Did You Know The FBI Has Been Raiding Charter Schools?

[tea and oranges]

"While fawning over Campbell Brown and Michelle Rhee, the media talkers have turned their back on a huge story: a pattern of charter school corruption so egregious, the FBI has had to intervene. "

I can't post more w/o purchasing a license, but it's worthwhile to go to the link & read:
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/08/did-you-know-fbi-has-been-raiding-charter

So, ha ha, charter schools have turned out exactly as we thought, another opportunity for corrupt corporations & corrupt pols to come together & destroy the public school system for money.

[Xyzse]

1. Still very much upset about such a thing.

I don't even know what to say any more.

[DefenseLawyer]

2. It was just reported today that a charter school is being closed in Indianapolis

after it was discovered that there had been widespread cheating on standardized tests.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2014/08/21/flanner-house-elementary-closes-amid-istep-cheating-allegations/14381599/

[AngryAmish]

3. Who ever rhought putting a Turkish cult in charge of charter schools was a good idea?

Yes, a Turkish cult is the largest operator of charter schools in the US.

They start the schools, send the contracting to fellow cultists, commit H1B fraud to get more Turkish cultists into America. Plus, they will recruit the best and brightest into their cult then send them into the government.. They did it in Turkey.

It sounds crazy. But it is true.

[dballance]

4. Could you provide some background on that please?

Perhaps some links to the info you have.

[Starry Messenger]

5. Sorry to butt in, I just happened to have a link in a browser tab:

The Atlantic did a long article on Gulen charter schools just recently. http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/08/120-american-charter-schools-and-one-secretive-turkish-cleric/375923/?single_page=true

The Gülen movement is known for its secrecy. But when it comes to the Gülen charter schools, the lack of transparency is part of a larger problem that has nothing to do with the Turkish-based organization. Diane Ravitch, education professor at New York University and Assistant Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush, writes about this larger transparency issue in her latest book, Reign of Error, explaining, “In 2009, New York Charter School Association successfully sued to prevent the state comptroller from auditing the finances of charter schools, even though they receive public funding. The association contended that charter school’s are not government agencies but ‘non-profit educational corporations carrying out a public purpose.’” The New York State Court of Appeals agreed with the organization in a 7 to 0 vote. It took an act of legislation from the state—specifically designed to allow the comptroller to audit charter schools—for this to change.

Ravitch also writes of a similar instance in North Carolina in which the state, urged on by lobbying giant ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), proposed the creation of a special commission, composed entirely of charter school advocates, as a way for charter schools to bypass the oversight of the State Board of Education or the local school boards. Ravitch writes, “The charters would not be required to hire certified teachers. Charter school staff would not be required to pass criminal background checks. The proposed law would not require any checks for conflicts of interest—not for commission members or for the charter schools.” In other words, it isn’t the Gülen movement that makes Gülen charter schools so secretive. It’s the charter school movement itself.

This comes across in the latest news story related to the Gülen schools: an FBI raid last month on the headquarters of over 19 Gülen-operated Horizon Science Academies in Midwest. According to search warrants obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, federal authorities were interested in gathering general financial documents and records of communication. The warrant specifically mentions something called the E-rate program—a federal program that, according to the Sun-Times, “pays for schools to expand telecommunications and Internet access.” A handful of the Gülen-affiliated contractors assisting the schools were receiving money from this federal fund. It’s difficult speculate what this could all mean, as all documents pertaining to the investigation, save the warrants themselves, have been sealed from the public.

[dballance]

6. Thanks!

You didn't butt in at all.

[AngryAmish]

7. I am on my potato so links are hard but bear with me.

The Gulen Movement is a Turkish religious group, ostensibly Islamic, run by this guy Fetullah Gulen. Many decades ago he started some cram schools in Turkey for the Turkish university test, a winner take all test to see who gets into college.

These schools became recruiting grounds for membership. They selected the best and brightest and tried to recruit them. The not so bright, yet loyal, were given the answers to the test. This allowed their members to get into the best colleges where they were encouraged to get into the government, especially the police, prosecutors and army.

Gulen himself exiled voluntarily to the Poconos (!) fifteen or so years ago.

Remember, the government of Turkey was highly secular thirty years ago when this started. They would put up with zero religious bullshit and when the government acted up the army would stage a coup and jail the religious nutters. So secrecy was paramount and the Gulen nutters did the long march through the institutions until they had real power.

Again this sounds crazy. But The Young Turks who founded the republic after the Ottomans were a secret society run out of Masonic Temples. Turkey has a long history of vast conspiracies and court intrigue, from the Sultans court to Byzantine politics. So Turkish politics are quite literally Byzantine.

More in next post.

[AngryAmish]

8. so more about Gulen Movement

About a decade ago the Gulen Movement allied itself with Erogan and he won the prime ministership.

After he got control of power, he used the prosecutors office to indict the head army guys and out them in jail for corruption. Because they all were corrupt. But everyone there is corrupt. But since the army guys were caught dead to rights, they were cowed as more religious folks took over.

All was happy in Erogan and Gulenville.

Until about a year ago.

There has been a huge rift between Gulen and Erogan. The secret police released tapes of Erogan and his crew hiding bribes. There were many arrests of crooked Erogan supporters. And Erogan fired as many Gulenists in the police, prosecutors, judiciary and secret police as he can find.

Erogan has aligned himself with the old secular power stricture againt Gulen.

And these fbi raids means the American deep state has aligned with the old secular powers and Erogan.

[AngryAmish]

9. So why US Charter schools?

The charter schools are a recipe for fraud. They raise money from them. But also get to recruit followers in the nation with the biggest military on the planet. And like Isreal they court politicians like mad, to protect themselves.

Personally, I would eject Gulen as an undesireable alien. Same with all his followers. He is old but we have to take a stand against these nutters.

[AverageJoe90]

10. I remember hearing about these guys from Dave Emory's "Spitfire List" show.

A shady bunch, indeed, A.A.; why isn't FOX News talking about them, instead of whining about how much they think Obama is acquiescing to the Islamists(even though his administration took out Bin Laden and has been trying to rescue as many Yazidis and Christians as possible over this past month.....)