Recent Reports:
- Talking points regarding charter school accountability (click here)
- Unfunded Mandate? Do What The Arizona Department of Education Does: Just Ignore It!
(Full report) (Complaint submitted to the Ombudsman Office)
- District schools go unrepaired and teachers underpaid…
To finance charter real estate empires (Full report)
- School Board Meetings Are A Joke At Charter Schools:
19 Great Hearts Schools held one board meeting this school year - most lasted less than five minutes (Full report)
- The Worst Charter Schools in Arizona 2017 – Part 1
The Charter Board’s five “Best Performers” are among the worst schools in the state
(full report)
- The Worst Charter Schools in Arizona - Part 2 (Full report)
- The Consequences of Not Monitoring Charter Spending: The Charter Board Finally Closes Starshine Academy Only After A Bankruptcy Court Discloses Fraud
The Attorney General Needs to Sanction the Charter Board for Failing to Protect Public Funds. (full report)
- The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools Renewed the Charter for the Defunct Bradley Academy for 20 Years…
But Never Questioned Spending Practices that Netted CEO Daniel Hughes Millions (full report)
- How to Loot a Failing Charter School
1.5 Billion in State Funds is Unaccounted for in 2017: (Full Report)
- The Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools are Grossly Negligent in the Oversight of Charter School Expenditures (Full Report)
- Millions Are Wasted When Charter Owners Don’t Follow Procurement Laws
(Full Report)
- Why We Must Demand Charter Accountability: Part 1
10 Charter Holders Spent less than 85% of their revenue and netted over $25 million Last Year (Full report)
-Why We Must Demand Charter Accountability: Part 2
Alternative Charters are a Path to Riches
Seventy percent of charters spending more on both management and real estate than classroom instruction are Alternative Schools (Full report)
- When a charter school looks more like organized crime than public education:
For-profit GAR Inc. has sucked $11,000,000 out of Student Choice High School since 2012 (Full report)
Craig Harris Arizona Republic Charter School Investigative Reports:
- Glendale charter school reverses itself and will award merit bonuses earned by teachers
- Glendale charter school refusing to pay teachers bonus money earned last year
- Contrite charter school board admits budget hearing mistake, lets public speak
-Arizona charter school founder makes millions building his own schools
- Arizona charter school operators (San Tan Montessori)agree to pay back $180K spent on sports tickets, personal care
- 26 charter schools have the same accountant, but investigators say his work is woefully bad
- More than 100 Arizona charter schools could close because of financial issues, report says
- Lawmaker Eddie Farnsworth stands to earn at least $11M on his own charter schools
- Lawmaker Eddie Farnsworth nets $13.9 million in charter-school sale, keeps getting paid
- East Valley charter, subject of Republic investigation, reverses itself after blocking public comment
- East Valley charter gives teachers raise; refuses to let public comment on budget
- The charter-vs.-district school funding debate: Who gets more money?
- At Basis charter schools, another way to boost teacher pay: Parent donations
- Has Basis used Arizona tax money to open schools in Texas, Washington, D.C.?
- State Charter Board OKs Basis expansion despite concerns about finances, teacher pay
- Basis Charter Schools tells lenders it could tap parents' donations to pay mounting debt
- Arizona charter school chain (EdKey) racked up big debt to expand. Now 5,600 kids face uncertainty
- 2 more former executives at Discovery Creemos charter school indicted on fraud charges
- Ex-charter school operator of Discovery Creemos pleads guilty to theft, conspiracy
- ACLU sues Great Hearts over records, meetings tied to policy affecting transgender students
- House speaker halts Arizona charter reform bill, saying it lacks 'accountability and transparency'
- Primavera online charter school CEO pays himself another $1.3 million from school funds
- Primavera charter CEO gets $8.8M despite having Arizona's third-highest dropout rate
- Mesa's online program educates students at 1/8th the cost of Primavera online charter
- Arizona charter schools spend more on administration, less in classrooms
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Arizona Charter School Classroom Spending Report 2015-16
Part 1 - 191 charter schools spent more in the classroom than on administration and facilities combined
Part 2 - 29 charter schools spend more on facilities and admin individually than in the classroom
Part 3 - The Leona Group profits by $25 million while schools spend the least in the classroom in AZ
Part 4 - For-profit Imagine Inc. self-dealing of services and leases costs 19 schools millions
Spreadsheet of all charter school spending 2016
Previous reports:
- THE MYTH OF CHARTER ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE CRASHES DOWN
- Higher Administration Charges of Arizona Charter Schools Cost Taxpayers $128 Million a Year
- What is a charter school? How are they different from Arizona public districts?
- Research Summary - Charter Waste Fraud, and Corruption 2016
- Arizona charter school capital funding increased 15% while districts declined by 85% between 2009 and 2017. It is not accidental.
- Arizona Charter Schools Are Draining the State Budget
- Unrepaired Buildings -Underpaid Teachers: The Arizona Legislature has slashed district budgets to pay for unbridled charter growth. New charter students since 2008 have cost the state $223,977,291
- 113 Charters reported to the Attorney General for failure to follow Open Meeting Laws
BASIS
- BASIS Scottsdale Depends on Failure for Success
- BASIS Scottsdale – The Best High School in the U.S.? Success depends on failure at BASIS Scottsdale (Full report)
- Nine reasons why BASIS is not Arizona’s model high performing public school
- What “serving every single student” means to BASIS ed. CEO Peter Bezanson- - -
- Response to BASIS CEO Editorial in Capital Times
- BASIS Schools Fall On Hard Times (Full Report with links)
- BASIS Administrative Costs Soar as Classroom Spending Declines in 2017
BASIS Lost $3.1 Million in 2017 adding to $23 Million in Red Ink
(But parents still kicked in $13 million in fees and donations) (Full REPORT)
-Why Is BASIS Losing Money?
BASIS Administrative Costs and Debt Skyrocket 2016-2018
While Parents Pay 41% of Teacher Salaries (Full Report)
- BASIS Sinks Further Into The Abyss
Arizona BASIS Schools Lost $12 million in 2018 and are $43 million in the red:
So they borrowed $117 million to stay afloat…and collected $18 million from parents
(Full report)
American Virtual Academy - Primavera Online
- American Virtual Academy makes $10 million profit and $13 million in software fees
- The Richest Charter School in Arizona Has The Worst Academic Performance In The State
Primavera Online owner Damian Creamer makes millions while students languish. (Full Report)
Pinnacle Online
- Pinnacle Schools MGRM sends half of all revenue to India as profit for multi-national MGRM
Benjamin Franklin
Representative Eddie Farnsworth (R) Has Made Millions Owning Charter Schools That Spend More on their Buildings Than on Classroom Instruction (Full Report)
Benjamin Franklin Annual Financial Report 2016
Benjamin Franklin Audit 2016
American Leadership Academy
- American Leadership Academy owner Glenn Way builds a real estate empire with taxpayer funds
-When Charter Schools Look More Like Organized Crime Than Public Education:
Collusion between American Leadership Academy and their auditor leaves millions unaccounted for
(Full report with exhibits and sources)
The Leona Group - American Charter Schools Foundation
- The Leona Group profits by $25 million while schools spend the least in the classroom in AZ
Imagine Inc.
- Imagine Inc. self-dealing of services and leases costs 19 schools millions
Benjamin Franklin (Eddie Farnsworth)
- The Secrecy Continues: Republican Eddie Farnsworth sold his schools for a $13.9 million profit and is still the sole school board member: He holds one public meeting a year to approve the budget
- Glendale charter school reverses itself and will award merit bonuses earned by teachers
- Glendale charter school refusing to pay teachers bonus money earned last year
- Contrite charter school board admits budget hearing mistake, lets public speak
-Arizona charter school founder makes millions building his own schools
- Arizona charter school operators (San Tan Montessori)agree to pay back $180K spent on sports tickets, personal care
- 26 charter schools have the same accountant, but investigators say his work is woefully bad
- More than 100 Arizona charter schools could close because of financial issues, report says
- Lawmaker Eddie Farnsworth stands to earn at least $11M on his own charter schools
- Lawmaker Eddie Farnsworth nets $13.9 million in charter-school sale, keeps getting paid
- East Valley charter, subject of Republic investigation, reverses itself after blocking public comment
- East Valley charter gives teachers raise; refuses to let public comment on budget
- The charter-vs.-district school funding debate: Who gets more money?
- At Basis charter schools, another way to boost teacher pay: Parent donations
- Has Basis used Arizona tax money to open schools in Texas, Washington, D.C.?
- State Charter Board OKs Basis expansion despite concerns about finances, teacher pay
- Basis Charter Schools tells lenders it could tap parents' donations to pay mounting debt
- Arizona charter school chain (EdKey) racked up big debt to expand. Now 5,600 kids face uncertainty
- 2 more former executives at Discovery Creemos charter school indicted on fraud charges
- Ex-charter school operator of Discovery Creemos pleads guilty to theft, conspiracy
- ACLU sues Great Hearts over records, meetings tied to policy affecting transgender students
- House speaker halts Arizona charter reform bill, saying it lacks 'accountability and transparency'
- Primavera online charter school CEO pays himself another $1.3 million from school funds
- Primavera charter CEO gets $8.8M despite having Arizona's third-highest dropout rate
- Mesa's online program educates students at 1/8th the cost of Primavera online charter
- Arizona charter schools spend more on administration, less in classrooms
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Arizona Charter School Classroom Spending Report 2015-16
Part 1 - 191 charter schools spent more in the classroom than on administration and facilities combined
Part 2 - 29 charter schools spend more on facilities and admin individually than in the classroom
Part 3 - The Leona Group profits by $25 million while schools spend the least in the classroom in AZ
Part 4 - For-profit Imagine Inc. self-dealing of services and leases costs 19 schools millions
Spreadsheet of all charter school spending 2016
Previous reports:
- THE MYTH OF CHARTER ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE CRASHES DOWN
- Higher Administration Charges of Arizona Charter Schools Cost Taxpayers $128 Million a Year
- What is a charter school? How are they different from Arizona public districts?
- Research Summary - Charter Waste Fraud, and Corruption 2016
- Arizona charter school capital funding increased 15% while districts declined by 85% between 2009 and 2017. It is not accidental.
- Arizona Charter Schools Are Draining the State Budget
- Unrepaired Buildings -Underpaid Teachers: The Arizona Legislature has slashed district budgets to pay for unbridled charter growth. New charter students since 2008 have cost the state $223,977,291
- 113 Charters reported to the Attorney General for failure to follow Open Meeting Laws
BASIS
- BASIS Scottsdale Depends on Failure for Success
- BASIS Scottsdale – The Best High School in the U.S.? Success depends on failure at BASIS Scottsdale (Full report)
- Nine reasons why BASIS is not Arizona’s model high performing public school
- What “serving every single student” means to BASIS ed. CEO Peter Bezanson- - -
- Response to BASIS CEO Editorial in Capital Times
- BASIS Schools Fall On Hard Times (Full Report with links)
- BASIS Administrative Costs Soar as Classroom Spending Declines in 2017
BASIS Lost $3.1 Million in 2017 adding to $23 Million in Red Ink
(But parents still kicked in $13 million in fees and donations) (Full REPORT)
-Why Is BASIS Losing Money?
BASIS Administrative Costs and Debt Skyrocket 2016-2018
While Parents Pay 41% of Teacher Salaries (Full Report)
- BASIS Sinks Further Into The Abyss
Arizona BASIS Schools Lost $12 million in 2018 and are $43 million in the red:
So they borrowed $117 million to stay afloat…and collected $18 million from parents
(Full report)
American Virtual Academy - Primavera Online
- American Virtual Academy makes $10 million profit and $13 million in software fees
- The Richest Charter School in Arizona Has The Worst Academic Performance In The State
Primavera Online owner Damian Creamer makes millions while students languish. (Full Report)
Pinnacle Online
- Pinnacle Schools MGRM sends half of all revenue to India as profit for multi-national MGRM
Benjamin Franklin
Representative Eddie Farnsworth (R) Has Made Millions Owning Charter Schools That Spend More on their Buildings Than on Classroom Instruction (Full Report)
Benjamin Franklin Annual Financial Report 2016
Benjamin Franklin Audit 2016
American Leadership Academy
- American Leadership Academy owner Glenn Way builds a real estate empire with taxpayer funds
-When Charter Schools Look More Like Organized Crime Than Public Education:
Collusion between American Leadership Academy and their auditor leaves millions unaccounted for
(Full report with exhibits and sources)
The Leona Group - American Charter Schools Foundation
- The Leona Group profits by $25 million while schools spend the least in the classroom in AZ
Imagine Inc.
- Imagine Inc. self-dealing of services and leases costs 19 schools millions
Benjamin Franklin (Eddie Farnsworth)
- The Secrecy Continues: Republican Eddie Farnsworth sold his schools for a $13.9 million profit and is still the sole school board member: He holds one public meeting a year to approve the budget
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