Hundred show up in Anaheim, CA to watch "Killing Ed" Magnolia Gulen Employee 86'd

ANAHEIM – Charter schools have a small presence in Orange County, but concern over their future growth drew some 900 educators, parents and students to a film screening of a new documentary highly critical of school charter groups with alleged ties to a Turkish religious movement.

Led by Anaheim Union High School District Superintendent Mike Matsuda, a panel discussion followed the showing of “Killing Ed” in the Anaheim High School auditorium Tuesday night.

Matsuda and the Anaheim Union school board in December published an opinion piece criticizing charters, including Westminster-based Magnolia Public Schools, which it alleges is part of a large network of charter schools connected to a wealthy Turkish imam, Fethullah Gulen. He is considered a controversial and powerful opponent to the Turkish government.

“We wanted to show this documentary because of the critical lack of transparency in the Gulen organization. My question was and continues to be: what do they have to hide?” Matsuda told the crowd.

Magnolia leaders deny connections to Gulen or his movement.

“Absolutely, categorically, Magnolia has nothing to do with the Gulen movement as an institution,” said Caprice Young, Magnolia’s CEO and superintendent. lying bitch Caprice, you know the truth.

Magnolia has 11 charter schools, including the Magnolia Science Academy in Santa Ana. The group is looking to expand with 10 new schools in California, including campuses in the Anaheim City, Anaheim Union, Garden Grove Unified and Santa Ana Unified school districts. But it has met with push back from some local educators. 

At Tuesday’s viewing, a representative from Magnolia was “kicked out” and not allowed at the event, Young said. Good, keep your little scabs out, and tools of the Gulen Movement away.  

“I don’t understand how you can have a screening with ... the school board members there and the public was excluded,” Young said Wednesday. You "don't understand" - it's called NO ONE WANTS YOU OR YOUR SCHOOLS 

The event was an invitation-only function and the Magnolia representative did not have a ticket, school board member Al Jabbar said in an e-mail.

The documentary accuses the schools it features of questionable practices, such as hiring unqualified teachers and working with a network of businesses and vendors run by Turkish nationals who profit from the relationships. Magnolia was mentioned once and only briefly in the film.

The panel discussion featured the film’s director, Mark S. Hall; Sharon Higgins, an Oakland woman who has extensively researched the Gulen movement and its schools; and José F. Moreno, a local activist and former school board member who recently co-filed a complaint urging the California Department of Education to investigate Magnolia schools.

After the screening, Matsuda urged attendees to contact their education leaders and call for new legislation to regulate charter schools, which are publicly funded independent schools billed by advocates as a way to offer families greater choices in education.

Anaheim Union is urging other districts to ask the state for a temporary moratorium on all new charter schools. Anaheim Union trustees plan to take up a resolution Thursday.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/schools-707539-magnolia-school.html

Magnolia Science Academy Gulen "inspired" school roster for LAUSD

Magnolia Science Academy #1

18238 Sherman Way

Reseda, CA     grades 6-12

Principal-Mustafa Sahin  and Varol Gurler

 

Magnolia Science Academy #2 (Birmingham High School- share campus)

17125 Victory Blvd

San Fernando Valley, CA   grades 6-12

Principal - Suat Acar

 

Magnolia Science Academy #3

1254 E. Helmick St.

Carson, CA  grades 6-12

Principal Selcuk "steven" Keskinturk

 

Magnolia Science Academy #4 (Daniel Webster School)

1130 N. Graham Pl.

Los Angeles, CA 90064  grades 6-12

Principal   Omar Polat

 

Magnolia Science Academy #5

18230 Kittridge St.

Reseda,CA  grades 6-12

Principal    Ismail Ozkay

 

Magnolia Science Academy #6

3754 Dunn Dr.

Los Angeles, CA 90034  grades 6-8

Principal   "john" Gurcan Terzi

 

Magnolia Science Academy #7

18355 Roscoe Blvd.,

Northridge, CA  grades K-5

Principal   Irina Erangey-Millard   (Only female principal in the USA works for Gulen Movement) 

Irina is "Central Asian" (Turkic)

 

Magnolia Science Academy #8

6411 N. Orchard ave.,

Bell, CA 90201   grades 6-8

principal  Alfredo Rubalcava token Mexican American

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZJR1Zyu-A

Magnolia Science Academy # 6 and #7 not renewed and ordered CLOSED after forensic audits

Two high performing LA Unified charter schools, Magnolia Science Academy 6 and Magnolia Science Academy 7, have been ordered to shut down after failing a new round of scrutiny, leaving the possibility that 450 students will be looking for a new school in the fall.
The two schools had initially been approved for renewal by the school board in March, pending the results of an internal fiscal audit by the district’s Inspector General. But the findings of that audit, which was concluded late last month, led the LAUSD Charter School Division to call off the four-year renewals.
“We are empathetic that parents and families are in this situation but it doesn’t touch the level of disruption it would cause if the schools were to shut down mid-year,” board member Steve Zimmer told LA School Report about the last minute closure.
“What is happening now is a function of our obligation as an authorizer. We have an obligation to make sure all of our schools are sound and to make sure the laws are followed,” said Zimmer, in whose district Magnolia Science Academy 6 is located.
Last week the schools’ management organization, Magnolia Charter Schools, filed an injunction in Los Angeles Superior Court to prevent the closures. A hearing is set for July 24th.
It’s unclear exactly how the schools violated the district’s guidelines — district officials declined to elaborate — but at the time of the renewal application the district was looking into the long-term fiscal viability of the two schools. Both have struggled to meet enrollment targets and were planning to eliminate grade levels next year. And neither school maintained the district’s recommended 5 percent in cash reserves as a rainy day fund.

Another issue that has dogged the schools’ operator in the past has been its ties to the Gulen movement, a Turkish Islamist group that has founded schools, think tanks, and media outlets around the world.
At the school board meeting in March, Inspector General Ken Bramlett confirmed claims of the association, “We have done some looking into that allegation and there is some evidence that some members of the Magnolia organization do have ties with the Gulen movement, but we have not found anything currently that would be grounds for denial.”
Instead, Jose Cole-Guitierrez, Director of the Charter School division told the board, “we want to do a deeper dive” into the schools’ financial state, before adding, “our expectation is that there [will be] no material weaknesses found in that review.”
But the findings of that audit apparently revealed enough damaging information that it triggered the non-renewal.
At last week’s board meeting Janelle Ruley, an attorney representing the Magnolia Science Academy schools, challenged the Charter School Division’s decision and its timing, accusing the district of delaying the results of the Inspector General’s audit until the last day of the school year, which left the schools no time to respond to or remedy the violations.
“Right now, it’s the middle of the summer and all of a sudden these students don’t know where they’re going to school next year,” she said.
She asked the board “to retract the letter from the Charter Schools Division and instead work with the charter schools to find collaborative solutions for these students over the summer.”
But in a statement released today, LAUSD says the schools had plenty of warning. “Magnolia was present at the Board meeting and was aware of the recommendation for conditional renewal before, during, and after the Board action.  The Charter Schools Division and Magnolia had several discussions regarding the steps needed to implement the review of the schools’ fiscal processes and operations.”
Calls to Magnolia Charter Schools were not returned. There is no indication on either school website or corresponding Facebook pages that parents have been informed of the schools’ closure.

The audit is below that determined Magnolia Science Academy #6 and #7 closed.  Page 5 indicates over $200,000 was spent on H1-b Visas and many were not employees.  Additionally one of the parent companies MERF (Magnolia Education and Research Foundation) borrowed $2.8 million from the schools.

Magnolia Science Academy #6, Magnolia Science Academy #7 by laschoolreport

MEANWHILE MAGNOLIA SCIENCE ACADEMY GETS A $6 MILLION FACILITY GRANT

Magnolia Science Academy graduates attend ceremonies at Gulen Pacifica Institute

Here is the class of 2014, it must have been a hard year financially for the boys on the west coast.  They have asked for decrease in class size, closed their Pacific Technology School in Orangevale, CA and were DENIED a school in San Diego School District. 
The Graduation ceremony took place at the Pacifica Insitute which is very much a part of the Gulen Movement and very much part of the Magnolia Science Academies and Pacifica Technology Schools in California, operated and managed by members of Gulen Movement (Hizmet or Cemaat) 

 

 

Magnolia Science Academy participates in Gulen Turkish Olympiad semi- Finals in Las Vegas

Coral Science Academy the Gulen operated school in Nevada participated in the Gulen
Turkish Olympiad semi final in Las Vegas, her name is Lorena Dema

This student is Kristen Anglesey who attends the Gulen Turkish school in Utah called
Beehive Science and Technology Academy.  She is not Turkish but wore a Turkish Costume and sang
in Turkish. 

This is Elton San Juan he is a student at the Gulen operated school in California
Magnolia Science Academy #8 He is not Turkish but is singing in Turkish.






 

Magnolia Science Academy, Senior Turkey Trip.............your tax dollars hard at work

And the predictable Gulen tour complete with photo in front of the Grand Sofia Mosque, converted from a Church the St. Hagia Sofia. 

http://msa2.magnoliascience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=293%3Aseniors-turkiye-trip-mar-13&catid=38%3Aslideshow

Magnolia Science Academy forfeits 2 charter expansions on West Coast

http://www.sccoe.org/supandboard/agendaminutes/2012-13/012313/9A.pdf

Their letter cites "Financial difficulties" also their November 2012 board minutes reflect a severe cash flow problem of Magnolia Public Schools. Of course, they blame budget cuts. I guess hiring Turks who don't speak English to teach isn't paying off for them.

 

also tweeks the charter application as they go

 

http://www.sccoe.k12.ca.us/depts/charter/docs/petitions_renewal/MSA-Santa-Clara-Petition-for-Charter-Renewal_redline.pdf

Despite concerns about finances, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Clara won a renewal

By Sharon Noguchi snoguchi@mercurynews.comcontracostatimes.com

Posted: 01/24/2013 03:58:25 PM PST

January 24, 2013 11:58 PM GMTUpdated: 01/24/2013 03:58:25 PM PST

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22444059/santa-clara-county-school-board-extends-charter-magnolia?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

SANTA CLARA -- Despite concerns about its finances, Magnolia Science Academy won a renewal of its charter to continue operating.

On Wednesday the Santa Clara County Board of Education granted a five-year extension for the public charter, which has more than 500 students in grades 6 though 9.

The school, located in Santa Clara, has had a negative cash flow, poor fiscal accounting and a problem with internal controls, according to Micaela Ochoa, chief business officer for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, which oversees the charter. Before cementing an agreement with the county office, the school will have to get its fiscal house in order, the county school board ordered. But on academic issues, the board complimented the school, which stresses science and math.

About 30 parents, teachers and children spoke to the board in praise of Magnolia's teaching and programs.

The county board voted 5 to 1, with trustee Anna Song dissenting, to extend the charter. Trustee Darcie Green abstained.

The school is one of 12 in the state run by the Magnolia Educational & Research Foundation.

-- Sharon Noguchi, staff

 

Magnolia Science Academy mentioned in Diane Ravitch "who will hold CA Charter Schools accountable"

http://dianeravitch.net/2013/01/14/who-will-hold-charters-accountable-in-california/

Recently, I wrote a post about Steve Zimmer, a member of the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Zimmer proposed that the board develop a policy to hold charters accountable.
He was picketed and jeered by charter advocates, who rejected any demands for oversight. The charter lobby is supporting someone to run against Zimmer in the March elections.
Zimmer acted responsibly. Los Angeles now has more students in charters than any other district (over 100,000), and California now has more charters than any other state.
Even the national and state charter associations claim they want more accountability and more weeding out of bad charters. But actions speak louder than words.
A reader sent this background to the current debates in California:
“The following report tells it all. The vast majority of charters, between 65-70%, close due to financial or mismanagement reasons.
http://www.edreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/StateOfCharterSchools_CER_Dec2011-Web-1.pdf
Recently, Jed Wallace from the California Charter School Association, wrote about charter school accountability in the publication “Ed Source”.
http://www.edsource.org/today/2013/why-california-must-lead-the-way-in-closing-underperforming-charter-schools/24755#.UObvM445Qts
Below are two sections from the report.
“The second state in the nation to allow charter schools, California has long been at the forefront of education reform. We must also lead the way in accountability, which is why the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) is proud to support the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) “One Million Lives” campaign, which kicked off in November. NACSA’s goal is to give one million children access to high-quality schools by encouraging effective charter authorizing, growing the number of high-quality charters across the country and closing those charters that are failing.
“NACSA has called for:
“All states to establish clear charter school performance expectations and close those schools that do not meet the standards.
Implement new laws to hold charter authorizers accountable for the schools they approve. Those that keep failing schools open will lose the ability to authorize schools.
Urge each state to create a statewide authorizer that will implement professional practices based on high standards and promote quality growth.”
“In order to meet the CCSA Minimum Criteria for Renewal, charter schools four years and older must meet at least one of the following criteria:
“Academic Performance Index (API) score of at least 700 in the most recent year, or
Three-year cumulative API growth of at least 50 points, or
Ranked “within” or “above” for at least two out of the last three years on CCSA’s Similar Students Measure.”
“There seems to be a lack of concern in this report about the financial and mismanagement issues. School districts apparently have no interest in appropriate oversight and/ or don’t have the resources to do it properly. Wallace did not address how to make these kinds of changes.
“Louis Freedberg, of Ed Source wrote the following articles to address these issues:
http://www.edsource.org/today/2011/state-looks-into-start-up-charter-school-loss-of-tens-of-millions-of-dollars/1541#.UOb1o445Qts
http://www.edsource.org/today/2011/state-burdened-by-oversight-of-more-charter-schools/1331#.UOb2XI45Qts
“As far as we know, the report promised by Mr. Zeiger on the millions in lost funds to failed charters either was never done or was not made public. No surprise here!!!!!
“Steve Zimmer did the right thing, but the charter lobby is incredibly powerful. It’s fine for Wallace to ask for tighter controls on charters, but again, he doesn’t address how this could and should happen. Zimmer tried. We know that Los Angeles has the most charters of any district in the U.S. It stands to reason that LAUSD should lead the way to tighten these controls.
“A recent example of massive failure by LAUSD to provide appropriate oversight is demonstrated in this audit done on three Magnolia(Gulen) Charter Schools. Sadly, the Board of Education has taken NO steps to revisit the renewal of these charters.
http://notebook.lausd.net/pls/ptl/docs/PAGE/CA_LAUSD/FLDR_ORGANIZATIONS/FLDR_OIG_PUBLICATIONS_AUDIT_REPORTS/12486MAGNOLIASCIENCEACAD.PDF
“Another controversial charter simply refused to participate in an audit as stated below:
http://notebook.lausd.net/pls/ptl/docs/PAGE/CA_LAUSD/FLDR_ORGANIZATIONS/FLDR_OIG_PUBLICATIONS_AUDIT_REPORTS/12492ACADEMIA%20SEMILLAS%20CHARTER%20SCHOOL.PDF
“The bottom line here is that hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars are being lost yearly. Public schools must make up the difference. It’s no wonder that CA has incredibly high class sizes and student to counselor ratios. We need more school board members like Zimmer to speak out and demand changes in the approval and oversight of charters.”

Magnolia Science Academy, renewal of their Santa Clara campus

https://www.sccoe.org/depts/charter/docs/petitions_renewal/MSA-Santa-Clara-Petition-for-Charter-Renewal.pdf

Gulen Schools, FBI penetrates Bay Area Cultural Connections

The FBI also met with representatives of a Turkish-oriented non-profit group called Bay Area Cultural Connections and used one meeting participant's cellphone number to search Department of Motor Vehicle records and obtain detailed information about him.
"By exploiting the good faith of Muslim groups and their members, the FBI is undermining community support for the government's legitimate law enforcement activities," Mike German, the ACLU's senior policy counsel and a former FBI agent, said in a statement.
The FBI labeled information collected from its "mosque outreach" program as "positive intelligence" and disseminated it to other agencies, "placing the people and organizations involved at risk of greater law enforcement scrutiny as potential national security threats," the ACLU said in a statement.

http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-said-gathered-intelligence-california-muslims-002236341.html

Bay Area Cultural Connections is another Gulenist operated “cultural club” bringing Turkish Culture to the community and schools.  They work in California along with Pacifica Institute, Willow Education, Magnolia Education, Gulen Institute and others Gulen front groups.  Are they money laundering American tax money intended for education?

Gulen Connection in California, San Diego where it all started

More inter connections with the Gulen Movement in Education, Politics, Commerce and more.  "moving into the arteries of the system" as their Hocaefendi instructed.  This story is from out in San Diego, CA where the schools and Movement have been linked to YET another politicians - Mayor Filner.

Just in time for the final stretch of San Diego's race for mayor, the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes is airing a report this coming Sunday about a controversial Turkish spiritual leader, followers of whom, records show, have contributed money to the mayoral campaign of Democratic congressman Bob Filner.
The Muslim scholar, Fethullah Gulen, leads a worldwide movement that has been heavily involved in creating high-tech charter schools around the world and has both backers and detractors.
As we reported in March of last year, Filner visited Turkey in late December 2010, courtesy of a nonprofit corporation called the Pacifica Institute:
"Highlights, according to the itinerary, included a stop at Topkapi Palace, lunch at Sultan Ahmet Square, a visit to the Karakoy Jewish Foundation Museum, capturing '700 years of amiable relations between Jews and Turks,' and a December 25 shopping tour of the Grand Bazaar, 'one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1200 shops.… Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like.'"
Filner took another tour paid for by Pacifica, this one with stops in Istanbul and northern Iraq, in April 2011, according to a travel disclosure he filed with the House a year ago this month.
That trip was said to be worth a total of $3,700, the filing said.
The congressman subsequently wielded a pair of scissors at the 2011 ribbon-cutting for the new Washington headquarters of the Turkic American Alliance, an event videoed and posted on the group's YouTube page.
California Congressman Bob Filner, who had just returned to the US after a TAA-sponsored trip to Turkey, indicated that the nature of the relationship between Turkey and the US has changed as it was a more military-based tie before," according to a description of the event on YouTube.
"'Now we have to have a people-to-people relationship,' Filner said, adding, 'What you [the TAA] are doing is extremely important, and that is establishing real people-to-people talk.'"
Also in 2011, Filner was featured at a Gulen Institute-sponsored essay awards ceremony for college students, according to the movement's website.
Mayoral campaign finance disclosure data posted online by the San Diego city clerk show that on February 21 of this year Ilker Yildiz of Irvine, listed as "outreach coordinator" for Pacifica, gave Filner's campaign $200; Ferdi M. Ates of Tarzana, California, Pacifica's chief financial officer, gave the Filner bid a total of $400 last June.
(Pacifica's role in Gulen's outreach is chronicled by UC Santa Barbara history professor Nancy Gallagher in her January 2012 book, "The Gulen Hizmet Movement and Its Transnational Activities: Case Studies of Altruistic Activism in Contemporary Islam.")
On February 29, Mesut Inci, branch director of Pacifica's Mira Mesa offices in San Diego, contributed $100 to the Filner cause.
In a video posted last year on the People's Post website, Inci talks about his life's work and inspiration, and Gulen's role in the Pacifica Institute.
"There was a man who inspired me...His name is Fethullah Gulen," Inci says in the video.
Reached at Pacifica's offices today, Inci confirmed he had made the campaign contribution reported by Filner, then said he was too busy to discuss the matter further.
Inci said he would call back within an hour, but did not. We'll update here when he does.
(UPDATE: Inci has called back to say that though he was aware of Filner's Pacifica-sponsored tours of Turkey and Iraq, nobody with the institute had asked him to make a contribution to the congressman's mayoral campaign. The Pacifica branch director says he was motivated to contribute because he liked Filner's position on various local issues.)

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/news-ticker/2012/may/11/sixty-minutes-to-air-report-on-turkish-charter-sch/

Gulen Charter School Magnolia Science Academy to expand into Milpitas, CA

Lets play the Gulen Shuffle and create demand and urgency for a school where there is none.  The school district should vet that waiting list.  Our bet it is a majority of Gulen families, and some of the kids are not even of school age.

http://www.mercurynews.com/milpitas/ci_20798416/charter-school-proposes-leasing-cracolice-building

The Sal Cracolice Building, the former Milpitas senior center and a current site for city-run recreation classes, could be the setting for a new privately-run school that teaches math, science and technology.

Milpitas City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize the city manager to begin negotiating a three-year lease agreement with Magnolia Charter Academy Public School for use of the Sal Cracolice Building and adjacent modular buildings at 540 S. Abel St.

Felix Reliford, the city's interim planning director, told the council if Magnolia is approved for the site it may only be temporary.

"Until they can find a permanent location in the city," Reliford said.

Tim Saka, a Magnolia principal, indicated his private charter school specializes in teaching science, math and technology to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students.

Saka added Magnolia schools typically had a uniform policy; offered small classes (25 students maximum); offered after school and Saturday tutoring classes; and provided its students exposure to math and science competitions around the state.

"So there's a big demand for our school," he said.

The Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that established its first charter school in California's San Fernando Valley in 2002. Magnolia Foundation has 12 locations throughout California including a new location in Santa Clara. Magnolia is planning to open another school in East San Jose.

---

---

Magnolia's administration reported approximately 100 Milpitas parents have submitted applications for their children to attend the school, which seeks to open this August.

On May 22, the council's land use and transportation subcommittee reviewed and approved the proposal, then directed staff to forward their recommendation to the full city council.

The subcommittee also directed staff to conduct community outreach meetings with residents of Luna and Terra Serena (homeowner associations south and across the street from U.S Postal Service office) and the Starlite Pines Homeowners Association.

According to Reliford, city staff contacted all three homeowner associations and requested to be placed on their next meeting agendas. He added those meetings would likely occur by late June.

City staff reported Magnolia charter school would be required to seek approval from Milpitas Unified School District to operate at the site.

If the Milpitas school district does not grant permission, the school would not be under the school special district designation regulated by the state and would be subject to city zoning and land use requirements. Therefore, a conditional use permit would be required by the city's zoning ordinance.

In addition, the city is in the process of having an appraisal assessment of the property (lease and for-sale) to determine the appropriate costs, if the building is leased out.

Prior to the meeting, Reliford said potential city revenues by having the charter school at the Sal Cracolice Building would not be known until after the property appraisal is complete.

City Manager Tom Williams said by August the Magnolia charter school item would likely be brought back for the council's final review and approval regarding lease rates for use of the Sal Cracolice Building.

Contact Ian Bauer at ibauer@themilpitaspost.com or 408-262-2454. Visit us on our social media sites at facebook.com/milpitas post and twitter.com/milpitaspost.

Gulen Whistleblower in California, School corruption and politics