Concept Schools Gulen Management loses Minnesota School of Science BY ORDER OF JUDGE

We previously wrote about this new Gulen Operated School in Minnesota when it was announced they would open in 2010.  With barely 2 school years under the belt, the Gulenists in their usual scandalous habits asked the parents of 42 Special Needs students to take their children elsewhere.  Read the announcement and articles here: http://gulencharterschoolsusa.blogspot.com/2011/01/minnesota-school-of-science-gulen.html

 
CHARTER SCHOOL WATCHDOG GIVES A HUMOROUS TAKE ON THE CLOSING OF THIS GULEN OPERATED SCHOOL HERE AT: http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/eviction-101.html

  

Judge Rules to Close Mpls. Charter School

 

After months of debate a judge ruled a Minneapolis charter school will not stay open.

The Minneapolis school district evicted the Minnesota School of Science in June because it was behind in rent.

Parents have been rallying for months to keep the school open.

The Minnesota School of Science released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying, "Like the families and students we serve, we are absolutely devastated."

News here at: Channel 5 Eyewitness News in Minnesota

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S3114516.shtml?cat=1

7 days before verdict, futile attempt by principal of Minnesota School of Science to give parents false hope

July 24, 2013

Dear Parents,

With school scheduled to resume in only a month, we continue to prepare for what we believe will be another outstanding school year. We recognize that this summer has been a challenging one in light of the current legal dispute that you may have read about regarding our school building. We have every intention of welcoming your students back to Cityview on August 22, and we thank you for your continued support.

In an effort to keep you informed, we wanted to take the opportunity to share with you the latest developments. On Tuesday July 30, our case will go before the Hennepin County District Court. The court is hearing our request that it stop Minneapolis Public Schools from interfering with our ability to open our doors to your children on August 26. It is impossible to know the outcome of the hearing, but with more than 300 Minneapolis students’ future at risk, we are hopeful that the court will grant our request.

As you know, we have worked hard to create a community through our school, and our commitment to you will not change. We stand with you, and we invite you to join us at 6 p.m. Monday July 29 at the school to rally for what we know to be an excellent school in a remarkable community. The event will be brief, but we believe it is important to come together as a community to support our students’ right to excellent education they deserve.

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns. You can reach me at icel@mssonline.org or 612-8863225. We will continue to keep you informed as this issue progresses, and rest assured we are doing everything we can to fight together for our school and the North Minneapolis community. You can expect additional communication from us following the July 30 hearing, and we will also be posting information on our website www.mssonline.org. Our school’s strength and success come from the commitment and support of our parents, and our community. Thank you for everything you do for us and your student.

Sincerely,

Mr. Icel

3350 North 4^th Street Minneapolis, MN 55412

Letter to parents from Minnesota School of Science before VERDICT handed down by judge to CLOSE SCHOOL.   http://www.mssonline.org/press-conference/

NOT EVEN A LAWSUIT FILED BY THE SCHOOL WOULD SAVE THEM

MINNEAPOLIS - Backers of the soon-to-be closed Minnesota School of Science (MSS) are not ready to give up their fight to save the program yet.

A lawsuit was filed by the school this week to stop the Minneapolis Public Schools efforts to effectively close what administrators call "a cornerstone that provides high-quality education to one of the city's most underserved communities."

The school is requesting that a state court issue a temporary restraining order against MPS and its ongoing efforts to discredit the school, remove MSS property, illegally recruit students, interfere with MSS teacher contracts and put an end to the school's tremendous success.

"We will not be moved," said Dr. Rosilyn Carroll, a founding member of the MSS board. "Our students and our teachers have a legal right to be here, and we refuse to let anyone interfere with the tremendous achievement that has been taking place in our classrooms."

Since the district made the decision to phase out the school, angry parents and staff members have demonstrated and voiced their support for MSS.

Officials at MSS say in just two years the school has seen remarkable academic and personal growth among its students, who now consistently outperform the district average.

"In only two years, the Minnesota School of Science has made tremendous progress, giving north Minneapolis families access to the quality education they deserve," Carroll said. "We intend to open our doors for the first day of school August 26, and we look forward to seeing our students and teachers back here."

(Copyright 2013 by KARE. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. )

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1030641/396/Lawsuit-filed-to-save-Minnesota-School-of-Science

Not even protests to the school board made a difference

 

 

 

 

 

Parents Protest Closure of N. Mpls Charter School

Parents, students and community members are pleading with the Minneapolis Public School Board to keep a North Minneapolis charter school open.

Parents will begin protesting at 11 a.m. Monday at the school, and an open house will be held at Cityview Community School at 9 a.m. for a new program to replace it.

About 100 people showed up at the school board meeting last Tuesday asking the board to let the Minnesota School of Science stay in its current home in the Cityview Community School building on 4th St. N. The charter school has been operating for two years, but school officials say students have already made great strides in raising test scores and achieving academic success. Parents say their kids are excited to go to school, eager to do their homework and participate in extra curricular activities ranging from math team to robotics competitions.

Late last month, the school board revoked the lease for MSS, meaning the school would have to move out of its current home by the end of July. The school maintains it has had some financial issues during its first few months but has worked to correct them. School officials say all they want is a fair shot to stay in the current building, serve the needs of the North Minneapolis community and give students a chance at achieving success in school and in life.

The district says it is working with students, parents and teachers to provide the best educational opportunities possible for the MSS community.

Full statement from the Minneapolis Public School District:

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) appreciates that parents from the Minnesota School of Science (MSS) took the time [Tuesday] to speak to Dr. Bernadeia Johnson, superintendent of schools, and the Board of Education. We understand that school changes are very challenging for students, parents and staff members, which is why we are doing all that we can to have a high quality educational program in place for MSS students.

Our job tonight was to listen to parents and staff members. Our job as a school system is to ensure that students have the best opportunity possible for the coming school year. We are working to accomplish both.

We understand that many parents are likely receiving conflicting information about the lease and program at MSS. The decision not to move forward with a change of authorizer for MSS is due to the school being in Intervention. It simply would not be responsible for the MPS central office to support a change of authorizer at this time when there are unresolved issues in financial mismanagement, testing irregularities for the past two years and practices of counseling students with high behavioral needs out of the school. This in combination of MSS being unable to make lease payments to MPS last school year resulted in MSS no longer being able to operate in the Cityview building or any other MPS facility.

Parents work hard to find the right school for their children’s educational needs. That is why so many kinds of schools exist: public district, charter, neighborhood, magnet, private, home school.

We are confident that MPS staff will have a quality program in place at Cityview in the fall of 2013. An open house is scheduled for Monday, June 17th, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. If families have questions, Tyler Salkey, the family liaison for the new Cityview program, is available to assist them. Those who desire to have their student continue attending the MSS program, will also be assisted in the transition to the school’s new site, which is yet to be determined.

Here is what we promise: we will work with parents, teachers and staff at MSS to provide the best possible option for the students in the Cityview building. Again, we thank you those who came to the meeting tonight for sharing their perspectives—there is no greater stakeholder in your student’s education than you and them.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3069521.shtml

 

Gulen Movement's Concept Schools attempt to open school on Air Force Base EXPOSED

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111230/news/712309774/

Company behind Lake County charter school proposal had problems in Ohio

By Bob Susnjara

A suburban company seeking to run a taxpayer-funded charter school at Great Lakes Naval Station drew scrutiny from Ohio officials for questionable spending of public money at similar ventures there.

Des Plaines-based Concept Schools and two other companies are competing to operate the proposed Great Lakes school that would accommodate up to 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school, open to all students in North Chicago Unit District 187, would focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Ohio’s state auditor had questioned the company’s spending on unknown bank finance charges and teacher bonuses for student recruitment — along with wire transfers of money to Turkey — at Concept-managed charter schools in Cincinnati and Cleveland.

But Concept Vice President Salim Ucan said those spending concerns are long past and that the company beefed up internal controls when the most recent critical Ohio audit was released in 2009.

Ucan said he doesn’t expect the past problems in Ohio to affect the nonprofit company’s quest to operate what would be Lake County’s second charter school. It would join Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake.

“All of the schools that we manage are academically successful and financially sound,” said Ucan, who co-founded Concept with Turkish-American educators in the late 1990s.

Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Mary Fergus said Concept is one of three companies to respond to a request for proposals to run the Great Lakes charter school, which may open for the 2012-13 academic year.

The Great Lakes school would be on Navy property as part of the North Chicago district, but overseen by the state. While open to all district students, operators may set aside a fixed number of slots for children from military families and students who live outside the district.

Officials from the state, Lake County’s regional education office and Navy are on a team reviewing the companies’ proposals, Fergus said. A public hearing on the group’s recommendation must occur before Feb. 2.

Concept manages 27 charter schools in the Midwest. Its portfolio includes Chicago Math and Science Academy and Quest Charter Academy in Peoria.

In Ohio, Concept operates 19 charter schools under the names Horizon Science Academy and Noble Academy. Similar to Illinois, the schools operate with state and federal money.

Documents released by the Ohio auditor in June 2009 raised numerous questions about the spending of thousands of dollars in public money at Cincinnati’s Horizon Science Academy.

For example, there were no original itemized receipts for nearly $3,000 in expenditures, which included bank finance charges, a supermarket gift card, items from an electronics store and a visit to a Turkish restaurant.

“Without appropriate documentation, it is not possible to determine if the expenditures included items that would not be considered a proper public purpose,” the audit stated.

Moreover, the audit questioned payment of a combined $1,220 to two teachers for “new enrollment efforts” and $11,570 in employee bonuses at the Cincinnati school.

Another audit from 2001 for Cleveland’s Horizon Academy labeled as questionable three wire transfers to Istanbul, Turkey, totaling $36,030 to repay a loan that was made to the school by a board member.

Ucan, after reviewing the Ohio reports provided to him Thursday by the Daily Herald, forwarded documentation indicating all questionable expenses have been repaid to the state and the financial issues are considered resolved by the auditor’s office. He said the loan never was questioned by the auditors, just the method of using wire transfers.

Internal controls were increased in 2009, when Concept Schools started a central office to handle financial matters for its Ohio schools, he added.

“There are multiple steps that need to be taken for any expenses now,” Ucan said.