Private Christian school gets charter school taxpayer money. Expels children of woman who questions.

[madfloridian]

Public taxpayer money is going to charter schools, yet there is not a lot of oversight as to how these funds are used. Public school boards must account for money spent, but there is not a lot of regulation over the charter school spending. This is taxpayer money, and there must be accountability.

This is a situation going on in Arizona right now.

Christian school expels children of woman who inquired about taxpayer money they got from Sequoia Charter schools.

A Christian school in Glendale expelled the children of a parent who persistently asked questions about how the private school was spending its tuition money. Lise Hopson had been asking Joy Christian School in Glendale why she paid tuition when a public charter school, Sequoia Choice, was providing the bulk of the private school's academic courses. Charter schools, like all publicly funded schools, are free. Hopson told The Arizona Republic in September that she never received a satisfactory answer from Joy Christian School or its affiliated church, the Community Church of Joy.

...The day before Hopson was quoted in the Republic article, Hopson picked up her daughters as usual after school. The principal handed a letter to Hopson that stated both Hopson and her husband, James, were not "contributing to the harmonious attitude of the school."

In the letter, Kempf called Hopson's actions disruptive and damaging and said they "may have caused financial losses to the school, as well."

They expelled the students, and called the parents disruptive for questioning the private religious school's use of taxpayer money channeled through Sequoia Choice charter schools. The school appears to have blamed the parents for demanding accountabilty for their tuition money.

Here is more about the way the financing between Joy Christian School and Sequoia Choice was working...from earlier in October.

Schools under scrutiny for financing private school with taxpayer dollars

State officials are raising questions about an arrangement in which a private school in Glendale and a public charter-school operator have teamed up to help finance the private school with taxpayer dollars.

State records obtained by The Arizona Republic show that Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning, a charter-school firm, collected at least $1.9 million in state funds from 2005 through 2008 to teach courses to students of Joy Christian School.

During the same period, Joy was collecting tuition payments from the parents of the same students, many of whom used private-school tuition tax credits to help pay. Tuition ranges from $6,710 to $8,000 this year.

Last month, the partnership between Sequoia and Joy Christian, which is affiliated with Community Church of Joy, a megachurch along Loop 101, caught the attention of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. Horne said a complaint from a parent led him to turn over documents to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

The state Attorney General will look into the situation.

Here are some figures from Arizona Central about the increase in public money contributing to this arrangement.

State support for private school

State tax funds have flowed to the private Joy Christian School in two increasing streams: private school tuition tax-credit donations, and state funding for the charter-school firm that handles many Joy Christian classes. The 2007-08 school year was the latest year for which state-audited numbers were available.

Charter school funds
Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning received at least these amounts each school year for students attending Joy Christian School:
2005-2006: $870 (4 students).
2006-2007: $658,041 (509 students).
2007-2008: $1,297,206 (615 students).
Total: $1,956,117.

There must be accountability for the taxpayer money that goes to charter school operators.

Arizona is not the only state with accountability problems in this area. Florida is having its own problems.

State allows only 3 counties to control their charter schools

These schools operate with public money, yet the state is taking control from most county school boards.

"Florida's charter school movement, fueled by untold millions from the oligarchies of Gates, Broad, and Walton, presents a perfect case study on how the accountability gestalt gets flipped when schools are converted from public to charter. From the Palm Beach Post:"

"Florida's educational double standard lives on. The state already exempts voucher programs from the academic and financial oversight required of regular public schools. Now, charter schools can exploit the same lack of accountability. Last week, the state Board of Education, whose members the governor appoints, ruled that the elected school boards in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties can't be trusted to oversee charter schools. Instead, a panel appointed by the statewide board will exercise that power. In fact, the state board ruled, only three counties - Orange, Polk and Sarasota - can retain full power over charter schools, which operate with public money.

The Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach districts all have seen charters killed by financial trouble. But none is hostile to charters. Martin County has two. St. Lucie has none but is considering viable proposals. The much larger Palm Beach district has 36 charters. An audit at the beginning of the year showed that half of them were operating in the red. The district has been aggressive when it suspected financial mismanagement - as when one charter principal couldn't account for $29,000 in ATM withdrawals - but that's a good thing.

Of course, badly run charter schools don't see it that way. Taking their side, in 2006 the Legislature created the scheme to thwart local control. But bypassing local boards probably violates the Florida Constitution, which says the locally elected school board "shall operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district."

Our new Democratic Secretary of Education has over 4 billion dollars to reward states who allow more charter school expansion.

Arne is paying to get it done his way, and he has money to back him up.

There should be no more of this experimentation without the proper accountability. This is my tax money, your tax money. Private religious schools should not be getting it through back channels.

[waiting for hope]

1. K&R

Arne needs to go.

[Blue State Blues]

2. No more faith-based accounting!

Thanks for another excellent post.

[madfloridian]

16. Faith-based accounting.

Good description.

[WillyT]

3. Argh... K & R !!!

:argh:

:mad:

:kick:

[madrchsod]

4. one has to look at what arne`s policy did to two schools in chicago

to understand he cares less about public education. 2 million dollars worth of public school computers were stole under his watch but i bet his charter schools received their computers.

[madfloridian]

6. Arne cares only about his goals, not what the children need.

He has set up confrontations with teachers, unions, and school boards already. It does not matter to him if they don't agree. He is turning Gingrich's dreams, Jeb's dreams, into reality.

[Speciesamused]

64. Exactly. I wonder how many know ol Jeb is still involved.

As a long time Floridian we finally are getting a breath
of fresh air with Grayson. Hopefully we can get more
real people into seats here in this right wing religious state.
To put an end to all this madness.
We are way over due. Thanks for all your work.
One love.

[dysfunctional press]

5. "private-school tuition tax credits"- what a bunch of bullshit.

if they're going to give tax credits for people who take their kids out of public school- there should be credits for the people who never had kids to have in the school in the first place.

[bluestateguy]

7. My cousin is withdrawing her kids from their "Christian" school next semester

She now realizes she should have known better. For whatever reason she was led to believe that it was a mainline Christian school, but it soon became apparent that it was a fundamentalist wackjob school. For my cousin, the last straw was when the school chose not to air, or even acknowledge, President Obama's back to school speech last month.

The only reason she isn't pulling her kids out now is because the tuition for the Fall is already paid.

[madfloridian]

14. Many of the private religious schools in our area are like that also.

I remember when they were not that way. Times have changed.

[BolivarianHero]

8. Ahh....Good ol' Arizona...

Land of Joe Arpaio, Jon Kyl, and Evan Mecham (it's hard not to speak ill of the dead when the dead make you so ill...).

What's one more crazy school in a steaming pile of corrupt, fascist fail?

[Greyhound]

25. Yes, a fine old tradition in AZ.

I heard Fife Symington is coming back into AZ politics. After all, he's already been convicted of bank fraud, extortion, falsifying his financial statements, but he didn't actually shoot a homeless child in front of the Governor's mansion while eating a puppysicle, so why not vote for him.

[PJPhreak]

27. Fuck Fife Symington...

With the horse he rode in on!!

[KamaAina]

60. They almost make John McCain look good!

And a dishonorable mention to fundie nutjob governor Jan Brewer. Janet Napolitano should have thought long and hard about accepting the post at Homeland Security.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. As far as I can tell, charter schools..of any ilk, are the first step to undermining

the free public education of which this country has always been so proud.

[madfloridian]

11. Yes, the first step. Throwing public education out the window.

[FiveGoodMen]

41. Absolutely!

That's the whole point, I'm pretty sure.

[earth mom]

10. There is NO accountablity with privatization. Not with Blackwater and not with anything else.

If we don't fight the privitization of our schools and don't fight the privitization of Social Security and allow the government to mandate our money to private companies for Health care, we are DOOMED.

It's time for pitchforks

or

we must stop paying taxes en masse.

[jinto86]

12. I agree that there needs to be more accountablity of tax dollars

But I still think there is a way to get that accountablity and allow these alternative schools to exist (and I don't mean in a magnet school setting.) Course thats just me.

[amborin]

13. nothing new here

[sense]

15. Where we live and

home school there is a publicly funded home schooling resource center we've used .....until last September when the director locked my child inside, called 911 as if there were some danger or threat and put the facility in lockdown. My crime? I asked for board meeting minutes and a copy of a student newspaper. Christians have been running this resource since it's inception and we've filed many, many complaints about the discrimination, proselytizing, shunning, etc. over the years. All were supposed to be reported to the district through which they receive their public funds, but none of them were. The enormous waste of taxpayer dollars to support what is a christian school is sickening. Most families simply walk away, unable to deal with the situation and unwilling or unable to put in the time and effort to make them conform their behavior to something close to legal. It's been more than a year, but I think there may be progress soon on several complaints I've filed. I should not have to expend my own funds to sue them, but that may be next.

[madfloridian]

58. So people know they are getting public money, but run by Christian groups?

And nothing is done? That is very upsetting that no one will pay attention. You really should write more about that. I taught many wonderful kids who had been home-schooled, and they were usually excellent students. The ones who had trouble were the ones who had been in the ones that were religious in nature....they had trouble thinking the rest of us were intelligent and moral. It bothered me then, but I did not understand enough about the situation.

[madfloridian]

17. In August Arne gave Arizona 54 million to form more charter schools.

Something is so wrong with that picture.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/08/07/20090807chartercash0807.html

"Arizona has been awarded a $54 million federal grant to expand top-performing charter schools
and foster new ones across the state.

The state aims to open as many as 92 new campuses, particularly junior highs and high schools offering advanced academic programs, and others that boost academic achievement among minority children and those from low-income families.

State officials said the five-year grant is the first of its kind for Arizona. Traditionally, charters in the state win individual grants by applying directly to the U.S. Department of Education. On this occasion, the federal government invited state education agencies to apply and use the grants to increase the number of charter schools in the country.

The Obama administration, as part of a strategy to promote school reform, has promised to double funding for new charter schools with high academic standards, which many believe are key to improving the nation's K-12 system through competition with traditional public schools.

Supporters of charter schools, which are run by private companies or individuals but receive public funding, applauded the new grants."

[and-justice-for-all]

18. Sounds like that xtian school has something to hide....

it also seems they might just be ripping the Government off as well..I think they need to be investigated for fraud.

[madfloridian]

19. Sequoia should know better as well. Giving taxpayer money to a religious school.

Maybe both should be investigated.

[and-justice-for-all]

21. Indeed, sounds illegal to me...perhaps the state rep needs a call..nt

[Nikki Stone1]

20. What can we do about this?

Is there someone to write to?

[and-justice-for-all]

22. Contact all the states reps..nt

[PassingFair]

24. FFRF

http://ffrf.org/contact/

[madfloridian]

31. Good idea. I had not thought of that group.

They used to be on AAR, but haven't heard them in a while.

[PassingFair]

32. I think they are still broadcasting on weekends.....

their legal team is overworked, underpaid
and EFFECTIVE!

[Nikki Stone1]

36. +1 ......and thank you.

:kick:

[Arugula Latte]

23. Get these fucking churches out of our educational system!

:grr:

[winyanstaz]

26. Why the hell is taxpayer money going to religous schools?

How is that seperation of Church and state?
Just how can I get a grant and the money to open a Pagan school? :P

[Echo In Light]

30. Same reason it goes to dropping high explosives on innocent families in foreign countries

[winyanstaz]

38. exactly :S

[Grinchie]

28. Behaving like any other Corporation is Normal for these 501-C's

Whenever you see "Caused financial harm", especially after they refuse to answer valid questions, you know that they are unwilling to deal with the Truth and are ustilyzing the time tested solution of abusing the legal system in hope the problem will go away, simply because the Legal system is too expensive for the Common man to prvail in.

The 501-c's are able to write off legal fees before taxes, so tin addition of having larger purses, they have a tax advantage over the rest of the Citizenry.

If you haven't read through Title 26 U.S.C. Chapter 501.c, I recommend you do so. It's a real eye opener to see how easy it is for Shister groups like this Corporation can get preferential treatment and being given a free hand to steal our money.

[Solly Mack]

29. K&R

[Greyskye]

33. k&r

[fascisthunter]

34. disgusting

[me b zola]

35. K&R

This. Must. Stop.

[Hubert Flottz]

37. K&R

[kestrel91316]

39. Good Christian women DON'T ASK QUESTIONS. That harridan needs to

get herself back in the kitchen and shut up.

:sarcasm:

[katty]

40. religious fascsim, paid for by u.s. the suckered taxpayers

[valerief]

42. Glory bonuses! nt

[Divine Discontent]

43. these asshats make me so mad I didn't read it all - my feeling is, if they follow all things that a

public school does, I can understand the desire to allow them to get govt taxpayer $, but on the other side - they are homophobic 99% of the time, anti-women a lot, and they are a good portion of the people who scream about taxes, yet, they don't mind the lines of church & state being blurred. Sigh... it's best they just don't receive $, and if you want to send your kid to a private religious school of any faith, you pay for it and maybe get a tax credit, but NOT $ to the school in bulk funds.

[santamargarita]

44. Christian Fascist Pigs...

fuck them all!

[edc]

45. The U.S. spends approximately

$5 billion annually on K-12 public education. Charter schools will be the next speculative bubble, only the states will foot the bill for the crash. Charter school owners and investors will make out like bandits and be the first to bail when the bubble bursts. The rest of us will be left with a hollowed out shell of a public education system. Here in Virginia the economic troubles will result in an $800 million reduction in K-12 funding from the state while our politicians will be falling all over themselves trying to get a chunk of the federal charter school money. Get the picture?

[rhett o rick]

49. I agree. nt

[SoCalDem]

46. Private schools can be, and are choosy

They can remove kids from school and parents often have no recourse.

This is why private schools should NOT get public money.

every dime sent to a private school is money that's needed desperately in the public school system.

Private schools "do better" because they cherry-pick their students, and "cull" the undesirables.:(

[Mind_your_head]

50. No, that's not phrased very well....and you know it! n/t

[Trillo]

63. "cull" the undesirables -- just like health insurance companies

Imagine the increased difficulties that any future school may now have with this particular "culled" kid. Then multiply that out by however many similar "culling" incidents and "culled" kids there currently are in public schools.

So not only are the private schools culling out "undesirables", perhaps increasing some quality in the mass of kids remaining, they are also increasing the individual difficulty level of educating any already culled kids, some, perhaps a majority, of whom end up in public schools.

This kid will have some kind of cause-effect reaction to the unjust punishment. Perhaps she can become a media darling, and thus be healed.

[bertman]

47. Another thread to raise my blood pressure to dangerous levels. This is so infuriating.

Nonetheless, it's better to know what's wrong and what to fight, than to be ignorant and inert.

Recommend.

[madfloridian]

53. It is infuriating.

I try not to write about this stuff, but then I find myself doing it. You are right, we need to know.

[DFW]

48. Obscenity brought to a new level n/t

[geckosfeet]

51. Tax money should not be used for faith based schools. They get tax breaks as it is.

[MadMaddie]

52. I am guessing that these organizations don't pay taxes

yet they get tax payer money and have no accountability. This is bullshit!

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

54. Bush is gone and I was hopeing all this privatization trash would have gone with him.

[madfloridian]

57. Unfortunately, the goals are still the same.

Even when he was campaigning Obama made it clear he stood for charter schools, more testing, and merit pay.

[DonCoquixote]

55. The real goal of Public School bashing

Is to bring about a society where people know that if they want their kids educated, they better kiss Christian ass. If they do not kiss Christian Ass, then their kid gets a substandard education, and works at McDonalds. If you submit and send your kid to their private school, rest assured, they will take every Jew, Muslim, and other and make sure they write essays saying "why Jesus loves me." and do their best to alienate them from their parents.

[madfloridian]

59. I do believe there is a religious aspect to the killing of public schools.

Even though some who are pushing it are not that aware of it.

I think it can be called a lurking aspect. There is danger in it.

[liberal_at_heart]

61. I agree

I also think there is a religious aspect to the killing of public schools. When I first moved to another state I checked into private schools vs. public schools. About 99% of private schools are Christian. They have control over the private school sector. Now they want control of the public school sector as well. If they ever put Christianity back into public school I would have to homeschool because I would not put my kids in a Christian private school. I've often told Christians that I would support a comparative religoin class in public schools. It would have to be inclusive and objective. If there was a comparative religion class that included the world's religions as well as agnostisism, atheism, and world philosophy I would support that. If all they did was put Christianity in public school and did not include other religions and philosophies I would pull my kids out of that school so fast. I would definitely homeschool.

[dembotoz]

56. school choice is ALL ABOUT public funding for church schools

fuck the students
fuck learning
lets just give cash to the religous instituions.

[Trillo]

62. Thank you.

I'm outraged that any of my tax money supports any private schools.

What is saddest to me is the punishment of the girl for the actions of her parents. While it's impossible to predict how severely damaged she'll be, and we can all Hope With Faith she won't be severely damaged, in reality we simply do not know how severe the long-term consequences may be. These are precisely the kinds of punishments that increase the need for psychological services or therapy. It seems like that should be a conflict of interest, to offer the services of graduates for a fee in return for the intentional actions of the schools who are schooling future graduates.

This is one of the reasons why I believe that once a child is expelled from any compulsory school, a release from further compulsory education is needed. Then, if she goes back, it's not the system forcing her to expose herself to more potential unjust punishment, instead it becomes her own decision.

We can hope that one expulsion does not ruin her whole life. Can we believe that two would not? How about three?

At which point do we cross the threshold into cruel and unusual punishment?