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| State of Georgia flag, protect American rights and do not cave into demands of a foreign agenda
Dear Act for America Members, Patriots of Georgia, Defenders of American Education
please pass this on to your members of Tea party, churches, and other groups. Your democracy is about to be taken away because of a few lawmakers caving into foreign cult (Gulen Movement) they have managed to manipulate some parents and lawmakers into fighting their battle of education domination the Gulen way.
Georgia lawmakers are passing a law that allows for the state of Georgia to replicate charter schools as much as they want. This bill HR 1162, will take control from local school districts and giving the state power to over ride any local board, which isn’t fair. This bill also allows the state to funnel money from existing public school and into the charter school systems.
This bill is currently being backed and supported by the Fethullah Gulen Movement after losing their charter in Fulton County Georgia. This Gulen Charter School had borrowed over 18 million dollars from the tax payers in bond financing and grants. The local board demanded more transparency and oversight as to how that money, a condition of the loan was being used. As we may all be aware that Gulenists do not like transparency and would not comply to the conditions of the loan or with the contract charter renewal agreement. The Fulton Science Academies only option at this point in order to survive and to remain open is to back this bill HR 1162 that is set to be voted on this November.
There is currently a big media drive to support this bill again, backed by the Gulen community. Whether we are for or against HR 1162 we encourage a vote of ‘NO’ for the time being. To stop this bill is stop the spread of Gulen Charter Schools in Georgia for the time being.
Please take the time to review the material and links provided to help you make a better informed decision.
In private, Gulen has stated that “in order to reach the ideal Muslim society every method and path is acceptable, [including] lying to people.” In a sermon that was aired on Turkish television, Gulen said: You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the power centers ... until the conditions are ripe, they [the followers] must continue like this. If they do something prematurely, the world will crush our heads, and Muslims will suffer everywhere, like in the tragedies in Algeria, like in 1982 [in] Syria ... like in the yearly disasters and tragedies in Egypt. The time is not yet right. You must wait for the time when you are complete and conditions are ripe, until we can shoulder the entire world and carry it ... You must wait until such time as you have gotten all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institutions in Turkey ... Until that time, any step taken would be too early—like breaking an egg without waiting the full forty days for it to hatch. It would be like killing the chick inside. The work to be done is [in] confronting the world. Now, I have expressed my feelings and thoughts to you all—in confidence ... trusting your loyalty and secrecy. I know that when you leave here—[just] as you discard your empty juice boxes, you must discard the thoughts and the feelings that I expressed here. UPDATE ON THE GEORGIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION DENIAL OF FULTON SCIENCE ACADEMY 5/2/2012
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – In the latest setback for the Fulton Science Academy Middle School, the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) has recommended the denial of the school's petition to become a state charter school. The recommendation of denial now goes to the state Board of Education for a final decision. If the state board votes to accept the recommendation, few options remain for FSA to remain open for the next school year as a publicly funded school.
In December, the Fulton County School Board rejected the charter school's application for a charter renewal, effectively severing the relationship between the school district and the charter school. FSA has been in operation for 10 years in Fulton County and was recently named a National School of Excellence. The denial by the Fulton School Board centered on the requested length of the charter, as well as the broad range of flexibility requested by the charter school. With local options exhausted, FSA applied to the GDOE in December to become a state charter school beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. In a letter dated April 30, the state's top charter official acknowledged the level of academic success FSA has achieved in its 10-year tenure, but noted academic achievement is only one of four measures of a high-quality charter school. "[We] must also analyze a school's governance capacity, fiscal outlook and legal accountability," wrote Louise Erste, director of the Charter Schools Division for the GDOE, in a letter to FSA. "It is especially critical that each of these factors be considered, given that the [charter school acts] as their own Local Education Agency." In recommending denial of the application, Erste concluded that FSA fails to meet the standards of a high quality school, and detailed those concerns within 11 separate points. The concerns focused mainly on the school's governing board and board of directors, and their actions that placed the school and its charter at risk. Those actions included securing a $19 million bond before receiving a charter renewal, breaking ground on a new school without following state guidelines and failing to take responsibility for "communications, fiscal, governance and compliance failures." The state also found fault with the board of directors who hold lifetime positions, fill at least three positions on the governing board and appoint the other governing board representatives. "This setup," wrote Erste, "appears to further impair the ability of the school's governing board to make autonomous and independent decisions." Inconsistencies were also cited in the financial operations of FSA, noting school officials were unable to account for almost $6 million of the $19 million received from the bond proceeds. "No explanation was offered to account for this significant financial discrepancy," wrote Erste. FSA officials could not be reached for comment before deadline. The recommendation of denial from the GDOE will be submitted to the state Board of Education at their May 10 meeting. The state board is expected to make a decision at its June 14 meeting.
“By far the most dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy - indifference from whatever cause, not from a lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other pursuits, from a contempt bred of self satisfaction"
William Osler ~
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Gulen's American Empire
Gulen Empire map from Turkish Newspaper. DISCLAIMER: If you find some videos are disabled this is the work of the Gulen censorship who have filed fake copyright infringement reports to UTUBE
Monday, April 30, 2012
Georgia State and the Gulen "inspired" Fulton Science Academy, DENIED by County
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Gulen Politicians - aka "Useful tools of Gulen": Gulen School in Georgia Fulton Science Academy hon...
Gulen Politicians - aka "Useful tools of Gulen": Gulen School in Georgia Fulton Science Academy hon...: Senator Chip Rogers gets award for trying to push through a State Charter bill that would save the Gulen "inspired" Fulton Science Academ...
Monday, April 23, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Gulen Charter Schools in the crosshairs of American legislature
The U.S. state of Tennessee has passed a new law limiting the number of foreign teachers at charter schools in an apparent reaction to educational institutions linked to Gülen Community led by Turkish religious leader Fethullah Gülen, daily Milliyet reported today.
A nongovernmental organization called for the law after one of its members, Phyllis Schlafly, wrote an article drawing attention to the "increasing influence of powerful Islamist Turkish schools with hidden agendas in the U.S."
The law decreases the percentage of foreign teachers that can be employed in a charter school from 10 percent to 3.5 percent. Turkish teachers working in Gülen schools had previously attracted the attention of the American press due to problems with their visas.
The activities at “Harmony Schools” in Texas had raised questions about whether the schools were using U.S. taxpayer dollars for the benefit of the Fethullah Gülen religious movement, the New York Times reported in June 2011.
The report highlighted a particularly suspicious case in which TDM Contracting, a one-month-old company, won its first job to build the Harmony School of Innovation, a publicly financed charter school that opened last fall in San Antonio, for $8.2 million.
A nongovernmental organization called for the law after one of its members, Phyllis Schlafly, wrote an article drawing attention to the "increasing influence of powerful Islamist Turkish schools with hidden agendas in the U.S."
The law decreases the percentage of foreign teachers that can be employed in a charter school from 10 percent to 3.5 percent. Turkish teachers working in Gülen schools had previously attracted the attention of the American press due to problems with their visas.
The activities at “Harmony Schools” in Texas had raised questions about whether the schools were using U.S. taxpayer dollars for the benefit of the Fethullah Gülen religious movement, the New York Times reported in June 2011.
The report highlighted a particularly suspicious case in which TDM Contracting, a one-month-old company, won its first job to build the Harmony School of Innovation, a publicly financed charter school that opened last fall in San Antonio, for $8.2 million.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Gulen Charter School proposal for Knoxville, Tennessee runs out of time
Charter school future uncertain, officials unable to find location
Board to meet today to discuss next steps
By Lydia X. McCoy
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The fate of the Knox Charter Academy is in limbo, with school officials facing a Sunday deadline to find an acceptable location.
"We've been looking but we've been unable to identify one by April 1," said Suzan Mertyurek, the academy's board president.
The school's board will meet today to discuss its next steps, she said.
Earlier this month, the Knox County school board denied the charter school's planned location at 205 Bridgewater Road, a vacant church in West Knoxville. Board members worried that the school's targeted population could have difficulty getting to the building and that the site would not serve its intended students.
The target population of the Knoxville Charter Academy, which was slated to open this fall, is economically disadvantaged and at-risk students. Planners have worked for months on the project.
The goal is eventually to serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
As part of its agreement with Knox County, the school has to meet two provisions — open in August 2012 and identify an approved location by Sunday — or it would be dissolved.
Mertyurek said the board has in recent weeks continued to work with a real estate agent to find another location that fit its requirements of location and budget. They've been unsuccessful.
They also talked to a number of churches to ask about using their space until they found a permanent spot.
"We tried several avenues, but unfortunately we don't have any alternatives," Mertyurek said.
"We did our best and we believe our previous location was a good one. It was an exciting opportunity for the community. We'll see what happens."
Read about Suzan and Leyla proud Gulenists (except they won’t admit it) Here:
Susan you lied about your affiliation with Gulen.
Here is Suzan Mertyurek as a speaker from Texas A & M University (TAMU) at a 2007 Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID) event in Texas. http://www.interfaithdialog.org/conferences/peaceful-heroes-conferences.html
Suzan Mertyurek’s husband, Ugur, worked at TAMU. He's a nuclear engineer. http://catalog.tamu.edu/GRAD_catalog04_05/Faculty/Faculty-M.htm
Suzan Mertyurek’s maiden name is Mutlu. Suzan Mutlu has been an author for Fountain Magazine, a pre-eminent Gulenist English language publication.
Leyla Achilova is Leyla Achilov (AKA Leyla Kayumova). She is the wife Dilshod Achilov. Both have Sonora Science Academy and Gulenist connections. http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/sonoran-science-academy.html
Leyla Kayumova was quoted in an article which appears on IslamOnline.net entitled “World’s Gulen Brotherhood." Excerpt: "The world doesn't see Turkey as a Muslim or a religious country, they see it as a bridge country between East and West," Turkish language teacher Leyla Kayumova, who works in Arizona, told Reuters. http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1243825131997&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
Dilshod Achilov is affiliated with the Foundation for Intercultural Dialog (a Gulenist organization) in AZ; he gave keynote speech on “Rumi, Sufism, and Universal Love” for 2005 Whirling Dervishes event at ASU http://www.fid-az.org/node/44
Dilshod Achilov is affiliated with the Foundation for Intercultural Dialog (a Gulenist organization) in AZ; he gave keynote speech on “Rumi, Sufism, and Universal Love” for 2005 Whirling Dervishes event at ASU http://www.fid-az.org/node/44
Dilshod Achilov is on the faculty of Eastern Tennessee State University. He is from Uzbekistan. The Gulenists in the U.S. are primarily Turkish, but also from the Turkic countries of Central Asia. http://www.etsu.edu/cas/polisci/faculty.aspx
Dilshod Achilov somehow managed to complete his M.A. and Ph. D. while supposedly working for the Sonoran Science Academy as a counselor from 2005 to 2008.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Gulen "Inspired" School in Alabama? "Bama" fights back
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Alabama flag of the Governer with St. Andrew crest, learn more about the Flags of Alabama
and how this proud state of rebels WILL fight back!!!
MORE STATE AMENDMENTS TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN TEACHER!
Betty Peters is our state school board representative, and has always been a strong conservative voice for children and parents in Alabama's Public School System. The following article was written by her;
The problem: HB 541 must be amended to insure Alabama offers the best possible charter schools for our students. Many states are now trying to correct serious problems with their charter schools that we can avoid if our legislature takes its time and diligently studies and debates all aspects of the bill. Regarding Mississippi's pending charter school bill, their House Education Committee Chairman John Moore recently stated, "I don't want the biggest education legislation in years to be a big error. We have to be very careful. "We don't want to unleash a monster."
AL"s HB 541 authorizes charter schools to borrow money and issue bonds, but if they go out of business while in debt as many in the nation have, the state is stuck with paying the creditors. This potentially creates a significant liability for the state. Eric Fleischauer wrote in the Decatur Times on April 2, 2012, "A few states have laws that managed to create beneficial charter schools without devastating public schools in the process. A bill pending in the Alabama Legislature, however, fails to find this balance."
Fleischauer also warns that the bill does not limit charter schools to low-performing districts. (It is commendable that the legislature is currently debating amending this part of the bill. ) Fleischauer also mentioned that although the bill restricts awarding charters to non-profits and secular groups, a charter school can turn around and contract with for-profit or secular groups for management and operations, including educational services.
A huge consideration we in AL likely will be facing if this bill is passed in its current form is Turkish charter schools, yet few people are discussing it in our state. This rapidly growing network of public charter schools has become a rapidly growing problem in many states. The entity in AL involved in the controversial Gulen Turkish Charter Movement is the Peace Valley Foundation in Huntsville, and it is part of a regional group in the Southeast called the Istanbul Institute. A guest article by Sharon Higgins featured in Valerie Strauss's 3/27/12 Washington Post column explains this issue well. Since this subject is virtually unknown by our legislators and citizens, I will include a good deal of Ms. Higgins' article for your convenience. The entire column can be read here: www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/largest-charter-network-in-us-schools-tied-to-turkey/2012/03/23/gIQAoaFzcS_blog.html
Higgins wrote: "The largest charter school network in the United States is operated by people in and associated with the Gulen Movement (GM), a secretive and controversial Turkish religious sect. With 135 schools enrolling more than 45,000 students, this network is substantially larger than KIPP, the well-known charter management organization with only 109 schools. A lack of awareness about this situation persists despite it being addressed in a national paper and in articles about Gulen charter schools in Utah, Arizona, , Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, Georgia, and North Carolina.. Ms. Higgins mentioned it has been reported that "the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Education are investigating practices at these schools.”
"The concerns raised about the charter schools in the GM network have related to questionable admissions practices; the channeling of school funds to close associates; abuse of contractors; participation in biased, GM-created competitions; incidents of bribing; using the schools to generate political connections; science fair projects being done by teachers; unfair hiring and termination practices; and more. Still, authorizers continue to approve charter applications, ill-informed parents continue to use them, and taxpayers keep funding the schools – all without much discussion."
"The Gulen Movement originated in Turkey in the late 1960s.... Its members are followers of Fethullah Gulen (b. 1941) a self-exiled Turkish preacher [an imam] who has been living on a secluded compound in rural Pennsylvania since 1998. Members call themselves hizmet, meaning “volunteer services” movement. The GM conducts four primary activities around the world: a media empire, business organizations, an enormous number of Turkish culture-promoting and interfaith dialog organizations, and a network of schools in over 100 countries, a large portion of which are U.S. charter schools."
"After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the GM began to establish schools outside of Turkey, first in the newly established republics of Central Asia and then beyond. One expert noted that the “...worldwide extent of Fethullah Gulen’s educational network testifies to the internationalist, even imperialist, nature of the movement. Last year an analyst viewed the raison d'être for the schools “spreading across the globe” in this way: “Students will learn how to speak Turkish, the national anthem, how to be the 'right kind of Muslim', etc. In essence, it buys [the GM] loyalty.”
"The first Gulen charter school was opened in 1999. U.S. officials have known about the movement’s involvement in charter schools since at least 2006 when our Istanbul consulate noticed that a large number of Turkish men, suspected to be GM-affiliated, were seeking visas to work at charter schools. A company specializing in geopolitical analysis reported in 2010 that the GM was running “...more than 90 charter public schools in at least 20 states.”
"Board members of Gulen charter schools are primarily Turkish or Turkic and often can be tied to other Gulenist organizations. GM schools around the world emphasize math, science, and technology, and always provide Turkish cultural instruction. Turkish or Turkic individuals, almost all male, are imported (referred to as “international” teachers) to teach those subjects and serve as school administrators. They sometimes transfer to other schools, but only those within the movement’s network. Around the world, local teachers are usually hired for elementary grades and the non-Gulen favored subjects. The charter schools have been criticized for importing so many teachers but defend their practice by claiming that they are unable to find qualified Americans. "
" ...in 2009, readers of Sabah were presented with an account of GM insiders discussing how the U.S. charter schools serve the movement’s goals: “...through education, we can teach tens of thousands of people the Turkish language and our national anthem, introduce them to our culture and win them over. And this is what the Gulen Movement is striving for....A Turkish observer remarked, “No society would tolerate this big of an organization being this untransparent.” When the GM has been exposed involuntarily or criticized, it has been known to respond with evasive measures or defensive attacks. Because of our charter school system, the United States is the only country where the Gulen Movement has been able to establish schools which are fully funded with public money. "
"Gulen charter schools regularly take students to Turkey. The movement’s interfaith dialog and Turkish culture-promoting organizations also provide Turkey trips to academics, journalists, politicians and other public officials*. Tours include sightseeing as well as visits to GM-affiliated institutions (news outlets, schools, etc.). A special feature of these guided “cultural immersion” trips is at least one visit to the home of a Turkish family, with up to three different home visits within nine days. A GM insider once explained that hosting visitors is a way for members to contribute to the cause. It is extremely likely that American travelers don’t realize that their experience in Turkey has been carefully designed to be a concentrated and sustained exposure to the social and political views of one religious group. It’s also likely that they do not understand exactly why their trips were made to be so inexpensive, or even free."
"Concerns about this group have arisen in other countries, too, especially about their schools being used to recruit members, and spread Turkish culture and fundamentalist religious ideas. There has been wide speculation on what the Gulen Movement really wants." {Recently while Mississippi;'s legislature has been working on a charter school bill, Jackson's Clarion Ledger warned readers that "A Turkish foundation ...could be among those seeking to operate charter schools in Mississippi if state lawmakers clear the way.} Mahmut Gok, Mississippi representative for the Raindrop Turkish House... said the Cosmos Foundation {a Gulen affiliate} might be interested. A group of Turkish professionals started the Houston-based Cosmos Foundation, now the largest charter school operator in Texas. The foundation runs 33 Harmony Schools in all the major cities in Texas, educating more than 16,000 children and receiving more than $100 million in taxpayer monies." See: www.clarionledger.com/article/20120305/NEWS010504/203050324/Outside-firms-could-among-suitors-charter-schools. The Ledger explained, "In a story last year, The New York Times questioned whether any taxpayer funds are going to support followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish preacher who teaches a moderate brand of Islam and promotes a philosophy of "peace, mutual respect, the culture of coexistence." The schools import hundreds of teachers from Turkey each year, according to a 2010 USA Today report.
Our neighbor to the north, Tennessee, also has had problems with the Gulen-affiliated Knox Carter Academy in Tennessee as evidenced by this video: :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM-Sy1sIef0&context=C35c3836ADOEgsToPDskKWr51Jg0KJ-4LT_WgJNAlf
A website with extensive information on Turkish Charter schools and organizations in TN as well as in GA is located at http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com; Another highly respected website with Turkish Charter schools information is located at: www.peytonwolcott.com
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How could AL legislators improve HB 541? Some suggestions for starters:
1. Amend the AL charter school bill to mandate that charters must provide proof of US citizenship for all charter school operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. In addition, mandate names, titles, and biographies be posted online at the school website for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (KIPP Charter Schools already does this.)
2. Add language that a chartering authority may not approve a charter school application unless it limits its staff positions for teachers, administrators, ancillary support personnel or other employees to not more than 5% of the total number of positions at a single school being holders of a non-immigrant foreign worker H1B or J1 visa.
3. Amend language to clarify that charter schools cannot contract with for-profit or religious groups for instructional services.
4 Amend language to mandate all charter schools must offer health insurance and retirement benefits.
5. Add language to require that the source and amount of all gifts and/or grants be posted on-line.
6. Change language so that only local schools can issue charters, and applicants who are turned down can appeal to the state school board, which is an elected board.. Do not set up an appointed board for Charter School Application Review.
7. Insure legislation does not authorize charter schools to issue bonds or borrow money.
8. Clarify whether charter schools must use the same standards/courses of study and assessments as other AL public schools.
As our legislature discusses this important bill, and as the public becomes better informed on the issue and shares their suggestions with their representatives, many excellent ideas should be generated. Just think--Alabama could end up with the best charter schools in the nation.
SOUND OPTIONS FOR ACADEMIC REFORM (SOAR) This group is out of Alabama and is not interested in the Gulen "inspired" charter schools taking root in their state. http://www.togetherwesoar.org/gulen-charter-schools-in-alabama/ |
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Gulen Schools Worldwide: Gulen Schools and Businesses kicked out of Uzbekis...
Gulen Schools Worldwide: Gulen Schools and Businesses kicked out of Uzbekis...: READ ARTICLE HERE http://www.eurasianet.org/node/65217 Good Bye Gulen and Good Bye Gulen schools!!! Religion is a wedge that is...
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
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