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Controversial Charter School in Rochester Will Not Open in 2015

December 1, 2014 5:25 pm

The Greater Works Charter School will not open next September due to the problematic (untrue) statements of its future CEO.

 

Greater Works Charter School will no longer open in Rochester in 2015, part of the continuing fallout over lies in the resume of its 22-year-old founder.

Ted Morris Jr. represented himself to the New York State Education Department as an precocious businessman and educational advisor with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees earned mostly online. In fact, he has no college degrees and scant professional experience.

He resigned Nov. 25, the day most of the misrepresentations came to light and just a week after the school gained approval from the state Board of Regents. At that point, both Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and Peter Kozik, who took over as the school’s trustee chairman in Morris’ wake, said the school would open as planned without him.

But a NYSED spokesman said Monday that the department had asked the board of trustees to rescind its application, and the trustees complied in a letter dated Nov. 29. They are also asking the Board of Regents to take back its approval.

 

The State Education explained its error by saying that it approves proposals, not individuals. What a lame excuse for their failure to do due diligence!

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36 Responses to “Controversial Charter School in Rochester Will Not Open in 2015”

  1. This is an excellent decision by NYSED. I hope that Ted Morris is prosecuted for submitting falsified documents, and that NYSED is given extra staff and/or funding to more thoroughly vet applicants and board members.

    Like

    By Tim on December 1, 2014 at 5:41 pm

    1. Extra staff and/or more funding? When the edubloggers revealed this guy as a fraud in 20 minutes for free? If teachers and schools are supposed to do more with less, how about admin do their job with what they have?

      Like

      By Dienne on December 1, 2014 at 7:32 pm

      1. Brava Dienne!!

        Like

        By Betsy Marshall on December 1, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    2. NYSED doesn’t need more money for adminicritters. But, think of the money we could give back to the real public schools if the whole charter school fiasco were shut down.

      Like

      By Sharon in NYS on December 2, 2014 at 8:31 am

      1. Charter schools use 5% of the NYC DOE’s budget to educate 9% of the city’s public school enrollment. Disbanding every charter school in NYC would create a funding and class size catastrophe (if I may borrow from the sky-is-falling parlance of some traditional district educators).

        Like

        By Tim on December 2, 2014 at 11:18 am

      2. Whose figures from what source? Does that include costs the district incurs from cheap or nonexistent rent on properties. Does that include services that are provided by the district? I am unfamiliar with NYC particulars, so I am not trying to be snarky.

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        By 2old2teach on December 2, 2014 at 11:30 am

      3. If there is a funding crisis, it can be remedied by restoring state aid to pre-Recession levels, by complying with the court decision requiring equitable school funding, and by eliminating once and for all the infamous Gap Elimination Adjustment.

        And by stopping the flow of public money to charters. 5% of the NYS DOE budget is not small potatoes. Send it to my district. The state owes us about $35M.

        Like

        By Sharon in NYS on December 2, 2014 at 11:31 am

      4. Correction “NYC”

        Like

        By Sharon in NYS on December 2, 2014 at 12:14 pm

  2. So if you can talk a good game, you can run a school in NY. How reassuring! It’s good to know that New Yorkers can count on the authorities to provide quality choices in schools. I guess the education department was chosen to fall on its sword. I find it amusing that they have to ask the regents to rescind their approval. Seemed like a no-brainer to me.

    Like

    By 2old2teach on December 1, 2014 at 5:43 pm

  3. I was just in Rochester while this was happening. It has gotten people talking about charters and opened some eyes at least. It did get media coverage and people writing into the paper speaking out against charters.

    Like

    By Mamajj on December 1, 2014 at 6:00 pm

  4. Green flag for charter documents that look ok, even if riddled with fraudulent statements.

    Imagine the fraud in vender contracts for tests, statistical reports, and so on.

    Like

    By Laura H. Chapman on December 1, 2014 at 6:03 pm

  5. Remember how the people of York, PA declined to turn their public schools over to a charter operator?

    http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_27041821/state-requests-receiver-york-city-schools?utm_content=bufferdd9ad&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

    The state has petitioned to put them into receivership and turn the schools over to the charter operator anyway.

    This is the PA school district where Vice President Biden’s brother appeared and lobbied on behalf of Charter Schools USA.

    For some reason this bizarre situation gets absolutely no media attention, that the brother of the Vice President of the United States now travels to Pennsylvania to lobby for privatizing a public school district. I think that’s extraordinary.

    Like

    By Chiara on December 1, 2014 at 6:19 pm

  6. Okay…so the NYS Education Department approved the proposal and then they asked the board at the Rochester charter school fiasco to withdraw their application.

    So, once again, WHO will be held accountable for this debacle at the state education department? WHO will be held responsible on the Board of Regents? Governor Cuomo wants to toughen up the evaluation system on teachers and principals. Meanwhile, the bigwigs working alongside him in Albany get a free pass -again!

    I guess they think they’re all “too big to fail”….that accountability is only for the regular people.

    According to the Rochester newspaper, the state ed. department didn’t want to make a staff member available for an interview. And, they didn’t want to answer specific questions. Meanwhile, these Albany bureaucrats continually make school boards and principals, teachers and children jump through hoop after ridiculous hoop, in their half-baked, three ring circus of school “reform”.

    I’ve e-mailed my New York legislators and already have a commitment that the issue will be brought to one of the legislature’s education committees. I urge everyone in New York State who reads this blog to contact their lawmakers.

    Like

    By John Ogozalek on December 1, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    1. Completely agree! It would be great if someone could set up an “Action Center” for NYers to automatically send emails/faxes to legislators about this issue. NYSUT? Anyone?

      Like

      By Mary Ahern on December 1, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    2. BUT Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, inherited a LOT of money. Seems like she is well qualified!

      Like

      By Tim on December 1, 2014 at 10:51 pm

      1. I think you said that with tongue in cheek—that Tisch inherited a LOT of money and that makes her well qualified.

        Like

        By Lloyd Lofthouse on December 1, 2014 at 11:03 pm

  7. Frank Morris Jr. reminds me of Frank Abagnale, the con artist who impersonated an airline pilot, a teaching assistant, a doctor and an attorney, and even had a movie produced to honor his criminal activities.

    Catch me if You Can, produced and directed by Steven Spielberg starring Leonardo DiCarpio.

    Who will they cast for Frank Morris Jr. when they produce his movie?

    Like

    By Lloyd Lofthouse on December 1, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    1. From what little I know about Abagnale, he was like some people I know who don’t have the credentials but are incredibly bright and do learn what they need to know to do whatever it is they’re posing as. I’m not so sure about Mr. Morris.

      Like

      By Michael Paul Goldenberg on December 1, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      1. I would have to agree. Morris got caught on his first con before he could pull it off.

        Abagnale got away with several cons several successful cons, and he went to prison for it afterwards.

        But in the world of corporate education reform, being a crook seems to be legal so if Morris got away with it for a year or two and collected a padded salary, he probably would have walked free and kept the money.

        Like

        By Lloyd Lofthouse on December 1, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    2. Good comparison. Frank Abagnale has gone on to do a lot of good work. Hope Mr. Morris learns from his serious mistakes and goes on to help others.

      Like

      By Joe Nathan on December 3, 2014 at 4:11 am

  8. At least Abagnale after he served his time went to work for the US government and thus improved America’s security systems so that someone like him would not be able to forge checks and impersonate professionals whose lives we put our trust and hands in. This guy Morris is a very sick individual who has accomplished nothing and will accomplish nothing. The fact that the Regents can be fooled by such a person shows their utter incompetence and proof that the charter movement in based on politics and greed. It has nothing to do with improving education. I congratulate Mercedes for doing the type of investigative journalism that shed the bright light of truth and justice on this guy as well as Diane for publicizing the injustice and incompetency of our State misEducation Department. I think all of us should focus on these proposed new charters and dig into the credentials of every board member and every founder. Only in this way can we deluge the media with the truth as to the real purpose of this movement.

    Like

    By liberalteacher on December 1, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    1. There have been many crooks among these “reformers”. From those with criminal backgrounds to many fraudulent and unethical types. I hope someone is keeping track because there are too many for me to recall.

      Like

      By Tim on December 1, 2014 at 10:59 pm

      1. What about all those FBI aris on charter schools? Diane has a bunch of postings on that.
        That is promising stuff too!

        Like

        By Ann on December 1, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    2. I can’t agree that someone is not able to change, especially someone so young.

      Like

      By A on December 2, 2014 at 2:28 am

      1. How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb?

        Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change.

        Like

        By Dienne on December 2, 2014 at 9:49 am

      2. Dienne, thank you for the humor fix. I needed it. 🙂

        Like

        By 2old2teach on December 2, 2014 at 11:26 am

  9. I can’t believe I wrote aris instead of raids in my last posting.
    I think it’s because I’m obsessed with ARIS & the 95 million dollars it represents. I can’t believe so few people logged on to that system.
    They told us we had to in my old school & they would check! I think I saw a stat that said only 16% of staff ever used it!

    Like

    By Ann on December 1, 2014 at 11:11 pm

    1. Google: FBI investigation of corporate Charter school fraud

      When I did, it came back with 340,000 hits

      Then try: DOE investigations of corporate Charter school fraud and/or Department of Education investigations of corporate Charter school fraud

      That Google search came back with more than 1.7 million hits for the first one and 1.10 million for the second

      Like

      By Lloyd Lofthouse on December 1, 2014 at 11:34 pm

      1. Then I Googled: Charter School incompetence

        And that one resulted in 845 thousand hits.

        Like

        By Lloyd Lofthouse on December 1, 2014 at 11:35 pm

      2. Lloyd,
        Thanks for posting the numbers. It’s heartening and, it’s proof of the U.S. Dept. Of Education’s massive failure.

        Like

        By Linda on December 2, 2014 at 9:43 am

  10. “Greater PJerks Charter School”

    Greater Jerks Charter School
    Is closed for renovation
    The CEO was just a fool
    And not a child sensation

    Like

    By SomeDAM Poet on December 2, 2014 at 10:36 am

  11. Time to shut down Greater Works Char-Tar/Coal Pit for good. Its so tainted with a pine-tar(on Morris’ hands and neck?) and soot. Don’t know how much it will cost to clean up and sanitize the facility, but I think it should be way much cheaper than renovating decrepit public school buildings in the same district.

    Like

    By Ken Watanabe on December 2, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    1. Come to think of it, renovating public school facilities are way cheaper –and more meaningful– than throwing millions of dollars into another private secret chambers under the name of Recovery or Turnaround.

      Like

      By Ken Watanabe on December 2, 2014 at 12:19 pm

  12. Come to think of it, renovating facilities in public school districts is far more economical and meaningful–rather than throwing millions of dollars into another private secret chambers under the name of Recovery or Turnaround.

    Like

    By Ken Watanabe on December 2, 2014 at 12:23 pm

  13. I wonder where Ted will end up next? I’m thinking on an FBI Wanted poster.

    Like

    By Mark Collins on December 2, 2014 at 3:43 pm

  14. Another great piece by Mercedes:

    To Merryl Tisch: Take Responsibility for the Ted Morris Charter Con

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mercedes-schneider/to-merryl-tisch-take-resp_b_6245436.html?utm_hp_ref=education

    Like

    By Mark Collins on December 2, 2014 at 3:48 pm

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