CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Believe Schools

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Believe Schools

Believe Schools

by The Perimeter Primate

Students at $100 a Head? (The New York Times, May 26, 2010)

We know about schemes to pay students for high marks. And we’ve written about some of themarketing tactics schools are using to attract families. But one charter high school in Williamsburg is taking a step further – offering a $100 reward to any student who recruits another teenager to attend the school.
Last night we were sent a photo purporting to show a sign posted on the third floor of Public School 126 at 424 Leonard Street, which houses the Williamsburg Charter High School as well as its two spinoffs, Believe Northside Charter High School and Believe Southside Charter High School.
Evoking the old “Wanted” posters of the Wild West, the flier asks for help to “recruit students who you feel would benefit from the exceptional opportunity to attend Believe Schools in all grades.” It promises $100 for each student recruited, provided they enroll and “remain for at least one term with us!” (The same picture also turned up Tuesday night on Education Notes Online.)
Jacqui Lipson, a spokeswoman for the schools, declined to comment but did not deny that the sign was up…
Officials about from the department’s charter school office received a similar picture of the sign last weekend and asked officials at the Believe charter network to take down the sign and rescind the

Dual Immersion Academy

by The Perimeter Primate

Parents protest at Salt Lake charter school: Academy's board stands behind administrator, despite parents' allegations. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 7, 2010)

Dual Immersion Academy's board has thrown its support behind a beleaguered administrator who resigned earlier this week amid parents' financial mismanagement allegations.
At a meeting Friday evening, board members voted to reject DIA director Laurencio Peña's Wednesday resignation, saying his contract expires June 30 and they will renegotiate his employment then.
The board passed a resolution expressing support for Peña, who denied he has mismanaged the public charter school's budget.