District officials in California have confided in me that it is virtually impossible to stop a charter proposal, no matter how bad it is or how little it is needed. If the district turns down the proposal, the charter advocates appeal to the Los Angeles County School Board, where they are often approved. In the off-chance that both the district and the county turn down their proposal, the advocates appeal to the state, where they are almost certain to win approval.
Two parents proposed to open a dual-language immersion school that would teach Spanish, German, Italian, and French. The school would be called the International Studies Language Academy. The Glendale school board voted against the proposal, 5-0. The proponents appealed to the County office, which did an extensive review and turned them down, 5-1.
Staff at the Los Angeles County Office of Education weighed the petition as part of the Charter School Review Team, made up of county officials drawn from various departments, including the controller’s office, the curriculum department and the division of accountability.
County officials determined the plan “provides an unsound educational program” and that the petitioners “are demonstrably unlikely to successfully implement the proposed educational program,” according to the report.
“We’re disappointed, but know the political climate is tough for charters in the L.A. area right now,” Bonacci said in an email.
Similar to Glendale school board members, county officials found several faults with the school’s financial plan and deemed it “unrealistic,” in the report, highlighting how the school underestimated teacher salaries, benefits and the cost for books and materials.
In another instance, county officials noted that the school planned to mail bank statements directly to Academica, a Florida-based charter school operator.
The school’s lack of internal control in processing checks “can result in fiscal mismanagement,” the report stated.
Despite those findings, the petition has won support from the California Charter Schools Assn., whose manager for regional advocacy, Allison Hendrick, urged that the county board approve the appeal.
Ah, so the school will be managed by Academica, the political powerhouse in Florida that operates for profit. Due diligence would suggest that the California officials learn more about Academica, whose owners have assembled a vast real estate empire. In Florida, Academica had the help of a state senator who chairs the education appropriations committee. Who will help them in California?
Let’s see what happens to this petition, where local officials declared it to be pedagogically and financially unsound.
But we all have to pretend this is “nonprofit” because the schools are nonprofit.
Which is ludicrous:
“Academica’s achievements have been profitable. The South Miami company receives more than $9 million a year in management fees just from its South Florida charter schools — fees that ultimately come from public tax dollars.
But the Zuluetas’ greatest financial success is largely unseen: Through more than two dozen other companies, the Zuluetas control more than $115 million in South Florida real estate — all exempt from property taxes as public schools — and act as landlords for many of Academica’s signature schools, records show.
These companies collected about $19 million in lease payments last year from charter schools — with nine schools paying rents exceeding 20 percent of their revenue, records show.
Academica has fostered a close-knit culture among its schools, recruiting principals and teachers who rarely leave the ranks and are often promoted from one Academica school to another — though the staffers technically work for their respective schools, not for the management company.”
Does the public own all this real estate that was purchased with public funds, or does the government contractor own it?
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/special-reports/cashing-in-on-kids/article1939207.html#storylink=cpy
Chiara, in light of the language in the article, I conclude the taxpayers of Florida underwrite the Zulueta real estate empire
There’s gold in them thar schools! Anyone else wanna head to California and open a charter with me? I’m sure most of you are far more qualified than these folks (which, would, actually, probably disqualify you…).
Traditional teaching credential and experience would most certainly get you disqualified. What’s required is greed, a strong will-to-power, lack of integrity and disingenuousness, connections and smug self-satisfaction…
When “magical” actually only means “momentary,” there’s a lot of gold to be found in short-lived silver bullet solutions. ciedieaech.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/finding-gold-inside-silver-bullets
Every once in a while we hear plaintive wails from the charter/privatizer crowd about “getting rid of the bad apples” in their ranks and being more accountable and concern about sustainable pedagogical models and so on…
Words. When it comes to deeds, it’s the Wild West of $tudent $ucce$$ for corporate education reform. Anything goes.
Today, tomorrow and forever with their Marxist axioms:
“Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them…well I have others.”
Groucho would be so so proud.
😎
Just FYI – the petition was sent to the CDE and has been recommended for approval by the staff. It goes before the board in May and it now seems likely that it will be approved. This in spite of a lack of support on any other level (by this I mean both our district and the county not to mention the SELPA charter that they’ve petitioned) including much of the community. I don’t understand how 3 refusals make an approval – it defies logic.
Pushing charter schools in rural areas:
http://educationpost.org/yes-rural-areas-can-benefit-from-charter-schools-too/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Choice&utm_content=TwRuralChartersAm6
Charter-mania continues unabated. Privatization is miraculous! It cures all ills.
Having friends in high places creates opportunities for destroying democratic values.
En educated populace…an informed citizenry…the spread of knowledge…equal the exposing of corruptive forces at play behind the scenes.
A system of checks and balances must always prevail, be healthy, and vibrant. An essential element to safeguard the rights bestowed by our founding fathers.
Florida end-of-year charter scandals
Charter school supposedly owes $1.5M to management company (no loan papers)
http://wfla.com/2016/03/30/charter-school-parents-in-st-petersburg-learn-of-staggering-debt-owed-to-private-consultants/
Pathways Academy Charter school
-Falsified teacher signatures on evaluations
-FTE funds used for personal expenses by the principal
-Paid for husband to fly to charter school conference
-Leased equipment from husband
-No documentation for restaurant expenses
-etc, etc
http://bcpsagenda.browardschools.com/agenda/01107/Item%20DD-3%20%2824937%29/index.html
Florida Virtual Academy will close at the end of the school year. The audit showed:
-poor academic performance
-allegations of ethical breaches
-a poor working relationship with between the schools’ governing board and management company
We had a Rocketship charter approved in just this way in my District. Turned down at the District and County for having an unsound program and staff not required to be certified teachers, then approved at the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education relies on an advisory commission that is packed with charter people, so they take care of their own.
This is a very real problem in CA. The Magnolia (Gulen) charter in Santa Ana was denied by both the district and the county, the state went ahead and approved and not only approved, handed them 17.4 million in either a loan or loan/grant combo to build a school in the city. Since the state approved it, the school district will have absolutely no oversight of this school at all. This needs to change and never should have happened. It has opened the door to massive corruption. Given that our State BOE are all appointed, there is no way to vote them out aside from working to elect a Governor who believes in charter school accountability (or doesn’t believe in charter schools at all).
So wait. If the state approves the charter when the the district and county have rejected it, all district over site is suspended??!! Really? Oh man.
Correct. Oversight is with the approving agency, so, ironically the most questionable petitions (the ones that lose at the district and state) get the least oversight (Cal Board of Education “oversees” them).
The good news about that is when/if the charter fails or if there are any lawsuits, the district doesn’t bear the burden of someone else’s hubris. The State or county has to deal with it. So, that’s good I guess.
This is happening right now in Mt Diablo USD (Contra Costa County) with Rocketship! This is wrong , wrong, wrong!! I resent it as a teacher, taxpayer and parent!!!
This happens in Oakland all.the.time.