Journalist Sarah Darrr Littman read the full investigative report about the FUSE charter scandal and here presents some of the seamy details, the fraud, and abuse of public authority.
To begin with, the FUSE charter organization was the favorite of state officials. There was no accountability, transparency, or oversight.
FUSE was invited to take over a school in Bridgeport;
“When questioned by then-Bridgeport school board member Maria Periera about why the same resources couldn’t be devoted to a district school without having to pay an outside organization like FUSE, Paul Vallas’ Chief Administrative Officer, Sandra Kase, said, “it was often not a matter of money but knowing what to do with the money. She said that the Dunbar School was still a district school with a partnership with FUSE, an organization that knows how to use increased funding well.”
I guess that depends on your definition of “well.” Marilyn Taylor, brought in by FUSE from Louisiana as the new Dunbar School principal, was arraigned on larceny charges last Friday, the day the report dropped.
When Taylor started, she and FUSE were lauded by then-Superintendent Paul Vallas, according to a report in the CTPost:
“The transformation will be extraordinary, because this group has done it in the past,” Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas told a large crowd of students, parents, community members, who were treated to a hot dog barbecue, free backpacks, and a chance to meet teachers and other staff members. Before the event was over, state Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor also put in an appearance.”
It appears that Ms. Taylor may not have wanted it to stop at free backpacks. She is alleged to have withdrawn more than $10,000 in school funds for personal expenses, including from ATMs at the Mohegan Sun Casino.”
When FUSE was awarded another school in Néw Haven, the letters of endorsement were filled with praise for the chain’s track record of “success.”
Littman writes:
“That depends on your definition of “success,” doesn’t it? If “success” constitutes feathering your own nest at the expense of taxpayers, behaving unethically, and acting in such a way that even the parents at your own school “have questions about accountability for the financial piece,” as stated in the FUSE Board of Trustees minutes dated Oct. 10, 2013, I guess FUSE did have that track record.
“Listening to these same enablers say that “it’s for the kids” while they fleece the public purse is infuriating. But what really enrages me is knowing that there are so many fine educators in classrooms across this state trying to teach and help children day in and day out while being deprived of basic resources, while politicians are allowing our taxpayer dollars to be siphoned off by crooks.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
OMG…how can people do things like this? I just don’t “get” it. Oh…$$$$$.
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Hi Yvonne:
This is May. How are you? I am sorry to borrow your first post in order to inform Dr. Ravitch in case the invisible/magic power wipes my information out in my own post. Thank you.
Dear Dr. Ravitch:
According to your provided NPE’s address with postal code, or State Area code as
Tucson, Az 85733
Here is today’s result on tracking number of my priority mail show differently: 85719, USA.
Here is a copy from Canada post website:
Date received: 2015/01/07 Current date: 2015/01/11
Expected delivery: 1-3 business days
Date Time Location Description Retail Location Signatory Name
2015/01/10 09:35 85719,USA Attempted delivery. Notice card left indicating where item can be picked up.
08:24 85719,USA Item has arrived at the delivery office in the destination country
2015/01/09 13:50 USJFKG,USA Item has arrived in foreign country
I just confuse the distance between State area code 85733 vs. 85719.
Obviously, the notice card may be at the wrong office, and wrong area. Please forward my email to Dr. Robin Hill, so that he could rectify the problem by tomorrow, Monday January 12, 2015.
Also, here is my letter to Dr. R. Hiller:
From: May King
To: Dr. Robin Hiller
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2015
SUBJECT: My donation letter to NPE President, Dr. Diane Ravitch
Dear Dr. Hiller:
First of all, I sincerely appreciate your reply regarding my first donation of $50.00 through PayPal in 2014.
According to Dr. Ravitch’s website, I have learned about NPE conference in Chicago on April 25, 26, 2015.
Please find attached a money order in US $500.00 with my request stated in next side of this letter.
May God bless Dr. Ravitch, you and your staff of NPE with an excellent success in this important conference. With my heartfelt appreciation and my hope in humanity, I pray that God and all unseen Angels will protect and will bless all of you, the SEEN ANGELS on Earth to have endurance, energy, support and health for a continuous and successful journey in defending for the teaching profession, humanity, and civility in order to serve NOT ONLY young generation in America, but also to serve as an inspiration to the other countries where people live under oppression.
Very respectfully yours,
May King from Canada
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May King,
Here is the correct contact information for the Network for Public Education. Thank you for your incredibly generous contribution to our work. I will match it and match all other gifts in the month of January.
Mailing Address:
Network for Public Education
P.O. Box 44200
Tucson, AZ 85733
Phone:
520-324-0881
Email:
Executive Director: Robin Hiller (robin (at) networkforpubliceducation.org)
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Knowing of readers concerns about the appropriate use of money, I thought this story might interest you – thousands of dollars being spent by Minneapolis District officials without supplying any receipts.
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/288154331.html
This includes both the former and interim supt. The district agrees it needs to improve its reimbursement procedures.
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As we see in Ohio, public school officials who are accused go to jail. Reformers who misappropriate public money get promoted or elected.
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We’ll see what happens to the Minneapolis officials who failed to submit receipts for purchases worth thousands of dollars.
It also will be interesting to see what happens to the NYC officials who “lost” hundreds of computers.
Don’t you think theft should have consequences, whether its in district or charter public schools?
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yes joe.
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Joe is back to state the obvious and sidestep the rampant charter fiascos.
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The definition of theft gets murkier in Ohio. Public officials are going to jail over a Dispatch witch hunt called the “data rigging scandal “. Officials gamed attendance numbers to improve test scores. They thought it was legal and had little guidance on attendance from Ohio Department of Education. In contrast, Kasich has created JobsOhio, a private development entity that uses public funds. We do not know what they do with the money exactly as they are not publicly audited. So, you see, the definition of theft depends on who is in office and what laws are passed to shield political donors. And because someone misplaced receipts or is a sloppy bookkeeper does not mean they are guilty. I know Republicans want to eliminate democracy, the right to assemble and petition, free speech of teachers, and due process – but presumption of innocence could apply to them, too, someday.
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“The secretary of the district’s human resources director charged $1,000 for balloons for several days of job fairs.”
OMG, balloons for a job fair? How outrageous! Geez, Joe, have you priced balloons lately? Having just paid for my six-year-old’s birthday, I have. $1,000 for three days worth of balloons didn’t get them that many balloons.
If this is your attempt to match charter scandal for district “scandal”, you’re losing badly.
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It’s not just about balloons. From the story, ” a sample of 270 expense reports showed nearly half were submitted with no supporting receipts. Some transactions for more $1,000 included no receipts. District policies require receipts for every expense.
After the Star Tribune’s inquiry, some top executives, including outgoing Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson and CEO Michael Goar, reimbursed the district for expenses deemed unallowable….
Leah Halvorson, the district’s procurement director, said her department is seeking more reimbursements from other employees. She didn’t know the amount or who would have to repay money.
School officials said they are working to improve the submitting of receipts.
“It’s an issue,” said Stan Alleyne, a district spokesman. “That’s one of the things we really have to work on, to remind folks to keep their receipts.”
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Then Joe you must be so so upset by the property with no rental payments, the bathroom upgrades, the mystery woman on the third floor while teachers had no place to make copies and scant materials. We know you’re keep track of all school scandals.
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Linda, I just try to provide a bit of balance. I’m upset about all misuses of public dollars.
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Sure Joe that’s it……whatever makes you feel better.
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Joe,
Diane has posted many stories regarding the ipad fiasco in LA, which I believe is a traditional public school scandal.
The reason charter scandals are news (although I don’t see them getting much press nationwide) is because one of the major arguments for charters is that unlike corrupt local districts, they won’t waste/steal money. When the accusers are found to be very similar to those they accuse, they tend to get called out on it. I guess having a board that is supposedly more connected to individual schools doesn’t guarantee that they will act in the school’s interest.
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concerned mom: please excuse if you think this is splitting hairs, but IMHO, I think the LAUSD iPad and MISIS scandals are the result of fierce pro-charter/pro-privatization zealots inflicting said catastrophes on “traditional public schools.”
I have written on this blog about this before and called it a twofer: 1), they advance BAMN [ByAnyMeansNecessary] their agenda for reaping $tudent $ucce$$ for themselves and their enablers/funders/patrons while 2), using the havoc they inevitably create to make charters and privatization seem at worst benign and, if possible, better than what “traditional” public schools offer and promise.
Just consider this one indisputable fact: the center of the aforementioned two predictably mismanaged (and politically, morally and financially toxic for public schools) train wrecks was former LAUSD Supt. John Deasy. Among other dubious but revealing accomplishments: a proud and preening product of the Broad Academy as well as a deputy director of K-12 education for the Gates Foundation. His self-proclaimed “education reform” credentials are impeccable.
One of his first acts as LAUSD Supt. was to fire Ms. Patrena Shankling, exercising his authority in an unethical and destructive way, signaling—for those able to read his actions for what they were—that he intended to do much much worse on a much wider scale if he was allowed and encouraged to continue on the path he was forging.
That said, do I excuse any defect, large or small, minor or disgusting, that occur in or because of “traditional public schools”? Not in the slightest.
I hold everyone’s feet to the fire.Nobody gets a free pass. As I believe, as evidenced by her actions, the owner of this blog does—albeit I must add with a defter touch and more politely than I do.
I hope you see my reaction to your comments in a positive light.
In any case, thank you for your comments.
😎
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This was in CT News Junkie on Friday
Sent from my iPhone
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Yes but this is a national blog and CT teacher activists send news to Diane regularly. Thank you to our journalists in CT: Wendy, Jon and Sarah.
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Yes, and CTNJ benefits from increased traffic when a national site like Diane’s picks up one of their pieces and links to it. The only people who don’t benefit are the those who are doing unethical things in our state, whose exploits are now receiving national exposure, not just statewide. One would think the CEA would be pleased by that, unless they are continuing to enable the current governor no matter what his administration might do because “the other guy is worse.” If that’s the case, then teachers in our state are truly screwed and we don’t have an effective, healthy democracy.
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Yes we do believe theft should have consequences Joe, we hope the public school crooks share a cell with the charter school crooks.
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The scandals for both seem to be increasing. I wonder if some of the public school people decide, “If the charter school people can get a lot of money from education, why can’t I have a piece of the pie?” It wouldn’t surprise me.
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The whole charter movement along with the assault on public education and teachers is a cautionary tale about politics and money, not just in Connecticut, but throughout the nation. Collateral damage in this upheaval is is loss of democracy, taxpayers, certified teachers and lots of poor minority children and their families. While a few may have benefited, it has been at the expense of many. I don’t know if we will ever fully understand the deleterious consequences of “reform.”
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Opportunity cost. The path not taken. I think about it with the Obama Administration and DC Democrats. What if they had made RttT funding conditional on something other than charter school expansion and teacher rankings? They could have attached conditions that would actually improve existing public schools. It’s a matter of priorities. Public schools weren’t a priority.
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In fact, there is bias in favor of charters in everything that Washington produces. Let’s not forget forcing public students to be subjected to the Common Core while charters get a free pass. Then, of course, there is the rigged cut score so that most public students will fail. Every capricious and unscientific “formula” they produce is designed to smack down public schools and teachers.
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Retired, charters are required to take the state statewide tests as district schools.
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Wrong Joe, not all.
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And charter schools are using the fact that they don’t have to give all of the additional testing that real public schools do as a selling point. Nice work if you can get it–use test scores to “prove” public schools are “bad,” and then avoid those tests in charter schools as one benefit of attending a charter school.
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And the best part is that the charters get to score their own tests – how beautiful is that?
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In what state don’t district & charter public schools have to send their statewide tests in to be reviewed (unless students take the “on-line” which of course also means the computer)?
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Call Eva, Joe. She’ll fill you in.
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Fortunately there are district & charter educators who see how working together, they can help youngsters:
http://bit.ly/14JLt2t
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And it occurs in many schools and districts without you and before you Joe. Don’t you ever tire of your self promotion? Are you ever embarrassed?
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Woo hoo, rah-rah, dual credit classes! Thank God charters came along to think of things like that. No public schools ever would have thought of it.
Well, except the school my brother and I graduated from in 1985 and 1988, respectively. And, well, probably others. Lots of others.
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Dienne, glad you had the opportunity to do this years ago.
I didn’t say charters thought of this. I said district & charter educators worked together to encourage more students from low income families and potentially first generation college students participate. Results were encouraging.
I’d like to learn more about your work. Are you an educator? Parent? Would you be willing to say more about what you are doing to help youngsters (not a criticism, a question).
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Joe – the point is that this is yet another example of how charters add nothing (at least nothing positive) to education. Every “innovation” touted by charter schools was already being done by public schools. The only “innovation” that charters have added to the equation is greater opportunity to transfer public money into private hands.
As far as what I do for children, well my professional life has nothing to do with children except supporting my own. But a large chunk of my personal life revolves around defending public education from the privatization mentioned above. I’ve written hundreds of letters, emails, articles and thousands of blog posts. I talk to anyone who will listen (and even those who don’t). I’ve participated in marches and rallies. If we lose public education in this country, you can go look in a mirror. I will have done my best to prevent it.
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Thanks for your note. I’ll respond soon to the innovation issue. i think one of the ways the country moves ahead is by giving people a chance to do something new. That’s true in all fields. I’ll offer some examples from the charter & district schools.
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Connecticut appears to be the education version of Tombstone, complete with lit FUSEs, quack ‘Dr’s” peddling their elixirs and cowboys and other jamokes rustling cattle and riding roughshod over the good citizenry.
“Tombstone”
Here lies education
Died from Common Core
Teacher devaluation
Charters, tests and more
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This is probably related to Stefan Pryor’s, an advocate for charter schools, mysterious and quick resignation from his position as the Commissioner of Education just prior (no pun intended) to the recent gubernatorial election in Connecticut.
from:
Click to access commissioner_pryor.pdf
“In the mid-1990’s, Pryor served as Policy Advisor to the Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. Pryor is a co-founder and was the first Board President of Amistad Academy, a public charter school in New Haven. Amistad is the flagship of the Achievement First network of schools. Pryor served on the board of Achievement First, which has opened more than 20 schools and academies in four cities in Connecticut and New York.”
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And the Mayor of New Haven for whom Pryor served as policy advisor during the mid-1990’s was none other than John DeStefano. The same Mayor John DeSefano who wrote one of the letters of recommendation for the FUSE/Booker T Washington Charter. You know, the letter that had the EXACT SAME WORDING as the letter of recommendation as the letter that written by his successor, Toni Harp.
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That’s DeStefano, sorry.
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Dear Dr. Ravitch:
Thank you very much for your quick reply with a NPE phone number.
You are amazingly generous with your knowledge, expertise in American history, precious time to shoulder this forum for all conscientious people who are educators new and veteran, and parents who are Americans and Canadian like myself. Additionally, you offer to match all donations given in this January. This is above and beyond a duty of an Angel. You must be Saint Diane in this 21st century.
I must confess that I am quite selfish because I prefer to meditate and to mind my own business like taken care of my spouse and child like cooking and clean up. I love reading all philosophical stories in history of Buddha whenever I have extra time after meditation.
My message about kindness, being considerate, unity for humanity may sound boring for some readers. However, I prefer to be quiet if I could not promote or sow the spirit of humanity in your website.
I would challenge all people with money hunger and power that they sincerely ask God to give them a lesson or as many as needed to realize, and acknowledge the karma. This will lift them out of sufferance here and now and will enjoy many better reincarnation lives. I always pray that God will give me a lesson whenever I stray into the wrong path of greed, ego and lust for fame and shame so that I will be awaken to rectify my own destiny.
Very respectfully yours,
May king from Canada.
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