Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Charter school fraud has cost Pennsylvania at least $30 million


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/02/1333858/-Charter-school-fraud-has-cost-Pennsylvania-at-least-30-million?detail=email

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett speaking at podium

Pennsylvania's charter schools are rife with fraud and mismanagement, as anyone who reads local newspapers knows. But a new report from the Center for Popular Democracy, "Integrity in Education, and Action United" details just how big the problem is. Pennsylvania charter school enrollment and funding is growing rapidly and without adequate oversight, and according to the report, there's been at least $30 million in fraud by charter school officials since 1997. For instance:
  • In 2012, the former CEO and founder of the New Media Technology Charter School in Philadelphia was sentenced to prison for stealing $522,000 in taxpayer money to prop up a restaurant, a health food store, and a private school. Media coverage of parent complaints of fiscal wrongdoing initially uncovered the fraud.
  • Nicholas Tombetta, founder of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has been indicted for diverting $8 million of school funds for houses, a Florida condominium, and an airplane. In 2005, a former business associate of Tombetta surfaced allegations of fraud, which led to the investigation.
  • Dorothy June Brown, founder of Laboratory, Ad Prima, Planet Abacus, and Agora Cyber charter schools, will be retried this year for allegedly defrauding the schools of $6.5 million and conspiring to conceal the fraud from 2007 to 2011. Two administrators plead guilty and testified against Brown in her first trial. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Department of Education conducted an audit of Agora after receiving complaints from parents of Agora students.

  • this should not be that much of a surprise after all republican Gov., charter school/privatizing republican baby, republican do nothing for the people anything they do is for other interest I forgot they do things for the people if you buy that crap that people are corporations.  there is no plan at least that they can share because they all end in corporate advantage and billionaire happiness.