As readers of this blog know, the School Reform Commission of Philadelphia has recommended a vast expansion of charter schools.
It is acting on the recommendation of the Boston Consulting Group, business management consultants with no deep knowledge of education but a deep love of privatization.
The business leaders of Philadelphia are pushing hard for the privatization plan.
But today, the U.S. Attorney for Philadelphia charged a major charter school leader in Philadelphia with multiple violations of the law:
A charter school mogul was charged today in a multimillion dollar fraud case by the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Dorothy June Hairston Brown, who received accolades for students’ test scores and gained notoriety for collecting large salaries and suing parents who questioned her actions was indicted on multiple counts of wire fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Brown, a former Philadelphia school district principal, founded three small charter schools in Philadelphia: the Laboratory which has campuses in Northern Liberties, Overbrook and Wynnefield; Ad Prima in Overbrook and Planet Abacus in Tacony.
In addition, in 2005 she helped create the Agora Cyber Charter School, which provides online instruction to students from across the state in their homes.
An article in another paper says that $6.5 million was misappropriated.
Really, in light of the latest charter school scandal in Philadelphia, can the city’s leaders continue to demand the creation of even more unregulated, privately-managed schools?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
More on this situation @ http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/07/24/news/doc500ee1650bbb2722631543.txt
“Two Delaware County residents were among five people charged with defrauding charter schools of more than $6.5 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office…”
What are we teaching our children today? Is being ethical and in integrity important qualities that we want our children to learn? It seems that the greed of some has pushed this country in the wrong direction.
Does any of this money come from dollars stripped from public school budgets? Do the people attacking the profession, and the families and kids served, feel good about the awesome power of privatization? How has self-centered competition served our economy? I’ll tell you how: it has screwed us, and the screw-ers love it. They are the profiteers and policy makers; the ones that write complicated VAM financial formulas that keep the economy’s power swirling in their circles. It might mean reduced budgets, but that money disappears and the institution withers to serve the bottom line of the “charter” leaders.
Yes, of course, that is the course of charter school revenue: public school budget and taxpayer dollars.
in other news, DOE loses, can’t restaff “turnaround” schools. UFT wins!!!
The Charter Lie Groupies wouldn’t have any interest in charters if they couldn’t make copious amounts of money from them. Scum Bag, Slum lord mentality, ripping off the poorest of the poor.
And here you have yet more, strong, hard evidence of why the reformers do what they do. As with every corrupt thing in America, follow the money! The potential for reaping massive profits from the trough of education money has been in the sites of the monied classes for a very long time. Susan Ohanian documented this diligently back in the 1990’s. Now they are shamelessly pursuing their greed and hiding behind the better nature of Americans who want to help the less fortunate and they are largely succeeding. My hope is that in their greed they will create the means for their own destruction, much as the more extreme political movements of recent memory decimated their credibility.
And more Astonishing news from Philadelphia…
The Philadelphia Notebook has published details about the William Penn Foundation paying two communications firms $160,000 to sell the privatization program of Philadelphia’s public schools by the Boston Consulting Group. (read the comments)
http://thenotebook.org/blog/125021/william-penn-foundation-bankrolling-160000-pr-campaign-district-transformation-plan
For background on the communications firms see:
Schools PR effort includes GOP lobbyist funded by William Penn. Schools chair calls City Paper expose a “fantasy”.
http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity/Extensive-schools-PR-effort-includes-GOP-lobbying-group.html
This comes the same day as it was announced that 2700 blue collar workers in the District have approved a new four-year contract. They had been told that if they did not accept the contract they would be replaced by private contractors. The contract includes a four year wage freeze and a weekly “contribution” of $25 to $45 per week to the School District by these low wage workers. The District said the deal will save them $100 million dollars.
This is a week after the School Reform Commission announced the expansion of five charters at a cost of $139 million.
http://thenotebook.org/blog/125008/price-charter-expansion-so-far-139-million
One of the scary things here is the defamation/slander lawsuit the principal Dr. Brown instituted against parents who inquired about school finances.
These kinds of suits are scary to activists for public education everywhere — because the powerful people who are abusing the system have the money to “lawyer up.”
I don’t.
Thus freedom of speech dies a little more…
I am one of these parents…. and we are being held hostage by a corrupt legal system that favors the affluent and well connected.
Diane,
I am one of the parents that Dorothy June Brown sued for libel, slander and civil conspiracy. I have awaited trail for over five years; presumed GUILTY until I PROVE my innocence.
I would to tell you more about how my family has been persecuted.