close…

Many concerns about the school are detailed in an April report from the Minnesota Sponsor Assistance Network, a group that evaluates charter schools. The report says the school board held an unannounced, closed meeting on March 26 to appoint two new members, a potential violation of the state's Open Meeting Law. The report also says the school hasn't fully used its financial software, so that officials can't tell if they are on budget. The school has also gone through five academic directors, the report said, which suggests "either ... the hiring process needs significant improvement or the manner in which the academic director is treated has gone awry." Faith Crump declined to comment on the staff turnover, saying it was a personnel issue.

Parents learned in March that the school was losing its sponsorship. After calls from them and a meeting with the state Department of Education, Crossroads agreed to reconsider withdrawing its sponsorship if certain conditions were met. That included a financial audit and the resignation of the board and Faith Crump by May 11. Neither happened. Teachers at the school have also raised concerns about management. Seven of the school's 10 teachers signed a March 30 letter to Faith Crump, asking her to resign. The school hired a new executive director Thursday, and Crump said she'll spend two weeks shifting her duties. Then she'll have no further role with the school, unless the board hires her as the business director, she said. Faith Crump said the school is in discussion with several potential sponsors. Parents and students are watching the upheaval at the school with mixed emotions…

Read More

Summit Charter School

ORLANDO-AREA SUMMIT CHARTER SCHOOL MUST FIX PROBLEMS OR CLOSE; April 08, 2008; Orlando Sentinel (FL) 

A Maitland charter school paid four administrators more than $520,000 last year and, even though the school was deeply in debt, allowed lavish and uncontrolled spending by two of those administrators, according to an audit by the Orange County school district.

The six-page audit, completed last month, found that Summit Charter School had defaulted on credit-card payments and almost ran out of money to pay its teachers and other bills…

According to both the audit and Claire Olds, a co-founder and the chairwoman of Summit's board of directors, none of the spending -- including the salaries, the travel and other irregularities -- had been approved by the school's eight-member board…

On March 4, the board suspended with pay three of the school's top officials, including Summit's president and co-founder Alan Smolowe. Also suspended were Steven Palmer, the principal; and Holly Wilkey, an office manager. Wilkey is Palmer's sister.

The audit showed that Palmer's salary was $217,654. Smolowe, who is also president of consulting firm Rothschild Development Corp., was paid $175,000. By comparison, according to school district attorney Frank Kruppenbacher, the average Orange County principal earns $83,000 a year...

Palmer's salary more than doubled since 2004, according to the audit, although it is not clear why. Palmer, identified by the school's Web site as an award-winning educator and former Holiday Inn food-and-beverage director, earned an average of $206,000 during the past three years.

The school also paid Wilkey $45,500 a year, while a bookkeeper, Yashmin Moledina, earned $122,000…

*Smolowe and Palmer bought two cars through the school -- without board approval -- and later traded them in for a $47,000 truck.

*The two men racked up "questionable expenditures" of more than $15,000 for meals, hotels, airlines and other travel expenses. Because there were no receipts, the auditors said, "we could not determine if any of the trips were for the benefit of the school."

All of this information, school district officials said, was difficult to ferret out because bookkeeping records were altered and Summit's tangled finances included eight accounts in four banks…

Summit's troubles are not unique among the state's 300 charter schools. A 2007 Orlando Sentinel investigation showed that many operate with little oversight and accountability. The stories showed, among other things, that about half of the state's charter schools had operating deficits or questionable business relationships with founders or board members. Florida authorized charter schools in 1996 as an alternative to public schools. Charter schools operate under a contract with local school districts and are funded with state money…

Read More

Origins Montessori Charter School

DISTRICT PROBE CLOSES ORANGE CHARTER SCHOOL: THE FACILITY WAS MISMANAGED AND LACKED FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY, OFFICIALS SAY; July 04, 2007; Orlando Sentinel (FL) 

The Orange County school district has shut down a charter school after officials said they found evidence of serious financial mismanagement and abuses of state education law at the beloved Orlando elementary.

Among the alleged irregularities: Origins Montessori Charter School appears during the past school year to have accepted state money for students who were not enrolled at the school and assigned students to two teachers who were not on the employment rolls, school-district officials said.

Officials also found that during the past school year, Origins Montessori could not account for $27,945 the school reported spending on training. Nor could it account for money the school collected for student lunches and from eight fundraising events, according to the district.

Julie Sanborn, the school's director, denied any wrongdoing…

Chandler said the district had been watching Origins and alerted Sanborn several times during the past few years that the school was in danger of violating state education laws…

Read More

Cornerstone Prep

“LAUSD to recommend closing of charter school.” LA Times (CA), 2/24/2011

Officials will recommend the rare closing of a Los Angeles charter school for poor academic performance, the L.A. Unified School District has confirmed.

Cornerstone Prep, an elementary school in Florence, appeared Wednesday on a new list of 30 charter schools statewide that have consistently performed poorly.
The database, which included top-performing schools, was compiled by the California Charter Schools Assn…

Although charter schools are authorized by local school districts or other education agencies, they are managed independently and free from some restrictions that govern traditional schools.

This freedom comes in exchange for increased accountability, according to state law. But that accountability is not well-enforced, said Jed Wallace, chief executive of the charter association…

Read More