Ohio charter schools sending tons of cash to Turkey

By On May 17, 2011 · 14 Comments

An investivation by Ron Regan of WEWS revealed last night that the operator of 16 Horizon Science Science Academies in Ohio has been sending hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent, immigration and legal fees to Turkey.

Auditors found immigration fees and legal fees for school officials’ families and others living in Turkey. In some cases, auditors found payments were made to individuals who were never employed by any of the schools.

Auditors found 19 Turkish immigrants were paid nearly $13,000 for what they called “illegal immigration fees.”

…

A Horizon Science Academy school in Dayton signed a lease agreement that sends $600,000 over five years to the property’s owner living in Turkey.

According to the schools’ operator, the immigration and legal fees are necessary because they can’t find “high quality teachers” here in Ohio.

According to a Dayton Daily news piece from March, the schools aren’t only importing Turkish teachers, they are actually paying them much more than local teachers.

Of 19 teachers listed for Horizon-Dayton, six of the seven earning more than $35,000 in 2010 are Turkish. Turks made $38,200-$50,000, while the others, with one exception, made $26,000-$32,000

I think Sue Taylor of the Ohio Federation of Teachers sums it up nicely:

“When we know that Ohioans need jobs, why would my taxpayer dollars be paying foreign nationals. And why would Ohio tax dollars be spend to companies located in foreign lands.”

Evangelize!
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  • https://me.yahoo.com/a/I36l6R0Ppv9Xrv7VDLT3Fa7Grs4huwhgxg--#c9aea PalliYour Name

     Who is the on the Board of Directors of Horizon Academies?  These kinds of financial decisions must be accounted for at the Board level.  A way of life has evolved for these conservative “operations” that defies logic but effectively spreads the money around the conservative circle. Or is this just inventive money laundering? Certainly the  reasons that can not be for the common good of the state or the nation.

  • Anonymous

    But what we need right now is LESS oversight and accountability! Thanks, Governor Kasich. You’re a real genius.

  • Annekarima

    Now are these Christian or Muslim teachers? Will they be paid more for teaching religion on the side? Interesting…

  • Kimboggs143

    “…that’s nobody’s business but the Turks.”

  • Ingthing

    After a little exploring online, I see that there are some people who report that these Horizon Science Academies, and their management company, Current Schools, is part of a larger network of schools across the US that are created by the Gulen Movement (Fethullah Gulen, leader) and that their long-range, simmering plans are political.  Also, it seems all or most of the directors of these Horizon schools are Turkish men as are many of the board members of these Ohio schools.  I’m not sure of the validity of these theories, but you might be surprised by what you read at charterschoolwatchdog.com.    Of note is a map of these schools across the US, which can be found at:  http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/the-map-of-gulen.html.

  • Ingthing

    The map link isn’t working, but you can find it by clicking on “The Map of Gulen” in the list of posts at charterschoolwatchdog.com.   

  • Annekarima

    Seems there are more places to place this blame than at kasich s feet.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, there are lots of people misusing OUR money, but it is the job of our government to oversee those people – and Kasich wants LESS oversight. All that will do is allow more situations like this to go on longer and waste even more of our money.

  • Annekarima

    Thanks for the links. 

  • Annekarima

    Wow.  I do not know.  I just watched the video and am trying to absorb it.  Am wondering … could there be more than the obvious motives to the gov wanting to ”break the backs” of the school unions?  This is a dirty dirty thing to do to a profession, to a state one claims to care about and to a people one claims to represent. 

  • GreenIris

    best comment today.
    still laughing, and now still singing the song.

  • Anonymous

    John Kasich can’t seem to rest until the *teachers* qualify for reduced lunches.

  • Guest

    Didn’t Kasich promise Ohioan’s jobs and then increased the giving of tax dollars to private schools which are doing this?  This shows the whole education and economic philosophies of Kasich are a shame….

  • Guest

    Didn’t Kasich promise Ohioan’s jobs and then increased the giving of tax dollars to private schools which are doing this?  This shows the whole education and economic philosophies of Kasich are a shame….

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