Remember the Harte Crossroads charter school that used to occupy the top floor of the City Center Mall? The school closed abrubtly last May leaving behind millions in debt and hundreds of students without a school?
Well the dispatch is reporting today that the situation is even worse that originally thought:
- $2.66 million could be owed to 188 creditors. Former teachers want to be paid, as do the schools’ vendors and the State Teachers Retirement System. The schools also were behind on rent and apparently hadn’t paid for school lunches.
- More than $1 million is owed in taxes and to federal and state education departments for grants.
- An auction of school furniture and supplies raised $7,826.50 to help pay those debts. But missing computers — maybe dozens — are presumed stolen.
But it gets worse.
It turns out that the founder of Harte Crossroads, Anita Nelam, has moved to South Carolina and is working for the Obama campaign as a director of operations!
Does this make any sense? In Ohio- she contributed to Husted and ran a charter school into the ground- and now, suddenly, she’s changed sides and is working for Eric’s favorite democratic presidential candidate?
I’d like to offer some insight here- but the whole situation just confuses the hell out of me. Is it sabotage? Did she lie on her application? Is she just a long-time friend of the Obama family?
I have no clue.
I just hope the Obama people don’t let her handle any money.
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- Auditor Yost suddenly supporting less charter school oversight?
- Meet the lobbyist responsible for Ohio’s new charter school Wild West
- Ohio Dept of Education to charter school sponsor: “Stop taking the money!”
- Charter school students cost Ohio taxpayers 2.5 times more $$
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bonobo
Budget Watch
