Jon Pelto speculates that the charter industry has lost its magic in Connecticut with the downfall of Michael Sharpe of Jumoke Academy and FUSE. Investigations multiply, and there’s the pesky fact that test scores tanked at one of the FUSE schools.
And Pelto reports that the “reformer” selected to head the schools of New London is in more trouble. The vote by the board on whether to appoint him has been delayed.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Today in The Day, the New London, CT paper:
New London — Before the Board of Education meets Thursday night to vote on a contract for Terrence P. Carter, its unanimous selection as the city’s next superintendent of schools, it will hold a closed-door conference call to question him further about his academic record.
On Monday, the Board of Education canceled its scheduled meeting to vote on Carter’s contract “in order to provide Board of Education members with the opportunity to fully clarify and consider recent statements and assertions concerning Terrence Carter,” according to a press release issued by the school system.
The Hartford Courant reported Friday that Carter is listed as “Ph.D.” or “Dr. Terrence P. Carter” on numerous documents over the past five years, including book jackets, programs for symposiums and Chicago Board of Education publications. Carter has not yet received a doctorate in educational studies.
And, according to court documents, Carter has a history of defaulting on financial obligations and has filed for bankruptcy in two states. His claims, though, were dismissed because he failed to appear at a court-scheduled meeting or file required paperwork.
In a Feb. 3, 2012, filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Carter claimed a total of $768,649 in liabilities, including $211,224 in student loan obligations, and reported $338,654 in assets. He listed his average monthly income as $7,134.53 and claimed $4,758 in monthly household expenses, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Northern District of Illinois.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows a debtor who earns a regular income to propose a plan to repay debts over a three- or five-year period, according to court documents.
Carter’s filing lists 14 creditors, including American Express, Citibank, Sallie Mae and the U.S. Department of Education.
Panos Brothers Construction and Painting, an Illinois-based company listed as a creditor in Carter’s 2012 bankruptcy filing, placed a contractor’s lien on Carter’s Chicago condo in January 2012.
According to forms filed by the company’s attorney, Carter hired the company to renovate and paint his Chicago condo but never paid the $18,512 bill.
A copy of the signed contract, which was included in court filings, details the anticipated prices for painting and carpeting three bedrooms, installing engineered wood flooring in a handful of rooms, and other work.
The contract was signed June 30, 2011, and Panos Brothers completed the work by Sept. 8, 2011, documents show. On Nov. 29, 2011, Panos Brothers sent Carter an invoice for the outstanding $18,512.
The bankruptcy case was dismissed by the judge on July 19, 2012, because Carter “failed to file the required documents,” according to the court order. Carter’s repayment plan was not confirmed by the court and “appears to be unfeasible as the debtors disposable income is less than the proposed plan payments,” according to the order.
The contractor’s lien on Carter’s property was released on Sept. 25, 2013, after he and Panos Brothers agreed to a settlement, according to records from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
And in 1999, while Carter was living and working in California, he filed paperwork in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Northern District of California for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the chapter of the bankruptcy code that allows for the liquidation of the debtor’s property to repay creditors.
Court documents show that Carter filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 4, 1999, and was indebted to a number of banks, student loan companies and Saks Fifth Avenue.
On Dec. 22, 1999, the California judge dismissed the case because Carter had failed to appear at a meeting with his creditors, according to the court documents.
In an email Monday, Carter said, “These events are of a personal family matter, and have been settled. They were disclosed to the search and selection committees, and Board of Education.”
Board President Margaret Mary Curtin confirmed Monday night that the board was aware of Carter’s financial history before selecting him for the superintendent’s position.
“We cannot not hire him because of that,” she said. “There is a law against that.”
When asked if Carter’s financial records gave her any cause for concern, Curtin replied that they did not. When pressed further, Curtin declined to comment.
Other Board of Education members on Monday night declined to comment and referred inquiries to Curtin.
On Thursday, the board will meet in executive session at 6:30 p.m. to speak with Carter by phone and then will convene a special meeting at 7:30 p.m. “to consider further action on the superintendent’s contract,” according to the press release.
c.young@theday.com
I don’t know why he filed the initial petition for bankruptcy and then didn’t pursue it, but the meeting of creditors is a necessary step in the process. If he didn’t attend that and the petition was dismissed, then his filing a petition doesn’t mean much of anything- legally, anyway.
He has a lot of debt (most of which can’t be discharged in bankruptcy, because it’s student loan debt) and he isn’t very responsible with personal financial obligations or budgeting, but I don’t know if they can rely on that to knock him out of the running.
I’d think the bigger problem is his misrepresenting his academic credentials. That can probably be construed as a qualification for the job.
From what I read he would be responsible for a $40 million budget. Not sure he should be in charge for many reasons. This is the best they can do? But you should know the commissioner and our “special master” are pulling the strings. The BOE chair follows along or you don’t get the funds from the state for this all magnet scheme.
I would think it’s a bad hire, so I agree with you there. The thinking behind not putting people who have tons of personal debt and a shaky payment history in positions with access to funds is that they will be vulnerable to stealing or embezzling to pay for the debt or the (continuing) living beyond their means. It makes sense.
How are the Broad graduates qualified to be supes? How does the Relay school relay Masters degrees?
If the New London Board of Education votes to approve “Dr.” Carter , they are going to look like complete idiots. Based on the comments from the community, on the New London Day paper, they will also deal with a backlash from the community.
The “Special Master”–Steven Adomowski–has utterly failed in his role.
Pssst…here in CT we call him Adafraudski. It’s all a shell game with him. Move the kids around, drop the low performers from testing, lower the average for passing, drop an attendance requirement, increase grad rate though credit recovery ploys, boost scores a wee bit, claim success. Move on to next district before it implodes, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.
By the way if his purpose is to disrupt, destroy and deform he has been an outstanding success.
Once again, Linda, an outstanding example of “creative disruption!” (An oxymoron if ever there was one, & “created” by morons, at that!)
“Creative disruption” means breaking stuff, other people’s stuff.
And this researched and written by an HPS BOE member, Robert Cotto, Jr. An illusion arising exclusion, addition through subtraction.
Hartford’s Claim of School Success Flawed:
http://articles.courant.com/2011-03-01/news/hc-op-cotto-hartford-schools-0301-20110301_1_test-scores-proficiency-rates-students
A critique of “education reform” under Steven Adamowski in Hartford and call for something better and more democratic. In short, Adamowki’s apparently successful tenure in Hartford was a simple “illusion arising from exclusion.”
Here’s a Toledo Blade editorial calling for regulation of charter schools. This is going to be an election issue in Ohio:
“The state provides more than $900 million in annual aid to charter schools. The operators of several privately managed for-profit charter schools are major contributors to state GOP campaigns.
Too often, providers can receive a state charter before they recruit a supposedly independent sponsor and governing board.
Sponsors, not the Education Department, have had principal responsibility for supervising charter schools. The potential for problems is obvious.
So is the fact that many Ohio charter schools perform no better, and often worse, than the traditional public schools with which they compete. Yet the state does not hold them to the same standards of quality, accountability, and openness.”
Ohio newspaper editorial boards were relentless cheerleaders for charters, so they share some of the responsibility for this sad state of affairs. For some reason, they didn’t see the “potential for problems” when they were relentlessly bashing public schools and promoting charters for the last decade.
It’s funny to watch the amnesia set in as the “outrage!” grows 🙂
It took Democrats, Republicans and media to get us here. I’m curious to see who will be held accountable for this chaotic mess they’ve stuck us with.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Editorials/2014/07/22/Trouble-on-the-horizon.html#s1BRp1CaHuy0Q3TV.99
If things go according to the Rules for OH, nobody will be held responsible. Too much money sloshing around for that to happen.
The plot thickens in the CT charter scandal:
Charter School Probe Turns To Missed Rent Payments, Commissioner’s Emails
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-charter-school-0723-20140722,0,6419025.story
Questions Grow On Incoming School Chief’s Use Of Ph.D. Title, Financial Problems
http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80874996/
Could it be that the press is finally catching on? Did the NEA convention turn on the upstairs lights? Or–am I misinterpreting the mention of all of these articles?
Anyway, we in Chicago still have our intrepid Dan Milhilopoulos (today’s Sun-Times article on the Gulen/Concepts investigations, breaking the story on UNO corruption, etc.). A Pulitzer Prize in the offing to you, sir, & thank you!
Teachers and parents will be the scapegoats; not the bought off politicians who changes laws and rewrote rules and bent requirements for positions; not the charter management companies and all of their offshoots to whom monies are funneled; not the unqualified/uncertified charter “teachers;” not Rhee, not Kopp, not Duncan, not the philanthropists, not the thieving testing companies.
Watch out for the spin.
Oh, and where is the outrage by Duncan, Obama, Rhee and Kopp? THIS is happening all over, in every state with charter schools. Where is the outrage by Zuckerberg on how his money was spent in Newark, NJ? Where is the outrage by the reformers? I really just don’t get it. THEY created these monsters. THEY should all be held responsible. Maybe its time for a march on DC of teachers/parents and public school supports? Or, a write in campaign? Can these be organized? A petition to stop the madness? Hey if Rheepugnant can petition on change.org why not true public school supports with all of the facts behind us?
Donna,
For you and me, 100 million is a lot of money. For Zuckerberg, it is meaningless. He is on to his next project.
There are teachers, students and parents organizing and marching. Will you join us?
http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/event/bats-d-c-event/
If I could walk, I would join you.
What is there to discuss in New London? If a teacher had dubious or fake credentials, he’d instantly be shown the door without delays, special meetings, discussions, etc.
The notion of “education leaders” with ever increasingly transparent disdain for education is in equal parts infuriating and comical.
Alan,
More info is pouring in, check comments on these blogs or newspapers
http://jonathanpelto.com/2014/07/23/questions-grow-incoming-school-chiefs-use-ph-d-title-financial-problems/
http://www.theday.com/article/20140723/NWS01/307239954/1017/NWS#.U8_Ll2K9KSP
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-carter-resume-0723-20140722,0,6040752.story