The Los Angeles Times reports that KIPP plans to double its enrollment in Los Angeles over the next six years.
KIPP has received many millions in gifts from the U.S. Department of Education, the Walton Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and others committed to privatizing the public schools.
“KIPP LA currently operates 11 schools that serve about 4,000 students; by 2020, the organization wants to grow to 9,000 students in 20 schools.”
In the second-largest district in the nation, 9,000 is not a significant number, but the ripple effect will cause the closure of public schools in the district.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The new trend in plutocratic foundations is to brand, under a city or region’s name, like the Columbus and Cleveland Foundations. The strategy automatically confers legitimacy. I’m curious how many of them, have, as a dominant theme, support for charter schools.
I love how it’s NOT “money in politics” if incredibly wealthy people run public policy by doing it thru a foundation.
Then the money becomes clean and pure, and it’s miraculously NOT just incredibly wealthy people running public policy and buying lawmakers. This is WAAYY different. They’re a foundation!
They’re the GOOD people, as opposed to the BAD people who buy elections 🙂
As I wrote about previously, parent educational level is as strong a predictor of academic achievement as family income, but most states don’t publicize information about parent education. However, California does and you can see how charters like KIPP are enrolling students of parents with much higher educational levels than neighborhood schools.
For example, see the educational levels of parents at KIPP Empower Academy on Raymond Ave in LA: http://school-ratings.com/school_details/19647330121699.html compared to those at Raymond Ave Elementary, where KIPP is co-located in a separate building on the same campus: http://school-ratings.com/school_details/19647336018840.html
It should be shouted from the roof tops that KIPP serves mostly apples and very few oranges!
The interesting question for people who run urban districts is how to keep the apples from moving out of the big apple and leaving only those that can afford private schools and people who can not afford to move in the city.
“People who run urban districts” could not care less about keeping poor people around except as low paid servants for the ruling class. Maybe if you left your big red empty state and lived in a city that has more people than your entire state has you would have personally witnessed how urban officials purposely make way for the gentry by pushing lower income people aside. And no, I am not interested in discussing this further with you.
Cosmic,
It is not about keeping the poor people in the city, it is about keeping the middle income folks in the city. The wealthy can always send their children to St. Ann’s School or the Dalton school, and the poor could not afford to move out of the city. The middle group, those that could afford a house in the suburbs but not tuition at a private school are the ones that will leave.
What BS you continue to contrive. Self-serving officials in my city have been pushing out poor people of color for decades, including by tearing down housing, demolishing entire neighborhoods and closing schools, because they only care about keeping folks who have money, preferably if they are white. So now we have low income suburbs. And the kids are attending “failing schools” there BECAUSE those schools are now serving many poor people. Nothing like ignoring poverty and spreading the dearth.
Go away and leave me alone, troll.
Cosmic,
Nothing you said here is inconsistent with my post. I am arguing that school choice may be a way to keep those that can afford to move out of the city so thier children can attend suburban schools from moving out of the city. It might reduce residential SES segregation and preserve the tax base for the city.
You argue for school choice when you have absolutely no idea about the MANY kinds of choices that large school districts like mine have been offering families for decades. Choice has proven to be no magic bullet.
Enough already with the choice rantings that are grounded in ignorance and blind faith ideology.
Cosmic,
It sounds like your local district provides plenty of choices. I am not sure why you think that duplicating that for other districts is a bad idea.
That was already explained. Better quality trolls, please.
Certainly one way to do it is to break the link between street address and school admissions. You have other ways?
Way too many of us have already been down that road with this obsession of yours. Take a hike, creep.
Reteach,
Any thoughts on my actual post?
My only thoughts about what you say –over and over and over again on this blog — are, “More boring jabberwocky from this obsessed, clueless guy.” Buzz off already.
Reteach,
I post on a varsity of topics. I doubt that I come anywhere close to “the Wilson post” either in frequency or length, on any particular topic however.
I do think this is an important problem that communities face. If we tie schooling to street address, we encourage SES segregation in housing.
Several points need to be added to Blume’s article. KIPP Empower is not an average LAUSD school. The CA Dept. of Ed website shows the following:
Average Parent Education – 3.39 (2.30 for LAUSD)
Students with Disabilities – 6% (12% for LAUSD)
English Language Learners – 8% (22% for LAUSD)
And, the parents must attended a school meeting where they complete an “interest form” prior to completing a formal application. That form is not available online. Does anyone wonder what information is requested on this form?????
HOW TO APPLY
We invite new families to attending one of our lottery information sessions (times will be entered below when the dates are set). At the session you will learn about the school and the lottery process. At the end of the session you are welcome to complete an interest form for your child(ren). Each child can only have one interest form in the lottery. Duplicate forms are not allowed and will not be included in the lottery. The lottery is not based on when you apply or how many forms are completed. Each child is counted once and preferences are applied based on if the child lives within LAUSD or non-LAUSD boundaries, is a child of a KIPP employee, or if they have a sibling currently attending KIPP Raíces Academy.
ALSO, what we are facing here in Los Angeles is that, as charters siphon off public students, thanks to Deasy’s approval of increase in class size, etc., more schools have empty classes and BINGO, we have charters demanding space for co-locations. It appears that the massive cost to the tax payers in the form of billions in voter approved construction bonds is actually creating greater opportunities for charter expansion. This is clearly not what voters expected to happen.
KIPP was the biggest winner in USDE’s effort to dismantle public education. So was Success Academy .
Here are 2014 tax-payer gifts to charters available from USDE for charters:
Total available for 2014 = $248.1 million, many of these authorized in ESEA,Title V, Part B, Subpart 1 or Subpart 2. Nothing new here. All are competitive grants
1. $153.9 Million. State Education Agency (SEA) Grants and Non-SEA Grants. For SEAs, who make sub-grants to charter schools. But…..when SEAs do not apply for, or they are denied funding, individual charter schools can apply directly to the USDE. Funding is used to help cover charter school start-up costs.
2. $60.1 Million. Replication & Expansion Grant. For non-profit charter management organizations (CMOs) that have demonstrated success, including improved academic achievement.
3. $11 Million. National Leadership Activities Grant. For projects of national significance to improve charter school quality, as well as money to disseminate information about the projects.
4. $11 Million. State Charter School Facilities Incentive Grant. For states to help cover charter school facilities costs.
5. $11.9 Million. Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program. For public and non-profits to enhance the ability of public charter schools to raise private capital to acquire, construct, renovate, or lease academic facilities.
On October 8, 2014, USDE gave 27 charter organizations in 12 states $39.7 million.
For Expansions:
Sure to insult New Yorkers: the fabulous Success Academy Charter Schools received $2,234,500.
The biggest overall winner is KIPP for $13,789,074 worth of expansion.
The biggest winner by state is California at $26,780,502 followed by Tennessee, at $3,112,402
For Planning, Program Design, and Implementation
The biggest winner at $308,270 is the Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation, operator of Gulen charters with scandal documented at http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2010/07/chesapeake-science-point-charter-school.html
The big winner by state is Washington, with four new charters funded at $1,122,606, about $250.000 per school.
Next is Oregon, with three new schools, $692,427 total, Illinois with three, including expansion of the Nobel network already in 12 states and saturating greater Chicago. Total for Illinois-based operations $575,705.
So, the bottom line is that USDE is bankrolling charters, including some known to be corrupt and damaging public schools–all under the banner of seeking “quality” in education.
I imagine that these applications are public records, along with the criteria for grant application reviews. Here is a ready made study for anyone looking for a research project or who has the savvy to call an investigation into these awards by the Inspector General.
Thank you for posting the information, Laura.
Laura does great work, eh, Linda!?!?!?!
For sure!
KIPP received funding from the Columbus Foundation, a slew of multinational corporations, and the usual, Gates, Walton, GAP and Scott’s Miracle Gro, whose newest board member is Michelle Rhee.
There was an interesting article in today’s New York Times about the vast differences in private donations to public schools: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/us/nations-wealthy-places-pour-private-money-into-public-schools-study-finds.html?ref=education
Huffpo reported this week that “for-profit colleges have 13% of U.S. college students and swallow up more that 25% of financial aid….”
The government of Ohio (found guilty of violating the state Constitution, relative to school funding) spends disproportionately on unregulated charters (Knowyourcharter.com).
I’m not surprised that families, who can’t afford private school tuitions, help out their local schools. They’re attempting to correct the fraud committed by elected officials, in the state and federal governments.
From Obama, courting DFER hedge funds to, Gov. Kasich, courting White Hat management, from judges deciding in favor of campaign donors to the self-appointed savior, Gates, with his company’s abysmal record for hiring minorities, those who value American principles, resort to end-runs around the politically powerful.
KIPP is still being investigated for the following:
(And how is a Turkish Culture Oriented School funded publicly compliant with the XIV Amendment?)
Charter schools: Audit finds missing, misused funds at LA network
Annie Gilbertson July 21 2014
The Los Angeles Unified school district is investigating a network of eight charter schools for misuse of public school funds.
An audit showed Magnolia Public Schools used classroom cash to help six non-employees with immigration costs. The schools had trouble justifying another $3 million expense.
“These are taxpayer dollars, and we want to make sure they are spent correctly,” said José Cole-Gutiérrez, director of L.A. Unified’s charter school division.
A June audit, which the district is calling a “forensic review,” revealed $2.8 million flowed from schools sites to the network’s management organization in the form of sloppy loans – much of which were never paid back. The management organization was then found to be operating on a $1.7 million deficit, meeting the IRS’s definition of insolvent.
Magnolia did not return calls for comment.
Charter schools get taxpayer dollars just like traditional public schools, though opponents complain the financial independence and lax oversight of charters makes it easy to embezzle funds. Charter school supporters point out fewer than 2 percent of charter schools statewide close for fiscal reasons.
Ken Bramlett, L.A. Unified’s inspector general, said there is evidence some members of Magnolia Public schools had ties to a Turkish group under investigation in other states for questionable use of the U.S. visa program as well as misspending public funds.
According to the New York Times, Gulen followers, named after the Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, set-up several charter schools around the country, bringing in staff from Turkey and supporting Turkish vendors with lucrative contracts, from construction to school lunches and uniforms.
For years, the Magnolia’s books and bank account didn’t match.
An audit in 2012 based on a sampling of transactions found $43,600 missing from accounts: school records showed double payments made to vendors with duplicate invoices attached.
“There was an increased risk of inappropriate or unauthorized expenditures to remain undetected and a potential risk of fraud, abuse and misuse of public funds,” read the 2012 report.
L.A. Unified officials have refused to release the follow-up audit concluded in June 2014.
Parents, students focus on schools as Deasy evaluated
The school board gave the charter network two years to comply with recommendations based on the auditor’s first report.
By March 2014, a preliminary review showed accounts were in order: Cole-Gutiérrez reported to the board the schools were finally complying with state law to hold cash reserves.
Parents and students joined Magnolia Public Schools’ chief executive officer, Dr. Mehmet Argin, at the March board meeting and pleaded for the two high-performing schools, Magnolia Science Academies 6 and 7, to remain open.
“We are taking serious measures to remedy the situation,” Argin said, adding he hired a CPA firm and trained staff to improve expense reporting.
At the March meeting, the school board agreed to let the two schools continue operating on the condition their books are in order. But a deeper probe released in June uncovered new fiscal issues.
L.A. Unified sent a letter to Magnolia on June 27 announcing the schools’ closure.
The letter, published by local education blog L.A. School Report, said Magnolia spent $3 million over four years to outsource governance tasks such as curriculum development, professional training and human resources – duplicate services that Magnolia had reported doing itself.
Cole-Gutiérrez, the director of L.A. Unified’s charter school division, said the inspector general is reviewing whether to refer the case for criminal prosecution.
“You need to know where the public dollars are going – and they are supposed to be going to students,” he said.
Magnolia administration is planning to fight the closures with the help of the California Charter School Association, which said in a statement the schools did not receive due process.
“It is troubling that more than 400 families, the majority of whom live in poverty, have very little information about why they have lost their high-performing schools,” California Charter School Association spokesman Jason Mandell wrote in a statement. He complained that L.A. Unified has not released the 2014 audit.
“State law also does not allow the district to conditionally renew a charter, let alone rescind that renewal without presenting its findings or providing the school with the opportunity to correct any issues,” he added.
Last fall, the group stood behind San Fernando Valley charter school administers facing trail for embezzlement and money laundering. Yevgency “Eugene” Selivanov, founder of Ivy Academia Charter School, was then convicted and sentenced to almost five years in prison.
Gulen is a different charter chain, unrelated to KIPP.
In Ohio, an official of Turkish affiliated schools, admitted in an investigative article in the Cincinnati Enquirer that, the organization’s comfort zone, in teacher recruitment outreach, was Turkey. Why is that not a violation of EEOC rules, specifically the law that prohibits discrimination based on national origin?
It also looks like a violation of H-1B visa requirements. Since so many unemployed union teachers today are being supplanted by these non-union foreign workers, this suggests that the Secretary of Labor has not been doing its job in certifying “that there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, qualified and available and the employment of an alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States similarly employed.” http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/reg.cfm
Reteach for America,
Many government agencies, often staffed at the highest levels by industry insiders, have proven to be failures, at upholding U.S. law. George Bush Jr. created a government, that took advantage of the
American people, and under Pres. Obama’s tenure, the abuses have continued.
The KIPPS in San Antonio , Texas, appear to have a very nice warm and welcoming learning environment. One of the few charter schools I would say anything good about. However, that being said I still feel districts should to be the ones who decide who should be a charter, where, and should be the one overseeing the programs to ensure students needs are being met. Charters still need a lot of regulating and transparency.