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.
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