Will Oakland’s top-scoring school be closed?
By Katy Murphy
Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at 7:19 pm in charter schools.
During a 6 5:30 p.m. special meeting Wednesday night, the Oakland school board considers the fate of American Indian Public Charter School II, a middle school in downtown Oakland with a near-perfect Academic Performance Index of 990.
American Indian Public Charter School II, one of three schools run by American Indian Model Schools, is up for its 5-year charter renewal. At the same time, state auditors are investigating allegations of financial fraud in the school’s charter management organization. The Oakland school district’s charter schools office has recommended that the board reject the American Indian renewal application.
You can find our story here, and the district’s report here, along with a progress report from the auditors from the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team.
The staff report cites numerous reasons for its conclusion, from compliance issues (teacher certification and occupancy permits) to a pending investigation into allegations of fraud, conflicts of interest and deliberate misappropriation of funds.
The FCMAT letter says that, given the timeline, the county superintendent might suggest a conditional renewal with a fiscal adviser. But OUSD’s charter schools director, Gail Greely, recommends against taking that course. You’ll find her arguments on Page 7-8. I’ve pasted some excerpts below.
A conditional renewal of the charter has been considered, but is not recommended for the following reasons:
- The violations of the charter and applicable law and regulation identified by the staff and the extraordinary audit are serious and wide-ranging. (See pages 8, 21-22 and Attachment III to this report.) They involve the safety of students and staff, as well as millions of dollars of public funds. To authorize a conditional renewal would undermine the ability of the District to hold charter schools accountable to their legal and ethical obligations.
- American Indian Model Schools’ governing board does not exhibit the willingness or capacity to address the failings identified in this report and in the preliminary findings of the extraordinary audit. …
- The school has not sustained compliant management in the face of historical violations, including:
o Violation of an agreement to remove the former director
o Failure to obtain an occupancy permit
o Failure to ensure compliance with teacher credential requirements
o Failure to provide timely and accurate financial and attendance reports
Given the fact that the investigation is not complete, what do you think the school board should do?
Reporting note:
When I learned about the audit in February, I formally requested public records related to any recent investigations of American Indian Model Schools. The documents were made available to me today, after much of the information was posted online.
The district’s general counsel decided not to include the complaints of “sexual harassment and verbal or physical abuse of students” referenced in one of the letters I read today; the district spokesman cited privacy concerns. The packet also did not include responses provided by American Indian to the district. I’ve requested those as well.
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April 2nd, 2012 at 7:36 pm
If these allegations are true, they are beyond serious and the board needs to take action to address them. It is a high-performing school, but that doesn’t mean it’s OK for them to spend public money in this way.
I think the OUSD charter office typically does a good and thorough job, and if they’re recommending closure – that holds weight for me. However, I can see how upsetting that would be for parents of those students who are just trying to do right by their kids by sending them to this school.
If I was a teacher or leader of any other charter school in Oakland, I’d be incensed that they were making the rest of Oakland’s public charters look so bad. They should be ashamed.
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Sorry. these are trumped up charges by people who are being shown up everyday by the achievements of this school. Ohhhh- “occupancy permits” and “teacher credential” requirements for a school performing at a very high level. Give me a break.
April 2nd, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Many people knew this was coming. I just don’t don’t see how it won’t apply to the other AIM schools. All run with same governance and fiscal practice. The API shielded them for many years. No longer. This is bad for Oakland and bad for charters. I hope the Board stands firm. Read the FCMAT report.
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Makeitgoaway,
The model (without fraud) works. It’s nothing new – strict discipline and longer class days.
1. Chavis hired undocumented workers. One had a relationship with a student, one had multiple DUI’s, and his own background is questionable.
2. You can’t see the evidence, so it must not exist? That’s logical, right? Why don’t I scan it to you and send it via PDF?
3. If you read the entire document, the charges were not brought by people who hate being shown up. That takes the spotlight off a crook. He deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars into his own personal companies, with the assistance of his wife. Millions of dollars were misappropriated. You still think this is just to shield OUSD from embarrassment? It would be embarrassing if OUSD approved the charter, considering Ms. Spearman spends time at the Chavis household.
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:57 pm
I work here and am disgusted to hear this. We, teachers, work so hard. I can’t believe this man committed fraud.
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:14 pm
AIPCS II is run like AIPHS and AIPCS. Audit them all! Chavis is a crook who treats families, students, and teachers horribly.
April 2nd, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Is there any evidence beyond API scores that this school is high performing?
From where I sit, the fact that AIPCS has high test scores does not prove that it is a good school. It shows that it might be a good school (which, in context of the other evidence mentioned here and the school’s own website, seems unlikely); or that the teachers might be good at test prep; or that there is cheating going on.
I am not saying that any of these is the case, but I think the acceptance of an API score as proof of good education is pernicious and simultaneously demonstrates and perpetuates the destructive effect of NCLB and RTTT. You cannot reduce education to a score on a standardized test; when you do curriculum is narrowed, content is simplified, people look at kids as numbers, and educators mistake testing and prepping for teaching.
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:19 pm
Katy
Who are the AIPCS board members?Have you reached them? What will be there role in the report?
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:02 am
The whining reminds me of a business who went from failing to market leader at the same time the managers stole money. You can only complain so much.
Maybe OUSD should emulate their teaching tactics for at least a demonstration school or two.
But then, they used to have the Demonstration Summer School at Oakland Tech – selective admission with fairly stern academic policy and two teachers from UC’s Grad Schools in every classroom.
I suppose they’d be afraid of racial imbalance if they did something competitive (with SF’s Lowell High). Too bad.
Brave New World.
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:11 am
AIMS should be shut down, taxpayer money is not meant for Mr. Chavis’ personal enrichment or his personal schemes. The DA needs to look into this as well. As always the purpose of educational funding is to educate kids, not to make certain adults wealthy. I feel badly for the students, and taxpayers, they always get the short end of the stick.
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:11 am
Michael Stember – President, also an exec at PG &E
Judi Marquardt – Owner of Marquardt Property Mgmt
Jordan Locklear – grad of AIPHS; lives/lived w/Chavis
Chris Rodriguez – recently became partner at his lawfirm
There might be one more. In the past, the board takes direction from Chavis or gives him blanket authority.
It’s been somewhat difficult to reach board members. Michael Stember’s contact info is listed as the school, but now I see his work address is at the end of the report. I went to the school in February and Claudia Walker said she had no way to reach him, even though he is a public official.
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:36 am
Is there was a way to get rid of Chavis and hold him accountable without shutting down the school? I agree with J.R. that the DA (heck, even the FBI!) should get involved. Has anyone else ever watched “American Greed?” This is starting to sound like one of those episodes.
There are some incredibly hard-working students and dedicated teachers at AIPCS/AIPCS II/AIPHS and it’s really unfortunate that Chavis’s greed is undermining the school’s accomplishments.
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:22 am
I hope the FCMAT report or another investigation will detail how Chavis’s financial relationship with Jorge Lopez of Oakland Charter Academy fits into the picture. Shady dealings there might well be why Lopez resigned from the CA SBE prematurely.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/questions-sink-two-schwarzenegger-board-education-appointees-1165
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:25 am
The school only works because of Chavis. He still ran the schools when he was not onsite. Just ask one of the current / past administrators. They would have to reorganize the entire school organization, new board, and new model (that doesn’t require coercion). The history with this school goes way back. A near-perfect API is no reason to look the other way when it comes to corruption, fraud, and nepotism. Read the report. Holding charters accountable is good for the honest schools and organizations.
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:44 am
re: #14, Oaklandedlandscape
You are giving Chavis too much credit. The school does not work because of Chavis. It works in spite of Chavis. While he did develop the original model, he does not interfere with the day-to-day *academic* operations. The day-to-day financial operations, as detailed in the report, are a whole other issue.
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:49 am
@oaklandedlandscape
The school does NOT “only work because of Chavis”, it works because of hard working teachers and students. Chavis undermines all of this with his greed and corrupt dealings.
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:13 am
Commenters: If you need to be anonymous, it’s best if you stick with one screen name. Thanks!
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:59 am
Anon & Current AIPCS Teacher – Sounds like you are in the school. Your perspective is important. I hear that. You must realize that a charter school is much more than just academics. Governance and finance are just as important. You also must understand that there is a long history with AIPCS. Chavis was at the root, and even when he wasn’t there physically, you can be sure that he was making major decisions. Getting paid as well. Unfortunately, you were caught up in the mix. Many people knew this day was coming.
April 3rd, 2012 at 12:14 pm
So we all just assume that a man who commits financial fraud to this degree is squeaky-clean when it comes to testing? That strikes me as incredibly naive. Yeah, innocent until proven guilty, but use a little common sense.
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:42 pm
re: #19, CarolineSF
These allegations of cheating are ridiculous. There is not systemic cheating. The high scores are due to longer school hours and finishing textbooks early, allowing for a review of all the material. I have never participated in, been witness to, or ever heard of any cheating. My kids earned the scores they got (not all of which was advanced).
And of course, the hard-working, intelligent teachers make a big difference.
re: #17, KatyMurphy
I believe the multiple screen names from the same ip address issue is due to a couple posters/teachers sharing the same router/modem connection.
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:44 pm
I heard that parents were going to march for Dr. Chavis. How ironic?! A man that hates parent involvement will now use it to remain in place.
I think keeping the school and getting rid of him and the board should be looked into.
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:50 pm
The kids don’t cheat on tests. If you don’t believe me, look at their SAT scores. Those tests are held outside of AIMS, so the teachers and admins have zero control and could not possibly feed the students answers. I understand that it’s easy to assume that Chavis’s corruption extends to the teachers and students, but it really doesn’t (or at least didn’t up to the end of last summer, when Chavis came back from retirement and so many teachers/admins left the school. I can’t speak to what happened after that).
I agree with Oaklandlandscape, but would add that many of us knew on the inside also knew that Chavis’s return was bad news. That’s why almost all the admins quit last August.
Anyone know what the meeting will be like tomorrow? Will the OUSD actually deny the charter, or will they grant some sort of temporary charter and assign OUSD admins to oversee it? Are they going to try to revoke the charters for AIPCS and AIPHS? Will Chavis face jail time?
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:12 pm
He will not see jail time, but he should pay.
Kids enter smart now(look at demographic).What happened to the old AIPCS…its sad Cause I saw the school in action early on. Its much more different now.
I agree with others…he should have stayed away.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
More details about this situation.
http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/2012/04/ben-chavis-american-indian-public.html
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Michael Stember: 916-838-4830
Email: cardinalbruin@gmail.com
Email: michael.stember@pacificedison.com
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Shouldn’t even offer this, since it’s hearsay evidence about a different campus. I only do because 1. I didn’t know until reading the comments that the different schools (AIP__) are run by the same folks, and 2. There’s more than one way to juke yourself a higher API score. The rumor I heard from a neighbor of one of these schools that kids expected to score low on the tests are somehow asked to leave before testing takes place.
This is weak sauce all around and maybe not true, but mostly I wish to make the point that high API’s should blind anybody or necessarily be taken at face value. So much of the debating about public schools and school policy is based on numbers which in my opinion are less credible than they’re taken for, and getting even less so by the year.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:19 pm
…But now from the link in comment #24 I read:
“He imposed a combination of strict discipline, long school hours, compliance requirements, cherry-picked students – along with driving out the unwanted ones – to produce exceptionally high state test scores.”
I don’t see evidence for this cited, but it’s at least corroborating what I said above.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Charlie (#26) – you’re right, you shouldn’t offer anecdotes if there’s no evidence, because I agree with your point and including untrue stories doesn’t help your argument. Numbers are not everything, and API certainly shouldn’t be the only consideration when judging a school’s merit. The AIM schools realized that in recent years and were working to include more clubs, activities, etc. For example, they added drama classes so the curriculum was not as 100% API focused as many claim it is or as it was in the school’s early years. I don’t know how to prove that students aren’t told to leave during testing, except to suggest that you look at CBEDS numbers (available on the CDE website) and compare those to the number of students tested during STAR. Students are NOT told to leave during testing.
The link from post #24 is biased. The same blogger’s post about AIPHS’s SAT scores only includes data from one year, which just so happens to be the first (or was it second?) year that AIPHS had students taking the SAT. Why doesn’t that blogger include more recent data? OH, right, because it would show that AIPHS students actually do remarkably well on the SAT. Let’s focus on Chavis here, not on the students. I don’t believe in guilt by association with guilt. Chavis stole millions, the students did not and should not be scrutinized because of their corrupt “leader.” Granted, I’m biased too, but I’m happy to answer question and give as much hard data and evidence as I can.
Old AIPCS (#23) – Why won’t Chavis face jail time?
Any idea if the school will be allowed to continue under OUSD control? Guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see. Is anyone else going to the board meeting?
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:17 pm
I’ll be there.
If anyone from the school would like to talk with me about the situation, you can find me there or send me an email to set up a time to talk. I’m at kmurphy@bayareanewsgroup.com.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:32 pm
I have a student who went to this charter school for three years. He is still recovering from the mental abuse that he suffered while a student at this school. If they don’t close it down for the fraud, they should close it down for the abusive way they treat students who don’t fit in the mold. My student was made to scrub toilets. He is autistic, and their way of dealing with his disability was to punish him. Close this school down now!
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:11 pm
@Former AIMS Gal who said, “Why doesn’t that blogger include more recent data? OH, right, because it would show that AIPHS students actually do remarkably well on the SAT.”
More recent SAT figures were not included because they were not available to the public at the time of the post. I would not be opposed to an INDEPENDENT entity collecting the more recent SAT scores and making them publicly available. Otherwise your claims that “AIPHS students actually do remarkably well on the SAT” is not evidence, it’s biased hearsay.
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:29 pm
More recent SAT data is available on the CDE website (look under dataquest). AIPHS scores went from 68.4 Total >= 1,500 Percent in 2008-09 to 79.4 in 2009-10. Hopefully they release 2010-11 numbers soon.
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Katy, PLEASE take note of Sharon’s info on AIPCS SAT scores and her other highly relevant research findings. She’s done a lot of legwork that you can (and should) use! Show the world of education reporting how not to play softball.
SAT scores:
http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/2011/01/not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be.html
Sharon’s new summary of the AIPCS situation:
http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/2012/04/ben-chavis-american-indian-public.html
California Watch on the Chavis-Lopez real estate entanglements:
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/questions-sink-two-schwarzenegger-board-education-appointees-1165
April 3rd, 2012 at 7:46 pm
I work at AIM. There is no cheating. Teachers work so hard to get those great API scores, SAT scores, and 100% college acceptance.
Chavis is a crook. Don’t blame the teachers or students.
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Anon,
I for one believe the scores are legitimate. I think that the best way to gauge student performance is student performance and growth over time, so keeping track of past AIM students would give some indication of ability. I know that the regular public schools have not done so well in this regard.
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:15 pm
I’m wondering why we’re discussing whether or not AIPCS II is a good school. It’s not going to get shut down based on academic issues. Look at the colleges they’re accepted into (Cornell, Berkeley, etc.) Look at the AP scores. We can argue for hours because outsiders do not see the time and effort put forth by students and teachers. Where do you see a middle school in Oakland complete not only an ELA textbook but seven novels as well? It’s the millions of dollars that were misappropriated – this should be the focus of the conversation.
I’m irritated with the author of his book. Carey Blakely still insists on backing Chavis: “In addition, there have been allegations of financial wrongdoing, yet AIPCS II has vast reserves.” Shame on Dr. Chavis for rallying parents when they have little idea that he still has access to bank accounts. Marsha has been the accountant for seven years. At the last board meeting (when they announced the FCMAT audit- 2.21.12) Chavis stated “last year we couldn’t get the teachers a raise and now we have a million dollars in reserves.” What happened to the other millions of dollars?
What is the solution? Dr. Chavis has had AMPLE time to make things right. He chose to continue to shake the money tree. FCMAT has been investigating since at least February. The board has had ample time to resign because of conflict of interest laws? Did they? No. The two principals don’t have teaching credentials or admin credentials. They aren’t strong either, and one of them (I believe) has covered for Dr. Chavis for years. Dr. Chavis drove away the strong leadership when he returned in 2011. I would like the school to stay open, but how is this feasible? His hands are in everything. How could AIPCS II be rid of him when he owns the building? Will he be banned from attending to his own property?
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Chavis and his wife, along with certain board members, should be arrested. I don’t think they’ll go to jail, based on other cases of charter fraud in CA. It is interesting to note that Chavis has been recently arrested because of domestic battery. This is one of the reasons he resigned – as a former board member that is frequently on site at 171 12th St, he should have been fingerprinted. He wasn’t. He even taught a class on Economics when I was there. He still wasn’t fingerprinted. He probably shouldn’t be working with his wife, IMHO. You can accuse me of slander, and I’ll publicly apologize….but I know he has a criminal record and he needs to show the public his background check.
April 3rd, 2012 at 10:20 pm
….and its going there! This issue is on the brink of ridiculousness with liberals like SF Caroline rants about whats true or not (while referncing her blog friend, to the “pooh Bear” ( matter to be disussed on another session) ranting about a background check?
So, lets put it in perspective people…he is alleged to have committed the crimes that are stipulated in the FCMAT report…we need to let it takes its course. For thos overly dramatic bloggers and liberal slanderers; GET IN LINE with the fortune tellers!
Tomorrow is a very big day and step 1 in the resolution of this matter.
April 4th, 2012 at 1:24 am
PoohBear, you said that “You can’t see the evidence, so it must not exist? That’s logical, right? Why don’t I scan it to you and send it via PDF?”
You have presented yourself with a real question of logic. Have you ever heard of the idea that something is innocent until proven guilty? That is exactly it. If you do not have the evidence, you cannot prove something guilty. Therefore, without evidence, the accused is yet to be convicted of the crime in question.
Ms. J., you said, “Is there any evidence beyond API scores that this school is high performing?” Here is the main idea. Yes, AIMS schools offer low income students with the opportunity of outstanding academic performance. But think about this: If a school is keeping students off the streets of Oakland and even prevents violence within its campus, is that not evidence that it is a great school?
Lastly, J.R. said, “AIMS should be shut down, taxpayer money is not meant for Mr. Chavis’ personal enrichment or his personal schemes.” Chavis allows low income students with the opportunity to have free testing material and free applications for the SATs, for College applications. How? Not only is he using funds for the students but also he is using his own money when the funds prove to be insufficient.
I admit I am biased, but let us not judge without reason. There are flaws to every argument. But I present a question that focuses on the argument that is to encouraging the closing of AIMS schools.
EVEN IF CHAVIS HAS SOME RECORD OF OFFENSE OR MISCONDUCT, SHOULD THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM OF OPPORTUNITY BE TAKEN FROM FUTURE COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS?
In other words, should Chavis’ actions affect his legacy?
Allow me raise this question metaphorically: Should the son carry the debt of the father?
April 4th, 2012 at 9:13 am
Student,
I am guilty of giving an incomplete answer.If Chavis is found to have violated the public trust in any way, it would then be necessary to shutdown AIM in order to re-organize the managerial structure so that education could continue. After re-organization, I see no reason why the charter could not continue.
April 4th, 2012 at 10:20 am
Reason the School Board should deny renewal is that AIPCS governance has demonstrated it was unable to implement the program it promised.
AIPCS provided high scores it promised. But, it didn’t keep its promise to provide full and complete reports on its operations and governance. Nor did it establish the governance by charter school board it promised.
The Board can’t fulfill its legal duty of oversight the governance of a charter school if the charter school is not fully complying with agreements to provide timely and accurate information to the Board and follow all laws and regulations.
The charges stemming from FCMAT audits are upsetting but rigorous oversight of charter schools should mean that charters do not get renewal if the information needed for oversight is not provided when a charter school is in operation. Timely and reliable information is the life blood for oversight and when it is cut off a charter school should cease to exist.
Jim Mordecai
April 4th, 2012 at 10:47 am
I feel sorry for the students. The shut down of their school will mean that they will have to attend a sub-standard Oakland Public school. What a shame. I feel sorry for the parents who will be faced with a horrible choice…Where do I send my kid now?
April 4th, 2012 at 11:40 am
Katy Murphy,
Do you know of any other cases like this that have been considered in California or the United States?
April 4th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Cases of a charter school with exceptionally high test scores facing the possibility of closure because of operational and financial issues? There must be some, but that’s a good question. I can try to find out.
April 4th, 2012 at 11:46 am
Bill Huyet, number 38 above, is the Superintendent of Berkeley Unified, and he apparently doesn’t like liberals. He’s retiring this year, thank goodness.
April 4th, 2012 at 11:47 am
Student,
To answer your question with another question,
Do the ends justify the means?
There are many people who think they do. Based on your arguments I think you are one of them. Many people in education ‘reform’ circles seem to think that student test scores (a metric which I have already questioned) are to be raised by any means necessary.
The stories about humiliation in the service of discipline which have come out of AIPCS suggest that a form of abuse, if not outright violence, has been employed in order to achieve the high API scores. I know that many who post here regularly maintain that this is appropriate.
As for your assertion that AIPCS is a great school because it keeps kids off the streets and prevents violence (but not public shaming) in the school grounds, I think that is a rather low bar for greatness.
April 4th, 2012 at 11:49 am
I don’t think it’s the same person. I’m sure there is more than one Bill Huyet in the world, and Superintendent Bill Huyett spells his last name with two `t’s.
April 4th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Re charters with impressive test scores being closed, didn’t the now-notorious University Prep charter in Oakland (UPrep) have impressive test scores before its fraudulent practices came to light — including cheating on tests?
Katy, KIPP had a charter school in Fresno with high test scores and happy parents that KIPP shut down after charges surfaced that the principal had physically abused students. (It’s hard to imagine that parents would be happy about this, but things can be really weird in charter-land.) As I recall, KIPP was stoutly denying the abuse, but then right at that time claimed that they couldn’t pay the mortgage on the site, which evidently KIPP had purchased, and shut down the school so it wouldn’t be foreclosed.
Quite a mess considering the glowing press KIPP routinely gets.
April 4th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
UPrep didn’t have high standardized test scores, despite all the testing “irregularities.” The last API available (due to said irregularities) was 679. That was in 2005. http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/APIBase2006/2005BaseSch.aspx?allcds=01612590130591
UPrep’s governing board decided to close the school in the summer of 2007, after charter revocation appeared to be nearly inevitable. Here’s a blog post I wrote from that meeting. UPrep’s board, like American Indian’s, often made it difficult for parents, teachers and anyone else interested in the school’s business to attend meetings. http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2007/07/31/uprep-board-calls-last-minute-meeting-votes-to-close-school/
April 4th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Ms. Caroline,
Are you insinuating that all high performing charter schools are abusers and badly managed?
Using your logic then, one can say that given the past practices of many of the traditional school districts, then they are far worse.
I mean you have it all from theft, to murder right?
How many low performing schools have been caught in districts for performing lewd acts (or drug abuse)with or in front of kids that the public is not aware of? I use thos 2 examples because those happened through my many years of having 3 generations of family in schools- you perhaps my dear, have not been around that long.
But by using the logic model established by you caroline, then all district teachers are sex abusers, and drug addicts.
I am sorry dear, but obviously you have zero hope in students who have underperformed in schools and cannot fathom that such a low barometer established by these state exams are simply impossible to reach by poor or minority children.
That is the problem and why charter schools exist in the first place.You are also a problem in education; and by the way- all items with apics are allegations.
April 4th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Well, this is a huge non-surprise to anyone who has any knowledge of schools in Oakland. Sadly, all of this did not come to light earlier… but that is also part of the “success” of the school.
The scores are undeniable. The students are well behaved and excellent at regurgitating information. Mr. Chavis’ “tough love” approach resonates with some members of our community, and is mirrored by many successful parents. None of that means it is good for education with public dollars.
First of all, we know that API or any other test scored-based measure of school quality is incomplete at best. It is even more questionable when financial fraud amongst school leadership is alleged. However, I have no reason to believe that these students didn’t get these scores—-any school that cherry picks students and emphasizes test scores as the be-all and end-all will produce high scores.
However, giving the school credit for these scores is as ridiculous as giving the students the blame for the financial fraud. These students would have gotten high test scores if they were in isolation for a year with their text books. They got these high scores before AIPCS, they got them after after.
This school recruited a very specific type of student (as is clear from the demographics). I was appalled when I attended a school choice function put on by Lincoln Elementary a few years ago. The school leader for AIPCS said quite clearly that they believe in hard work and punishment, and that if a student didn’t do their homework, they would be physically punished. The positive reception that comment got from many of the assembled parents was both predictable and very disheartening to the other schools making their case for the well-rounded education they were trying to provide. State law is very clear on what can and cannot be done in public schools, and if a school wants to advertise their questionable treatment of students public schools will not be able to compete.
One of the public school representatives at the meeting was not as concerned as I was, however, and noted that many of the students would flee the school after having to wear a dunce cap for a day or spend the day in a kneeling position. Many others would simply not be asked back and would re-enter the public schools, bringing their grades and test scores back (it should be noted that “charter refugees” don’t have their test scores count if they transfer part way through the year, nor does the public school get money for the child).
Again, these practices definitely played fast & lose with the law, it is no surprise the same happened with money. It’s also no surprise that people didn’t complain publicly or formally—after all, they only accepted the most compliant students from compliant families—many with out enough experience or knowledge in America’s laws to know what was acceptable.
I agree that the kids are the victims… but I also argue that they already were. Hopefully they will enjoy other schools where they are allowed to be normal kids and not just test score factories.
(Another quick note: “finishing the text book” is about the worst judge of a teacher, curriculum, or school, that I have ever heard. My cousin read “Grey’s Anatomy” before his 14th birthday. He would have been a lousy doctor).
April 4th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
@#51 Del,
“I agree that the kids are the victims… but I also argue that they already were.”
This is the problem with education. You don’t believe in minority students.
April 4th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Katy Murphy,
Please do a play-by-play reporting of this evening’s meeting if possible.
April 4th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Good idea! The board hasn’t yet taken up the issue. They just returned from closed session.
April 4th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Re #44: Katy, The charter renewal for Fulton Science Academy in Alpharetta, a high test score-producing charter school in an affluent community in Georgia, was denied by Fulton County school board in December 2011. The school played chicken and lost, having refused to agree to changes in the agreement which were imposed by the district in an attempt to correct non-compliance and other issues.
http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2011/05/fulton-science-academy-middle-school.html
An effort is currently underway to change the GA charter school law. If it’s successful, FSA will probably attempt to get its charter approved by the state.
Incidentally, FSA is in the network of charter schools being operated by the Gulen movement. FSA’s parents are in denial about the seriousness of what that means, and the school’s operators have been very successful with establishing their political cover.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/largest-charter-network-in-us-schools-tied-to-turkey/2012/03/23/gIQAoaFzcS_blog.html
http://gulencharterschools.weebly.com/fulton-science-academy.html
April 4th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
I would also appreciate updates!
April 4th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
I’ve started the live blog!
April 4th, 2012 at 9:33 pm
This school is not good. Just because we have high scores does not mean that it is a good school. Yes, there are good teachers at this school, but not all of them put in the same effort. The teachers are sometimes lazy. They dont collect our homework sometimes. I remember getting a lot of homework for winter break, and the teacher did not even collect it. Some students did not even do it, but they still go the credit. Teachers tend to take sides. They give higher grades to those who they prefer. If you come and ask all the students if they like the school, most of them will say no. The school has changed. They are becoming less attentive towards the students. They dont care anymore. This school has never been about parent-inolvement, but now they are trying to get parents involved. They sent out memos to parents asking for the parent’s support. They wanted parent’s to come to school and support the school. Like, really?! The school will come up with a sneaky plan to keep the school open. Dont be fooled by their words. Close it down. Colleges wont want “cheaters” from this school. I can assure you that students from this school will not be accepted into good colleges anymore due to the fraud. Trust me, the school changes the student’s grades. If an Asian doesn’t get a high grade, they boost it up.
Is that fair, no. If you really want to do the right thing, close the school down before something worse happens.
April 4th, 2012 at 10:36 pm
I cannot believe so many people wanted the school to shut down because of Chavis’ financial fraud. I agreed that I did not like this school because of the homeworks, detentions, and saturday schools; also because of the school’s appearance. To many people ( including me), the school does not look like a school because it was held inside an apartment or office building. But, no one could deny the students’ and the teachers’ hardwork. Many teachers stayed until 5-6 p.m afterschool to help students and some of the students have tutoring everyday until 4-5p.m. Shutting down the school is like denying the students’ and the teachers’ efforts. Why are so many people attending this school and not other schools? One reason was that because they were forced by their parents to attend this school. Second, was because of the high API. Third, because this school provide a safe environment for the students, where they do not need to worry about gangs, violence, bullying, guns, or knives. Lastly, was because the parents believe that by sending their kids to this school could help their kids to get into a good college, which is true. Seniors in this school were accepted to colleges, such as, Princeton, Dartmouth, UC Davis, UCLA, and UC Berkeley; they also do not need to pay for it. Also, what would happen to the students in this school? They work very hard over past few years, suffering from the load of homeworks, detentions afterschool, and saturday schools. Most importantly, they believed that their hardworks would finally paid off once they graduate and get into a good college. Most importantly, if the school is shut down, then where the students should go? To other schools? I do not think some of the students could fit in with other students in other schools. Please considers about the students and teachers in the school before making any decision. The school does not deserves to be closed down because of Chavis’s fault.
April 5th, 2012 at 12:38 am
Does the board realize what they have done? They just allowed this school to be approved for a K-8 charter.
No one even blinked to that. A middle school that was slated to be closed all of a sudden is allowed to expand- man Oakland is in trouble with this board.
So….the school will remain in his facility, so the game will continue! Wow- Oakland is pathetic. If I ran a charter school in the city I know its all about that board and no one else.
April 5th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Chavis controls the board. The new accountant is a friend of Michael Stember’s. Spearman is a personal friend of Chavis. The principals don’t have credentials. One principal has repeatedly swept the fact that adults have dated and tried to date students. The board having to go through training won’t help if the board is corrupt. One board member is paid by Chavis, the other lives with him. It has NOTHING to do w/the students. The school needs to close, get its act together, get rid of the board, and force Chavis to just be the landlord.
April 5th, 2012 at 8:57 am
The motion of staff to deny the renewal of the charter of the American Indian Public Charter School II as recommended by staff was substituted with a motion to approve the charter petition with conditions moved by Board member Spearman and second by Board member Gallo.
Vote was 4-3. Affirmative Spearman, Gallo, Hinton-Hodge, Dobbins and negative Kakishiba, Yee, London
The negative vote was about lack of commitment by governance to put changes in place that will show governance wants to address criticisms and problems.
In my view the decider was Board Member Dobbins. He stated he couldn’t vote to close a school with 990 score. High score verses good stewardship of the public’s trust and high score won Dobbins’ vote.
I wanted to raise the issue of conflict of interest for Board member Spearman. But, although her defense of her publicly stated friend Dr. Ben Chavis may seem like a conflict of interest, I don’t believe it fits a legal conflict of interest as she has no financial gain by her vote.
And, if Board member Spearman had declared a conflict-of-interest because of personal relationship with the founder, Ben Chavis, the Board wouldn’t have had four votes necessary to pass the substitute motion. The substitute motion would have failed and the main motion to deny the charter would most likely failed too for lack of four votes. That would have meant, I believe, that the renewal would be granted as the Board has a window to act and if it doesn’t act renewal is automatic.
Clever how the law is written to with the default is approval of charter schools when the Board doesn’t act.
Interesting question is whether the Board has legal power to approve a charter with conditions. A start-up charter can be granted for less than 5-years but a renewal must be for 5-years. The two elementary schools being converted next year to charters were granted their charters with conditions but remains to be seen if the District will or can enforce any of its conditions.
I am not sure conditions that were a part of the motion that was voted on. One condition was that the governing board receives training and that standard accounting procedures be followed. Discussion was had by the Board about one condition was not permitting expansion beyond grade levels 5-8 in the current charter. However, I don’t think restriction to 5-8 grades was mentioned in the final language that was voted on.
Jim Mordecai
April 5th, 2012 at 8:57 am
PB- In over your head is what I believe I said. Welcome to urban politics 101!
Congrats AIPCS 2 – A very well orchestrated show (except for the board pres) wow- he is not the sharpest tool in the shed!
April 5th, 2012 at 11:13 am
I agree with Jim that a 5-year renewal, up or down, is troubling. In the middle of an investigation, before it’s complete, and with the President of the Board denying there are any problems. (That is really really troubling).
I agree that the high scores are inspiring. But the financial management is not. And the Board members who voted for approval essentially said one is more important than the other. Is this a campaign platform, for higher office?
BOTH are important. When a Charter is denied by the Board, can they reapply after they work to address concerns? (Regardless of what the County Board does…).
April 5th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
@52 aka Anon
You think the problem is that I do not believe in minority students. Yet I am a Black man who sent all my children to school and college. I spent more than 30 years working OUSD. Read what I wrote. The problem is that I DO believe in all students, and I also believe that physical abuse, bullying by adults, and public humiliation is not appropriate in publicly funded schools. Am I wrong? Or do minority kids “need” that in your view?
April 5th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Livegreen:
Up or down renewal vote is the basic concept of the charter school as being based on a market decision. The idea is that the high achieving charter schools survive and the low achieving schools are discarded based on performance.
If test scores is the be all, then unless cheating is found, as little regulation as possible is what the market model demands.
I don’t believe that test scores should be the only value because public school children and the public’s money are involved.
The involvement of the public in how its public schools are run should be open and transparent. But, because charter schools are corporations, that transparency is not enforceable.
The School Board majority voted to do the opposite of what the staff had recommended regarding a conditional approval. From the staff report page 7 of 39.
“A conditional renewal of the charter has been considered, but is not recommended for the following reasons:
“The violations of the charter and applicable law and regulation identified by the staff and the extraordinary audit are serious and far-ranging. They involve the safety of students and staff, as well as millions of dollars of public funds. To authorize a conditional renewal would undermine the ability of the District to hold charter schools accountable to their legal and ethical obligations.”
In other words governance of the AIPCS II will not be held accountable for the next five years.
Jim Mordecai
April 5th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
A response to:
Charles Weil Says:
April 4th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Ms. Caroline,
Are you insinuating that all high performing charter schools are abusers and badly managed?
No. After many, many years of following the charter sector and the education “reform” sector closely (as a parent volunteer advocate) I believe that most if not all high-performing charter schools engage in practices that would drive up any school’s performance (such as quietly picking and choosing students and pushing out the low performers without replacing them).
But I believe that a school with sky-high test scores whose operator has engaged in dishonest and fraudulent financial practices is highly likely (if not guaranteed) to be engaging in dishonest and fraudulent testing and reporting practices too. Frankly, anyone who doesn’t see that is hopelessly naive.
July 25th, 2012 at 10:19 pm
I think the purpose of the people who are labeling successful charter schools as Gulen Charter Schools is to defame Fethullah Gulen and successful charter schools. It was mentioned on CBS’s 60 Minutes that nationwide TIME Magazine listed some of those two successful charter schools in top 10 schools of the nation. They’re combining those schools as Gulen Charter Schools, because they’re successful. Those people who are actually against good and goodness picking Fethullah Gulen’s name as a person to mention with those successful charter schools. Whoever they are, they don’t like Fethullah Gulen because of his teachings and positive contribution to humanity in 21st century.
http://www.gulencharterschools.tk , http://www.gulenschools.org
July 26th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
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January 28th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
If you guys are going to shut down this school,where will the students’ go ,where all these hardworking teacher and staff going to find another job. Some people (including me) like this school because most of the students and teacher are stay after school for a reason. the student are staying after school because they need help with homework, tutoring ,or helping their teacher. The teachers are staying after school because they are getting ready for the next day for class, helping their student, or doing their own work. Shutting down this school means a lot to the AIPCS students’. Even throw there is a lot of Asian doesn’t mean that the Asian are very smart they’re trying to get a good grade and going to a great college when we students at AIPCS .This is the best school in Oakland shut it down just means the student at AIPCS that they did hard work for nothing .I know a lot of people in this school that doesn’t like it here just because it is strike. After the years I’ve been here my grades have improved. this is why my mom send me to this school so I can get into a good college when i grow up. Who care if they are strike ! They are strike for a lot of reason because the teachers want the students to get good grades and going to a great college . The AIPCS students, teachers, and staff are pleasing the district not to shut down the AMERICAN INDAN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL . This school means a lot to the people that goes to this school
February 6th, 2013 at 3:25 pm
I’m tired of this roller coaster. I am enrolling my son in a private school. The teachers union is behind this. I hate to say this but most Chinese are too timid to fight for themselves so I doubt this battle can be won. Unless these parent get together and seriously get mean, they will end up having to choose which poor performing, dangerous ghetto school their children will be attending in the near future. I feel sorry for the majority who simply can’t afford to a private school or to simply move out of the district.
February 6th, 2013 at 11:12 pm
American Dad:
Perhaps you know better than me why I am a critic of Gulen network of schools. But I believe Gulen network raises questions, not because it is linked to followers of Imam Gulen, but because its 136 charter schools in America are not transparent. American tradition has been local schools authorized by each state and the 10th amendment makes education a subject of the individual states.
As an American Dad you also know the American tradition of separate of church and state. The largest non-profit network of charter schools in America is Gulen linked network of charter schools managed by males that speak Turkish. Should in America Turks have Turk cultural schools? Most Americans could care less. But, most would also say, I believe, such cultural schools should not be financed by the public. Remember the American public includes taxpaying Armenians that have a history that doesn’t favor financing Turkish anything.
But, I acknowledge that Gulen schools if they are followers of Gulen, and true to his published word, educate students for service to the community from which children come. Oakland even has a charter school with Catholic followers the private managers of that Oakland charter school. And, in time its Catholic managers will likely be networked like Gulen schools. If Catholic followers grow enough charter schools maybe they can compete with Catholic managed charter secular schools for converts, I mean students.
But, this particular Gulen/Bay Technology School has not kept the promise it made from a show of engineers and scientists to provide a program that dynamically boost math and science test scores. If you look at the STAR test scores for Chemistry, the school students never took the test. A STEM advertised school and students never take the end of course STAR Chemistry test? And, with a school emphasizing math, how come there is little difference between English Language Scores and Math scores across the grades? Shouldn’t the program outcome be consistently higher math scores?
Perhaps the school followers of Gulen at Bay Tech follow the Imam and make education about community and service, but the School Board didn’t see that as the outcome priority. And, why the followers of the Imam and Jesus value service to the community, the rules of the charter school game is American Indian charter type of score worship and outcome.
As an American Dad You know: community in America is subordinate to individual achievement. American Mom says: Cut that apple away from yourself little one so that you don’t cut yourself!
Oh, one possible difference between potential Catholic followers’ charter school network and current 136 charter school Imam Gulen network is that schools in the Catholic charter network won’t likely be requesting as many Green Cards.
Jim Mordecai