Gulenist operated Sweetwater Branch Academy in Florida receives F GRADE to close?

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120725/ARTICLES/120729743?p=1&tc=pg

Sweetwater Elementary could close after two consecutive F's

By Joey Flechas
Staff writer

Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 7:42 p.m.

Charter school Sweetwater Branch Academy Elementary could be forced to close its doors after receiving an F grade for the second year in a row.

Under a new state law that went into effect July 1, a charter school that receives two consecutive F grades must be closed unless it qualifies for a few exceptions, like if a charter school was created to turn around the performance of a district public school.

Sweetwater Branch Academy Elementary, located at 1000 NE 16th Ave., does not qualify for this, so in order to avoid closure, Principal Ugur Baslanti said he is considering requesting a waiver from the state based on his students' learning gains, or improvements in test scores from the previous year.

According to a process approved last week by the State Board of Education, the board can waive termination for a charter school if the school shows "that the learning gains of its students on statewide assessments are comparable to or better than the learning gains of similarly situated students enrolled in nearby schools."

Last year the school received 288 points for learning gains. This year, that number jumped to 379 — a 91-point increase that makes it the second highest in the district.

"The increase shows that everything worked," Baslanti said. "It was just not enough, unfortunately."

Baslanti noted that the school missed the cutoff score for a D by 16 points. He also plans to appeal for a grade miscalculation, which, if the school gets bumped to a D, would eliminate the need for a waiver.

Talk of the charter school's performance has Superintendent Dan Boyd concerned. He said the School Board is worried about the quality of charter schools.

"I think the state needs to review their infatuation with charter schools," Boyd said.

According to Adam Miller, director of charter schools for the state Department of Education, the charter school system is designed to be a little different from the traditional public school system.

"The charter school system or structure is set up on an agreement for increased flexibility for increased accountability," he said.

The increased accountability could send the 200 elementary students at Sweetwater Branch to their zoned schools, which include Metcalfe, Duval and Rawlings elementaries.

Diana Lagotic, district director for elementary education, wrote in an email Wednesday that those schools would not have problems with the influx of students, as the majority of students would be going to schools that have the space.

If Sweetwater Branch were to close, Boyd suspected the process of shutting it down would take a year.

Gulen Charter School Rochester Charter Academy - Abusive Teacher in News

Penfield, N.Y. - The Dean of Students at Rochester Academy Charter School has been charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment.

Papers filed in Penfield Town Court confirm that Kevin Markman, 41, is accused of kicking, throwing, shoving and grabbing three children under 17 to the point where they "feared for themselves and each other." The alleged incidents happened at Markman's home in Penfield.

The victims are known to Markman, but are not students at the Charter school.

We are still awaiting a statement from the The Rochester Academy Charter School regarding these charges and how they could affect Kevin Markman's job as Dean of the school.

Markman's attorney, Larry Kasperek,says his client denies the charges and will fight them in court to "restore his good name and reputation." Markman will appear in Penfield Town Court tonight.

Markman is also a licensed social worker. The State Education Department, which oversees licensing for social workers and other professionals, tells us,  it is aware of the arrest and is investigating. 

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/kevin-markman-charter-school/ON-_cp7PAE-bSnnQaz5qTg.cspx

Meanwhile Gulen Chesapeake Science Point barely gets renewal they file lawsuit against county

PLEASE REFER TO THE ARTICLE BELOW THIS ONE.
A new Gulen Charter School application in Loudoun County in Virginia, has used the troubled Chesapeake Science Point as a model for their new proposed school.
Chesapeake Science Point in Maryland is hardly the school to be basing a "model" after.  They have had financial problems and after narrowly getting a charter school approval -WHICH INCLUDED restrictions on immigration and use of county software, is SUING the Anne Arundal County for over $700,000.

Not very smart.

Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2012 10:15 am | Updated: 7:02 pm, Fri Jun 22, 2012.

Chesapeake Science Point charter school files lawsuit against schools By TINA REED, Staff Writer CapitalGazette.com

An Anne Arundel County charter school filed a lawsuit against county schools this week alleging the school system owes it more than $737,000.

In the suit, Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School and its governing foundation said the county schools refused to fully fund the Hanover school based on its growing enrollment.

Officials from that governing body, Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation, and its attorneys did not return calls for comment. A person answering the phone at the school said no administrators were available.

Chesapeake Science Point – or CSP – is negotiating its contract with the schools. This month, the county Board of Education approved a renewal the school’s charter with the Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation. But the board specified changes the school would have to make to remain chartered.

Among the demands: the hiring of certified teachers, the reworking of the charter school’s board of directors to ensure local representation as the foundation opens more schools, the use of county school record-keeping software, and compliance with board policy on hiring foreign nationals.

An audit by county schools found problems with CSP’s bookkeeping for both finances and grades, and raised concerns about materials used in science and computer classrooms.

CSP’s curriculum centers on science and technology programs for sixth grade into high school. The school is set to begin an 11th grade next school year.

On Wednesday, schools’ spokesman Bob Mosier called the lawsuit an “ambush.”

“It’s shocking and appalling at a time when we’re working on negotiating a new charter agreement CSP would go to court and file a suit that flies in the face of collaboration,” Mosier said.

He said he could not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, but said school officials have been meeting with foundation officials.

http://www.capitalgazette.com/maryland_gazette/news/schools/chesapeake-science-point-charter-school-files-lawsuit-against-schools/article_f1125bf1-0b1e-5a4f-a951-b2f240842133.html?success=1#.T-eg4_3pAeU.email

Proposed Gulen Charter School in Virginia modeled after troubled Gulen Charter School Chesapeake

Math-science charter proposed in Loudoun, modeled on school with Turkish connection

By Emma Brown, Published: July 8

A group of Loudoun County residents is seeking permission to open a charter school in 2013that would fill growing demand for an intensive curriculum in math and science in grades six through 12.
The Loudoun proposal, which is pending before the Virginia Board of Education, is patterned after a math-science charter school in Anne Arundel County that offers Turkish-language classes and has other connections to Turkey. Established in 2005, that school boasts some of the best standardized test scores in Maryland.
But the Anne Arundel school, Chesapeake Science Point, had to fight to keep its doors open this spring after Anne Arundel Schools Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell and his staff detailed alleged management problems, including consistently negative cash flow, that have dogged the school since its founding.
Now, supporters of the proposed Loudoun Math and IT Academy are being asked to address the concerns raised across the Potomac River.
“It just seems like problem after problem after problem, and they weren’t minor,” Winsome E. Sears, a member of the Virginia Board of Education, said of the Anne Arundel school at a June 28 meeting on the Loudoun plan.
“How can we ensure that we don’t have these same problems?” she asked.
The Loudoun applicants wave aside questions about the Anne Arundel school, saying that it has a clear record of satisfying students and parents and producing high achievement in science, technology, engineering and math — the fields known collectively as STEM.
“We need more choices in Loudoun,” said Ali Gokce, a father of two who serves on the governing board of the proposed Loudoun school. “With the U.S. losing its edge on science and math education, parents want more rigorous STEM education.”
The state board could vote on the proposal as early as July 26. If it is approved, the plan will then go to the county school board for a final decision. Applicants hope to open the school in 2013.
It would serve almost 700 students in grades six through 12.
The school could be the first charter in Northern Virginia. Another charter proposal is pending in Fairfax County.
Like Chesapeake Science Point, the Loudoun effort is led primarily by scientists, educators and busi­ness­peo­ple of Turkish origin who say theirs is a successful school formula.
At the Anne Arundel school, teachers make home visits to connect with families and offer free early morning and weekend tutoring. Students are encouraged to accelerate through the math and science curriculum, taking high school-level math courses while still in middle grades.
They also have the option of taking Turkish-language classes and visiting Turkey with their teachers. They routinely participate in the Turkish Olympiad — an international contest in poetry, singing and folklore — as well as local and national competitions in science and math.
“I believe we were able to put together a very strong community over there,” said Fatih Kandil, a former Chesapeake Science Point principal who is now part of the Loudoun group.
“I think that is what the secret is,” he said.
Criticism in Anne Arundel
In Maryland, as in Virginia, local school boards ultimately decide whether charter schools — publicly funded, privately run institutions — may function.
When Chesapeake Science Point’s charter agreement came up for renewal this spring, Anne Arundel school officials expressed reservations about its business practices.
The superintendent’s staff said the school had ill-equipped science labs and cafeteria facilities, hired an unusually low proportion of fully certified teachers, and used county construction grants to pay operating expenses, among other issues.
The Anne Arundel staff also questioned the transparency and fairness of the school’s lottery system, used to determine which students will be admitted each year. A staff analysis of testing and enrollment data found that the school enrolled a higher-than-average proportion of students who were proficient or advanced in reading and math.
Parents and students rallied to the school’s defense, showing up in droves to testify during a six-hour school board debate.
Its supporters said the Anne Arundel school was a tight-knit community where students felt free to be smart and work hard. “A nerd fortress,” one sixth-grader called it fondly.
School officials said they were blindsided by the negative review and had been given too little time to respond.
They denied most of the allegations and said any cash flow difficulties were the fault of Anne Arundel officials, who had failed to give the charter school the tax dollars it should have received, based on enrollment. In June, Chesapeake Science Point’s governing board sued the county’s school board for more than $700,000.
The Anne Arundel board voted June 6 to renew the school’s charter. But it imposed a number of requirements, including that the school reconstitute its governing board; revamp its lottery system; and comply with school system policies on competitive bidding and employment of foreign nationals.
Asked by the Virginia board to explain the Anne Arundel problems, Kandil said the complaints were unfounded. The former Chesapeake Science Point principal said Anne Arundel officials had painted a skewed picture that didn’t jibe with the school’s strong academic performance.
“The climate over there is actually not strong on understanding of the charter school practices across the nation,” Kandil told the Virginia board.
“The outcomes are not justifying the allegations or accusations, and I think outcomes talk loud and clear,” he said.
Turkish-connected charters
More than 120 charter schools nationwide are led by Turkish immigrants, analysts say. Some scholars and critics believe that many of these schools are connected to Fethullah Gulen, an influential Turkish cleric who lives in the Pennsylvania Poconos.
Gulen preaches religious tolerance and math and science education. His followers run hundreds of schools around the world, scholars who track the movement say. Several U.S. schools thought to have ties to Gulen have come under scrutiny from state and federal officials over issues such as reportedly giving preference in contracts to Turkish-owned companies.
Leaders of the Anne Arundel school and the Loudoun charter proposal say they are not affiliated with Gulen. “We are just human beings trying to educate our students, and that’s all,” Kandil said.
Christian Braunlich, a member of the Virginia school board, said he had heard allegations of a Gulen connection to the Loudoun proposal but had no reason to believe them.
The Loudoun proposal would require all students to complete at least one information- technology career certification, such as in Microsoft or Cisco networks.
“That’s going to be so critical for our future job market,” said Sharon Inetas, a Loudoun businesswoman who serves on the proposed school’s governing board. “Maybe we can keep our kids here, keep our community.”
Eric Hornberger, chairman of the Loudoun school board, said the Anne Arundel debate would undoubtedly come up if the proposal advances past the state board.
“You have to weigh all these things carefully and thoughtfully,” Hornberger said. “But just because another school system or another school has a problem doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be the same in Loudoun County.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/math-science-charter-proposed-in-loudoun-modeled-on-school-with-turkish-connection/2012/07/08/gJQA9hXuWW_story.html

TO LEARN ABOUT THE 2006 PROBLEMS AT CHESAPEAKE ACADEMY PLEASE READ HERE:

County takes over Charter School

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/29/AR2006032900704_pf.html

Gulen and Fulton Science Academy in Turkish News

http://egeninsesi.com/74778-gulenin_abddeki_okullarinda_usulsuzluk

Article in Turkish paper with Gulen and Fulton Science Academy, Alpharetta- Georgia

Below is the translation in English.

Fethullah Gulen movement in the United States in connection with an alleged default of bonds issued on the three schools started on the investigation resulted in the fall.

New York Times (NYT) gazetesinin haberine göre, Georgia eyalet yetkilileri tarafından yapılan soruşturma, kısa bir süre önce ruhsat yenileme talebi reddedilen 500 öğrencili Fulton Science Academy Middle School'a odaklandı. The New York Times (NYT), according to newspaper reports, the investigation by the Georgia state officials, shortly before the license renewal request is rejected Fulton Science Academy Middle School has focused on 500 pupils.

Yapılan incelemede elde edilen bulguların Fulton Science Academy High School ve Fulton Sunshine Academy adlı iki diğer okulla ilgili de kuşkuları beraberinde getirdiği belirtildi. Fulton Science Academy High School of the findings of the investigation and the suspicions of Fulton Sunshine Academy brought about by said two other school-related. NYT'ye göre, bu okullarda da "benzer usulsüz işlemlerin yapılıp yapılmadığını anlamak amacıyla benzer bir inceleme" yapılması gündemde. NYT'ye, according to these schools, "a similar examination in order to understand if there have been similar illegal transactions conducted" on the agenda.

Açılan soruşturmaya ilişkin rapor, üç okulun bağlı bulunduğu Fulton County Schools'ın internet sitesinde yayımlandı. Pop-up report on the investigation, to which three of the school's website published Fulton County Schools only.

500,000 dolarlık ihaleler verildi 500.000 dollar contracts awarded

Gazete bu rapora dayandırarak yayınladığı haberine göre, yapılan inceleme sonucunda, Ocak 2010'dan bu yana tişört, öğretmen eğitimi ve video cihazları gibi ürün ve hizmetlerin alımını öngören ve değeri 500 bin doların üzerinde olan bir dizi satın alma süreci, okul yöneticilerinin yönetim kurulunda bulunduğu Grace Institute adlı vakfa verildi. According to a report published by the newspaper on the basis of this report, as a result of the examination, since January 2010, T-shirts, teacher training and purchase of products and services such as video devices, and the value of which is a series of five hundred thousand dollars on the purchase process, where the board of school administrators Grace Institute of the Foundation was named. Hatta bazı satın almalarda ihale dahi açılmadı. In fact, some even opened the tender purchases.

Fulton County Eğitim Müdürü Robert Avossa, "Karar alma sürecinde fiyat bilgisinin bile sunulmamasına rağmen bu kurumların nasıl seçilmiş olduğu benim için önemli bir soru işareti. Sonuçta burada harcanana paralar, kamu parası" dedi. Avossa Robert Fulton County Training Manager, "provide the decision-making process, even though price information, how these institutions are important to me to be a question mark is selected. Result here, wasted money, public money," he said.

Fulton Science Academy Middle School, son 10 yıl içerisinde devletten toplam 32 milyon dolar yardım aldı. Fulton Science Academy Middle School, a total of 32 million dollars from the state in the last 10 years, received help from. Yapılan incelemede ayrıca, okulun Türkiye'den öğretmen getirtmek amacıyla 75 bin dolar harcama yaptığı öne sürüldü. The examination also bring in a school teacher from Turkey suggests that in order to spend 75 thousand dollars.

Tahvilleri temerrüde düştü Defaulted bonds fell

Yayımlanan inceleme raporunda, okulun satın alma işlerini ihale ettiği kurum ve şirketler ile Gülen hareketi arasındaki ilişkinin ayrıntıları yer almıyor. Review report published in the school's purchasing activities of the Gülen movement with the tender relationship between the agency and companies not in the details. Ancak raporda, okul yöneticileri ile söz konusu şirketler ve Gülen bağlantılı grupların ilişkisini gösteren bir şema bulunuyor. But the report, school administrators, and smiling with the companies in question has a diagram showing the relationship between the linked groups.

İnceleme yapılan ve hakkında inceleme yapılması beklenen bu üç okulda toplam 1,200 öğrenci eğitim görüyor. Review expected to be made ​​and an investigation on the total 1,200 students are studying in these three schools. Bu üç okulun 19 milyon dolarlık tahvil ihracını yöneten Wells Fargo Bank, 15 Mayıs'ta okulların tahvil geri ödemelerini yapamadığını ve temerrüde düştüğünü açıklamıştı. Governing the export of 19 million dollars of bonds of the three schools of Wells Fargo Bank, and defaulted falls on May 15 announced that schools are unable to repay bonds. Bu gelişme üzerine inceleme süreci başlatıldı. This development was initiated on the review process.

ABD yasalarına göre, yatırımcılar, tahvillerin temerrüde düşmesi durumunda anında geri ödeme talep edebiliyor. According to U.S. law, investors in the event of default of the bonds can demand immediate repayment. Bu durumda okulun bazı varlıklarını satmasının gündeme gelebileceği ifade ediliyor. In this case, the school can come up selling some assets are being expressed. Okulların ihraç ettiği tahviller şu anda nominal değerlerinin yaklaşık yüzde 70 altında işlem görüyor. Bonds issued by the school currently is trading at about 70 percent of the nominal values.

Fulton Science Academy Middle School'un Müdürü Kenan Şener, inceleme raporunun önemli hatalar içerdiğini ve raporla ilgili bugün bir açıklama yapılacağını söyleidi. Fulton Science Academy Middle School's Director Kenan Sener, examination report contained significant errors and a statement about the report today söyleidi do.

Gülen okulları mercek altında Gulen schools under the magnifying glass

Gülen okullarına ilişkin iddialar son dönemde ABD kamuoyunu oldukça meşgul ediyor. Allegations of the Gülen schools are very busy the last time the U.S. public opinion. FBI, Çalışma Bakanlığı ve Eğitim Bakanlığı, geçtiğimiz yıl içerisinde bu okullarla ilgili soruşturma başlattı. FBI, the Department of Labor and Ministry of Education, last year launched an inquiry into these schools.

Soruşturmanın başlatılmasına neden olan süreç, iki iddia üzerine yoğunlaşıyor. Which result in the commencement of the investigation process, focuses on two claims. ilk olarak, bu özel okulların bazı çalışanlarının aldıkları maaşların bir kısmını Gülen tarafından kurulan ve "Hizmet" olarak bilinen bu harekete aktarıp aktarmadıkları. First, some employees of the private schools founded by Gülen and a portion of their salaries to the "Service" not transport it into the movement known as.

İkincisi de ABD'de kalifiye işçi eksikliğinin bulunduğu matematik, bilim ve teknoloji gibi alanlarda yabancı işçi çekmek amacıyla oluşturulan H1B vize programı çerçevesinde yüzlerce Türk öğretmen, yönetici ve çalışan istihdam edilmesi. Secondly, where a lack of skilled workers in the U.S. in mathematics, science and technology in areas such as H1B visa program created to attract foreign workers under the hundreds of Turkish teachers, administrators and staff to be employed.

Gülen okulları, ABD'de en çok H1B vizesi alan yerlerin başında geliyor. Gülen schools, the places in the United States is one of the most H1B visas. 2009 yılında bu okullar, devletten 684 vize başvurusu için olumlu yanıt aldı. In 2009, these schools received a positive response from the state for 684 visa application. Bu rakam, 440 onay alan Google'dan daha çok olsa da 1,203 vize alan teknoloji sektörünün devi Intel gibi şirketlerin altında. This figure is more than 440 check from Google even though the visa 1.203 under the technology sector companies such as giant Intel.

Okul yöneticileri, ABD'de özellikle matematik ve fen alanında uzman öğretmen bulmakta zorlandıkları için Türkiye'den eğitimci getirmek zorunda kaldıklarını söylüyor. School administrators in the United States had difficulty in finding teachers, especially for specialists in the field of mathematics and science educator from Turkey say that they had to bring.

CBS kanalında yayınlanan ve ABD'nin en önemli haber programlarından biri olarak gösterilen "60 Minutes" programında da geçtiğimiz haftalarda Gülen okulları ele alındı. Aired on CBS and the U.S. as one of the most important news program "60 Minutes" program was discussed in the Gülen schools in recent weeks.

Ayrıca, NYT, kısa bir süre önce de söz konusu okulların inşaat ve satın alma gibi ihtiyaçlarını Gülen hareketine bağlı şirketlerden daha yüksek bedeller karşılığında aldığı yönündeki iddialara yer veren bir haber yayınladı. In addition, the NYT, in a short time ago, such as buying, building and the needs of schools connected to the Gülen movement direction of the companies in return for higher fees, which issued a notice of claims.

Okulların özel statüsü var Schools have a special status

ABD'de Gülen hareketinin kendisine bağlı 120 "charter" okul ile ülkenin en büyük charter okul zincirine sahip olduğu öne sürülüyor. 120 connected to it, the Gülen movement in the U.S. "charter" school and is suggested to be the nation's largest chain of charter schools. ABD'de özel bir statüye bağlı olan charter okullar, ilk ve orta okul olarak hizmet verebiliyor. Charter schools that are connected to a special status in the U.S., can serve as the primary and secondary schools.

Bu okulların müfredatı değiştirmelerine izin verilmiyor ancak bazı özel denetimler karşılığında farklı düzenleme, kural ve statüye sahipler. The curriculum of these schools are not allowed to change, but some custom controls for different regulations, rules, and have a status.

Charter okulların, ABD'deki tarihi 1990'ların başına uzanıyor. Charter schools, on the United States dates back the early 1990s. Özellikle yoksullar bölgelerde eğitim düzeyinin artırılması amacıyla özel kişilere, devletin de para yardımıyla birlikte bu tarz okullar açmaya izin verildi. In order to increase the level of education by private individuals, especially the poor regions of the state with the help of the money was allowed to open such schools.

Devlet tarafından yapılan bu yardım miktarı değişmekle birlikte bu konuda en güncel araştırma olan 2008 tarihli bir rapora göre, ABD genelinde charter okullarda okuyan bir öğrenci için harcanan 1 doların 61 senti devlet tarafından finanse ediliyor.(Hürriyet) The amount of this assistance by the State the current research on this subject which varies according to a report dated 2008, charter schools across the U.S. 1 dollar 61 cents is spent studying for a student is being financed by the state. (Freedom)

  İnceleme sonucunda okulların yüz binlerce dolar değerindeki ihaleleri hareketin içindeki işadamlarına usulsüz şekilde verdiği tespit edildi. The movement of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contracts as a result of inspection of schools improperly determined that they were businessmen.

Gulen Fulton Science Academy wants retraction of audit, Wells Fargo to foreclose

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/lawyers-want-retraction-over-scathing-school-audit/nPhcy/

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Lawyers for an Alpharetta charter school are demanding Fulton County School officials retract a scathing audit that questioned how the school spent public tax dollars and protected its children.

Earlier this month, the school district released the audit into the practices of Fulton Science Academy Middle School, one of the county's top-performing schools.

School officials called it the "most egregious" behavior they'd ever seen and leveled accusations the school was doling out lucrative contacts to people with ties to the school, failing to perform background checks on chaperones accompanying students on field trips to Turkey, and inappropriately spending taxpayer dollars to provide immigration services to teachers and their families.

"It defamed the school and the school board and it was inappropriate to use it to justify audits of other charter schools," FSA board member Angela Lassetter told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik.

Thursday, FSA released a blow-by-blow response to the school district's audit. The hired firm, Glass Ratner, concluded "many of the alleged findings in the IAG report are flawed, unsupported and inaccurate and the IAG report failed to make factual findings based on actual data and evidence."

Among the auditor's findings:

IAG, the company hired by Fulton County Schools' legal counsel, failed to hold an exit interview with the school to ensure accuracy of its findings and deviated from commonly accepted forensic auditing practices.
Superintendent Robert Avossa's statements to the school board on June 4th that the school had "poor book-keeping" were contradicted by the audit's actual findings.
IAG "combined incomplete information with uninformed flawed assumptions" to make inaccurate conclusions about security issues related to school field trips.
IAG excluded some information from its report that would have shown FSAMS policies for handling immigrant faculty members are similar to the policies of the school system.
FSAMS auditors could find no conflicts of interest when it came to school contracts.
FSAMS auditors could find no direct link between the school and a controversial movement espoused by a Turkish Imam, Fethullah Gulen

2012 TURKISH LANGUAGE OLYMPIAD short version

Chicago Turkish Olympiad, features performances by Gulen Charter schools
Horizon, Nobel and CMSA