Charter school won't open after lies discovered. Founder lied about credentials.

[madfloridian]

Recently Diane Ravitch, a former principal, a few education bloggers called attention to a new charter being opened although the founder had questionable credentials.

Yesterday the Democrat Chronicle announced that the school was not going to open.

Charter school won't open after lies discovered


Pic from Democrat Chronicle

Greater Works Charter School will no longer open in Rochester in 2015, part of the continuing fallout over lies in the resume of its 22-year-old founder.

Ted Morris Jr. represented himself to the New York State Education Department as a precocious businessman and educational advisor with bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees earned mostly online. In fact, he has no college degrees and scant professional experience.

He resigned Nov. 25, the day most of the misrepresentations came to light and just a week after the school gained approval from the state Board of Regents. At that point, both Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and Peter Kozik, who took over as the school's trustee chairman in Morris' wake, said the school would open as planned without him.

But a NYSED spokesman said Monday that the department had asked the board of trustees to rescind its application, and the trustees complied in a letter dated Nov. 29. They are also asking the Board of Regents to take back its approval.

And unfortunately this statement by Kozik can be applied broadly to other charter owners who are getting public money without oversight.

Kozik said he didn't think to question Morris' claims more closely until it was too late.

Educator/Writer Mercedes Schneider points out a strange statement from a spokesman for the NY state DOE.

Now, in a wonderful turn of events for the community of Rochester, NYSED asked the GWCS board to rescind its application, and the GWCS board did so. Therefore, to quote the now-former-GWCS board chair Peter Kozik, “Greater Works is done.”

However, here is a nugget regarding the NYSED charter approval process, one divulged by NYSED spokesperson Dennis Tompkins: “We don’t grant charters to individuals. We grant charters to boards based on the application.” (Emphasis added.)

NYSED apparently does not investigate the individuals behind the application. What is in the application is taken at face value.

He is saying they assume the application is true, and they do not investigate.

[louis-t]

1. They believed he got a doctorate online at 22?

I gotta go check and see if I still have that broken dinner plate from the Titanic. Mebbe they'd buy it from me.

[spanone]

2. 'Kozik said he didn't think to question Morris' claims more closely until it was too late' = dumbfuk

[madfloridian]

8. That's happening way too much.

In Florida a questionable company with already failed charter efforts must not be questioned. They have to be approved with their current application. Makes no sense.

[shenmue]

3. Glad they caught them in time

Who knows how much charter schools walk off with.

[lpbk2713]

4. Got his degrees under the GI Bill. He was a Navy SEAL.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[Scootaloo]

5. Gosh, making for-profit schools attracts liars to the business? never would have guessed!

but remember folks, public schools are BAAAAAD

[madfloridian]

7. Yep. So true.

They only require accountability of public schools and their teachers.

[liberal_at_heart]

6. I just don't understand the fascination governing and board officials have

with business savvy educators. Education is not supposed to be run like a business.

[madfloridian]

9. Harmful to individuality to run schools like a business

Exactly right.