Islamic Gulen Schools Want Taxpayer Backed Bonds Without Accountability

Gulen Charter School, Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) teachers fight back for UNION!!!! NY Times..

March 12, 2011 CMSA (Chicago Math and Science Academy) board meeting
standing room only. 

It seems our friends over at Gulen's Chicago Math and Science Academy are still fighting back on the unionization

of their school.  Now their story makes the NY Times!  As previously reported on this blog, this group of teachers and many many parent and community supporters voted in a union over 10 months ago.  Shortly afterwards, the lead American teacher who had been rewarded for her performance with glowing reports and a bonus was fired (she was also 8 months pregnant at the time)   http://peoplesworld.org/stop-breaking-the-law-protest-tells-chicago-charter-school#PageComment_11124

The teachers, parents and community have asked the schools administrators for some of that Gulen "dialog" but have been pacified, ignored and even sent letters by the schools attorney, (see story on protest in front of his law offices- BTW he is also on the CMSA school board)  http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3871/Gulen-Cult-Legislators-to-welcome-ldquoUgly-Unionbustingrdquo-to-Hawaii-schools.aspx

 This group has also "attended" the Niagara Foundation - led by our identity confused Hakan (Willam, Jonathon, Gitano, etc.,) sponsored Gulen Movement dinner in Chicago.      This group was told by Hakan, they would have dialog....after all this is what Gulen is about.  http://pureparents.org/?p=15414

Many months later and the school, has not kept their word and is failing their Turkish Character.  Come to the bargaining table boys, the USA is watching you.  This is not Turkey.  Hakan, maybe you should make them some Noah's Pudding.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=a-global-community-2010-12-07

Unions Move in at Chicago Charter Schools, and Resistance Is Swift

By http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/us/08cncharter.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

REBECCA VEVEA

In a trend that worries charter school operators, teachers at 12 of Chicago’s charters have formed unions over the past two years, and the Chicago Teachers Union is seeking to organize all 85 of the schools.

Union leaders say the growing charter movement is changing the landscape of public education and, with its disdain for unions, could leave teachers without a strong voice on issues like working conditions, teacher evaluations and curriculum.

Administrators and operators are battling back, arguing that unionization could undermine the basic premise of the charter school model: that they are more effective because they are free from the regulations and bureaucracies that govern traditional public schools.

Unionization of charter schools is a major step for the Chicago Teachers Union. Though charter teachers in other cities have formed unions, Chicago is one of the first where the public school system’s major union has directed the effort, according to the American Federation of Teachers.

The unions at the 12 charter schools are affiliated with the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, which is a joint program of the C.T.U., the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers. At eight of the schools, teachers have contracts, at two they are in negotiation and at two they are fighting to be recognized by their school administrations.

“At some point, we would like all the charter schools to be part of C.T.U.,” said Jackson Potter, the union’s staff coordinator.

There were no charter school unions in 2008, when the Chicago Teachers Union formed its Charter Outreach Committee to knock on doors and help charter teachers organize.

Nationally, 604 charter schools, roughly 12 percent, have collective-bargaining agreements. But 388 of those schools are in states where the law dictates that charters be included in existing collective-bargaining agreements with local districts, according to data collected by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Illinois law does not require charter schools to be part of local collective-bargaining units.

Chicago could play a key role in shaping the relationship between teachers and charter school operators in a struggle likely to grow weightier and more complex as the number of unionized charter schools continues to grow.

The most recent fight between charter teachers and administrators is under way at Chicago Math and Science Academy on the North Side. Teachers at the widely acclaimed school have formed a union under Illinois law, but the administration has refused to begin negotiating a contract.

Academy administrators agree that teachers have a right to organize and bargain collectively but say they are not obligated to negotiate with the union because Chicago Math and Science Academy is private and falls under federal — not state — labor laws, according to a statement read at a recent meeting of the academy’s board.

Union leaders contend that because the school receives more than 80 percent of its financial support from public sources, the administration is obligated to recognize the union.

“The employers are gaining nothing by dragging it out,” said Shaun Richman, deputy director of organizing for the American Federation of Teachers, because there are only slight differences between state and federal law.

Many charter school teachers say they are concerned about how a union might change their working conditions.

“My fear is that it’s going to create a mountain of red tape,” said Timothy Stevens, an English teacher at the math and science academy, who started teaching there in 2006.

Some unionized teachers say unions have had little impact on the culture of their schools.

Brian Harris, a special-education teacher at the Chicago International Charter School Northtown Academy, where teachers and administrators signed their first contract in October 2009, said decisions were reached after discussions between the administration and a small group of teachers at the school, not an outside organization.

“As I’ve understood it,” Mr. Harris said, “the importance of the autonomy of charter schools is in the school’s ability to create and innovate around educational programs, things the union has no control over.”

Teachers in traditional public schools are covered by a single labor contract negotiated by the Chicago Teachers Union. But those affiliated with the Chicago Alliance of Charter School Teachers have individual councils that bargain with their administrators to reach contracts specific to the needs of each school.

“When most folks think of collective bargaining, it’s this 300-page monstrosity,” said Todd Ziebarth, vice president of state advocacy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “I think they’re hesitant because they just think they will get sucked in to this one-size-fits-all thing.”

Union leaders say the new charter-school contracts tend to be no longer than 50 pages.

“A charter ultimately could be judged based on how thin they can keep those contracts by running schools that respect the profession of teaching, support student learning and ensure they continue to attract and retain top-quality teachers,” said Jesse Sharkey, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Leaders of the charter school movement in Chicago say they hope they can avoid widespread unionization by letting teachers have a voice in running their schools.

“I’d like to think that if we have really strong schools where they feel empowered and respected, there shouldn’t be a need, or teachers shouldn’t feel pressure, to unionize,” said Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools.

Some charter school administrators welcome the idea of a teachers union. In the Green Dot Public Schools network in Los Angeles, teachers and administrators “deconstructed the big old union contract” and created one that aligned with their vision, said Marco Petruzzi, president and chief executive of Green Dot.

Green Dot teachers are paid more than public school teachers and are granted more flexibility in how they teach and organize their schedules.

“Generalizing what teachers want is tough,” Mr. Petruzzi said. “We strive to keep decision making at the school sites.”

Too often, contracts for large urban school districts seem to take their cues from the manufacturing industry, dictating long lists of tasks and strict schedules to follow, Mr. Petruzzi said.

So far, no data has been gathered showing a correlation between student achievement and whether a charter school is unionized or not.

But for students and parents at Chicago Math and Science Academy, perhaps the most important concern is not whether teachers unionize, but rather what the conflict is doing to the school.

Carlos Tyler said the school had helped her two sons tremendously.

“I can’t say I’m for or against the union,” Ms. Tyler said. “I just want you to be here because of the kids. I’m begging the administration and the teachers, just make it work.”

rvevea@chicagonewscoop.org

UPDATE ON SETTLEMENT WITH PREGNANT TEACHER 4/10/2011

http://aftacts.org/charter-news/151-charter-school-agrees-to-settlement-for-pregnant-teacher-who-was-fired-for-organizing-union

Charter School Agrees to Settlement For Pregnant Teacher Who Was Fired for Organizing Union

CHICAGO—The Chicago Math and Science Academy, a public charter school, has agreed to a $40,000 back-pay settlement to a highly regarded teacher who was fired in June after she helped organize a union at the school.

Rhonda Hartwell, who was eight months pregnant at the time she was fired, had been actively involved in organizing a union at the school. Hartwell was fired just after she received a $1,500 performance bonus and a contract renewal. She had to move up her scheduled delivery to ensure it occurred before her health insurance was cut off. The case was settled in mediation.

“CMSA is adamantly opposed to the union organizing effort and used this teacher as a scapegoat. Its scheme to use an illegal scare tactic backfired—CMSA teachers want a union more than ever to have a voice in working and learning conditions without fear of reprisal,” said Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. “This case illustrates clearly just why having a union is so critical.”

Since the teachers filed for representation, CMSA has spent over $113,000 of taxpayers’ money in legal fees to fight the union.

“There is no accountability here for the way taxpayer dollars are being spent. The school claims it is a private employer, but make no mistake, these are public dollars that could be better spent helping children succeed,” Montgomery said.

School officials continue to challenge the teachers’ right to form a union, even though the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board certified the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Chicago ACTS) as their exclusive bargaining representative in November. Two-thirds of the teaching staff—well over the majority required by law—signed union authorization cards to be represented by Chicago ACTS.

The school continues to claim its teachers are private employees subject to the National Labor Relations Act. The National Labor Relations Board is expected to rule on the matter soon. Chicago ACTS, which represents teachers at a dozen Chicago-area charter schools, is an affiliate of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers.

Gulens Schools and "Keeping Secrets"

Gulen "Imam inordusu" Imam's Army, a book about Islamic Imam Fethullah Gulen

Our boy Gulen was the subject of a recent book written by Turkish journalist Ahmet Sik -- a book that Gulen did not find too flattering -- to say the least. Had it been published, Sik's  book, The Iman's Army,  would have most likely been a global best seller. But more importantly,  it would have exposed Gulen and his band of merry thieves, causing Gulen and his cult some major public relations problems. 
 
So Gulen and his cronies did what they do best -- they framed the guy, along with many other journalists and had them arrested. It was a good day for the Gulenites and a bad day for freedom of speech. 

Of course Gulen denied having anything to do with it, but if you read Sik's book, it will soon become crystal clear that in fact, Gulen and his Turkish mafia had everything to do with it.

According to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, when the Turkish newspaper The Zaman asked Gulen about Sik's arrest, he reportedly replied, "Many books against me personally have been published, but I have never been engaged in efforts to prevent the publication of a book" (Gatti).

Sure Gulenites, we believe that like we believe that your cult members are more qualified to teach American students than American teachers, like we believe that you are not extorting money from your own people,  and like we believe that you do not threaten, intimidate, harass, and yes -- have people imprisoned -- when they don't conform to your cult mentality.

And the Easter Bunny is on the way...

The book is written in Turkish and requires translation.

http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/uploads/2/9/5/7/2957617/imam_inordusu1.sik.pdf

Gulen Charter Schools- Why the Gulen Movement should not be running our charter schools

Why it's wrong:
Reasons the Gulen Movement should not be running our charter schools

Why is it wrong that the Gulen Movement is running an interconnected network of over a hundred publicly-funded charter schools in the United States?  If a one-sentence answer is required, it is that the schools are run for the benefit of the Gulen Movement, not for the benefit of students or the public.  This is explained in more depth below.

Part of the reason can be found in a story that the Philadelphia Inquirer ran on March 20, 2011, entitled “U.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attention” discussing how federal agencies, including the Department of Labor, the Department of Education and the FBI, are investigating the Gulen charter schools because of concerns that Gulenist employees are systematically kicking back part of their salaries to the Movement.

There are additional reasons not discussed in the Philadelphia Inquirer's article.

The Gulenist educational model is questionable for publicly-funded schools

The Gulenist educational model involves a disproportionate allocation of resources to a small group of high-performing students who win awards and gain publicity for the school, while the curriculum is mundane or even deficient for the remaining students.  Such a model is not appropriate for publicly-funded schools, which must distribute resources fairly among all students.  It is a model for success in the business of education, not in education itself.

While many Gulen charter schools seem to show unusual success with state standardized tests, performance on college admissions tests such as SAT and ACT does not, on average, seem to match up to this.  This raises the question of whether these schools should really be considered as excelling based on state standardized tests.

Parents’ concerns

Right to know
Parents have a right to be fully informed of all significant affiliations of their school, including those that do not have an official status or paper trail.  The fact that government authorities, some of whom must have known for years that the Gulen charter schools are run by the Gulen Movement, never disclosed this to parents is unacceptable.  Parents and teachers should not have to individually rediscover this connection all by themselves.

Misleading marketing tactics. 
Gulenists use heavy-handed tactics to market their charter schools to parents.  Gulenists pressure current and former students, parents and teachers  to write favorable reviews or letters for their schools, nominate their schools or teachers for awards, and speak favorably of the schools to the public.  Press releases are constantly issued regarding any perceived accomplishment of the schools, no matter how small.  In talking to the press, Gulenists stretch the truth, often to the breaking point.  Examples include deliberately misleading statements about class sizes, graduation rates and college acceptance rates.  A perception is created that the Gulen schools are accomplishing wonders, when solid evidence suggests that there is nothing special about them, and in fact they have many weak points academically.  While newspaper articles have lauded the schools for an emphasis on college preparation, many of them do not even have a 12th grade, and the vast majority of students in Gulen charter schools will graduate from other schools.  Moreover, when parents hear from their school that students have won prizes at "international competitions" such as ISWEEEP or the Turkish Olympiads, they are generally not informed that these competitions are run by the same network running their school.  This may give parents an inflated sense of the school's accomplishments.

Many favorable comments posted on forums such as greatschools.net or in response to newspaper articles seem likely to have been written by Gulenists. This is inferred from the writing style, grammar errors typical of native Turkish speakers, and the characteristic talking points that appear in them.  In one case, comments appeared in response to articles on Gulen schools in Georgia and Arizona under the screen name "GitanoBandolero," known to be used by a high-level Gulenist working at the Chicago-based Niagara Foundation.  This individual posted the line "Let's enjoy having this successful institution in our region" in an Arizona newspaper, yet he was located in Chicago.  Damage control websites with names such as "harmonyparent.com" or "horizonparent.com" are clearly written by Gulenists, and do not represent a grassroots parent effort.

School governance should not be secret
Parents have a right to know who is truly governing their school.  School policies should not be secretly set by a reclusive imam in Pennsylvania or his associates, when their names do not appear on any school website.  Parents have a right to confront the individuals who are actually responsible for school policy.  It is clear from the uniformity in policies across the Gulen charter schools, and even their resemblance to Gulen schools in other countries, that many of these policies are not set locally.

Privacy
It is questionable whether Gulenists can be trusted  to protect the privacy of student and parent data that they collect.  One example is a document found online that is visible to anyone, from Lisa Academy in Arkansas, listing all students in several classes, including personal information such as their addresses, telephone numbers, parents’ emails, and whether or not their lunches were reduced price or free.  How did this document find its way to the internet? 

Parents unwittingly become financial sponsors and supporters of the Gulen Movement
Most parents enroll their children in Gulen charter schools because the publicity and standardized test scores suggest they are good schools.  They have no idea that this choice means supporting the Gulen Movement, both financially (through forced contributions, the schools’ patronizing of Gulenist businesses, and diversion of funds to Gulenist organizations) and by helping Gulenists obtain visas, respectability, and political connections.  If parents knew this, they might object to the schools as a matter of principle.  The Gulen Movement’s ideology and tactics may be objectionable to some parents.  The Movement is highly controversial, and is now receiving negative attention in the international media because of the arrests in Turkey of a number of journalists who wrote critically about the Movement.

Students become unwitting tools of the Gulen Movement
Teachers are often the next most influential adults in students’ lives after parents, and students naturally trust their Gulenist teachers and administrators.  Some Gulen charter school students have posted favorable comments about their school online, or have praised their school when interviewed by journalists.  These students may have no idea of the school’s connection with the Gulen Movement.  What could be more natural and harmless than showing school spirit and pride in a public school?  Yet these students are in fact advertising for the Gulen Movement.  Students who participate in the Turkish Olympiads are told by their school that this is a way to enrich their lives by learning another language and culture, yet in fact they are involved in a nationalistic pageant that has political and religious significance.  Some students have even recited poems by Fethullah Gulen himself.  It is wrong for students to be placed in a position of supporting the Gulen Movement when they and their parents are not fully informed about it.   Students’ statements in newspaper articles, their online comments, their photos posted on school websites, and the youtube videos of their Turkish Olympiad performances will live on forever in cyberspace and can never be erased from the public record.  In the future, when public awareness of undesirable aspects of the Gulen Movement is greater, students may regret that they cannot free themselves from all these digital traces.  Attendance at a public school should not come loaded with any hidden geopolitical baggage.

Favoritism
Students who are useful to the Gulen Movement are given preferential treatment.  This includes students who win awards that give the school publicity, students whose parents donate to or support the school, and students who choose to study Turkish, participate in the Turkish Olympiads, or get involved with Turkish cultural extracurricular activities.  Favoritism is not easy to document, but may manifest itself through psychological tactics, the amount of attention received from teachers, and uneven enforcement of discipline.

Home visits appear to have an underlying, undisclosed purpose
Home visits are presented to parents as an opportunity to create a more effective partnership that will further their child’s education.  The parents are told that these visits are a sign of the school staff’s dedication to teaching.  Yet an article on Gulen schools in Russia from the Moscow-based Middle East Institute states that files with information are created for each student and their parents, and information gathered in home visits is used to identify students and parents who may be sympathetic to the Gulen Movement in the future, or who may otherwise be useful to the Movement.  (The practice of home visits is universal to Gulen schools around the world.)

Science academies run by a group that believes in fringe science
The Gulen charter schools, many of which have the word “science” in their name, are advertised as placing an emphasis on science, yet they are run by a movement whose leader holds many views that are incompatible with mainstream science, including beliefs in creationism, extraterrestrial life, a large influence of pre-Columbian Muslim explorers on Native American cultures, and other theories that are not accepted by mainstream scientists.  Fountain Magazine, the premier publication of the Gulen Movement in the U.S., contains many articles in which pseudo-scientific reasoning is applied to bolster the religious or ideological positions of the Gulen Movement. 

It might be argued that these positions are not relevant to parents and teachers as long as the school curriculum for science teaching follows mainstream principles.  However, it is likely that Gulenist ideology is behind some of the peculiarities of the Gulen charter schools.  These schools tend to emphasize math but are very weak in experimental science and inquiry-based learning.  This may be attributable to the Gulenist view of learning as revelatory.

Teachers’ and employees’ concerns regarding hiring, employment abuses and discrimination

The Charter School Watchdog website is the best source of documentation of abuses in hiring, firing and treatment of employees in Gulen charter schools.  Some of the email correspondence written by school officials that can be read on this website is disturbing.

Also, the Charter School Scandals blog has posted a page about the ongoing struggle of the teachers at Chicago Math and Science Academy, who are trying to unionize through legal means.  The school fired one teacher in retaliation and is trying to block their efforts.  This is also documented in a Hawaii Free Press article.

The preferential treatment of Gulenist teachers (who are usually Turkish or Turkic) over other teachers is discriminatory and has already led to several lawsuits.  The Gulen charter schools are abusing the H-1B visa system to bring many Gulenists to the US, even as more qualified Americans remain unemployed (see here,  here and here for more details.)

The Gulen Movement virtually never places women in positions of power.  Since criticism of this practice started appearing in newspapers, Gulenists have promoted some women to positions such as “assistant principal,” or have appointed them as board members.  This is mere window-dressing.  Control of the schools, and especially the schools’ finances, remains completely in the firm grip of male Gulenist hands.

In some schools, Gulenists have retained American employees who are unqualified, simply because these employees can be trusted to not ask questions and help the school avoid trouble.  This is unacceptable; hiring decisions in a public school should be based on teacher quality, not teacher loyalty to the school administration and its associated politico-religious group.

Taxpayers’ concerns - financial abuses and conflicts of interest

There are immense financial conflicts of interest in the Gulen charter schools, as explained in the page "How the schools serve the Gulen Movement."  Having the finances of over 100 charter schools all controlled by members of one particular politico-religious group puts far too much power in the hands of a single organization and is an invitation to abuse.

Gulenists redirect school tax dollars from established schools to startup schools to support expansion of their regional chains.  This is not right.  The money that a school receives should go towards education in that school only.  Clues to one egregious example can be found in a letter that the administration of Dove Science Academy sent to parents in April 2009, asking the parents to donate to ISWEEEP.  The letter stated the following:

“Our foundation, who spent more than $800,000 to start Dove Elementary, is a sponsor of an international event called ISWEEEP (the International Sustainable Word (Energy, Engineering and Environment) Project Olympiad).  Over 600 students from 52 different countries and 40 different states have participated.  You can get more information about it at www.isweeep.org.  After the financial support they gave us to get started, we need to show them our support for their foundation. ...... When discussing several alternative fundraising options at a recent meeting, one person proposed that we simply write to the parents and let them know that we desperately need money to improve our playground and also to support the ISWEEEP foundation.”

The phrase “ISWEEEP Foundation” is a clear reference to the Cosmos Foundation, which runs ISWEEEP.  Thus, this letter is an admission that the Cosmos Foundation gave $800,000 to start Dove Elementary.  But the Cosmos Foundation is the charter holder of schools in Texas; thus it apparently used Texas taxpayer money to start a charter school in Oklahoma.

In Texas and Ohio, Gulen schools are working to obtain huge bond deals, some of which have already been approved.  These bonds are purchased by private investors, and many will not mature before 2040.  The amounts involved are in the tens of millions of dollars.  How can anyone be confident these schools will remain viable that long?  A bill is currently being proposed in Texas (SB 597) to back charter bonds with state funds.  This is potentially another subprime crisis in the making.

General public’s concerns

Retaliation
Educational researcher Dr. Ed Fuller made some statements about the Harmony school network in Texas that were quoted in a USA Today article.  Since then, he has been demonized by the Gulen Movement, which has called him derogatory names on various websites.  This is unacceptable behavior for operators of publicly-funded schools.  It creates an environment where people feel intimidated.  All members of the public should feel free to speak critically of any publicly-funded school.

Parallel society & lack of transparency
The parallel society that Gulenists create wherever they go is characterized by secrecy, deception, unethical tactics for silencing critics including threats and intimidation, deliberate misinformation campaigns, brainwashing, and the use of bribery to recruit supporters.  These are not values that belong in the United States’ public education system.

Misrepresentation when soliciting donations
The Gulen charter schools are misrepresented to the community as locally-controlled, independent entities.  They actively solicit donations from local businesses and charities who would likely have a completely different view on contributing if they knew these schools were part of a vast multinational empire that has been estimated by some to have a worth measured in the billions of dollars.

Chain schools go against flexibility and innovation
A nationwide chain of generic, mass-produced charter schools means a lack of local governance, local input, flexibility and innovation, all of which goes against the idea behind the charter school system.

Concerns for the impact on tolerance in the United States

The Gulen charter schools are abusing American parents, teachers, students and taxpayers in many ways.  Whenever these schools are criticized, their defenders immediately and aggressively launch counterattacks saying the accusations are only due to “Islamophobia,” “racism,” or lack of appreciation for "diversity." 

This raises serious concerns for other Muslims or minority groups in the US.  It brings to mind the fable of the boy who cried wolf.  After so many false cries of “Islamophobia,” how will Americans react when Muslims really are victims of prejudice?

Through its greed, its insatiable thirst for power, and its unscrupulous public relations methods, the movement of Fethullah Gulen will ultimately prove to be a major setback for tolerance in the United States. 

It is disturbing and disappointing that a number of US academicians who have defended the Gulen Movement, believing it to be a vehicle for increasing tolerance, have not understood that the Movement's activities actually work against this cause.  It is not too late for these individuals to reverse course and speak out, and we hope they will.

Gulen Turkish Olympiads-Trademark Infringement by Gulen Schools Use of Olympic Rings

Gulen Teachers come forward (Gülen'in okulu araştırılmış)