| WHO ARE THESE FOLKS? ARE THEY STILL ON BOARD? We found the names of these Cosmos Foundation, Inc. board members -- charter operators for the Harmony schools -- not at the Cosmos or Harmony websites in Texas, but half a continent away at GuideStar, on Cosmos Foundation's FY 2008 IRS 990 form: |
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
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| Copyright 1999-2011 Peyton Wolcott |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n : o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e . F o l l o w t h e m o n e y , h o n e y ! |
| Texas Hill Country - Mesquite and Wildflowers Boerne |
| Bringing you the information and tools you need in order to improve public education and lower taxes and spending; during the past two decades of the voucher debate an entire generation has grown up in the public school system. If you don't think this is important look at the Nov. 2008 election where folks voted based on emotions and hope rather than facts. Let's put a stop to the school-to-prison pipeline -- and keep our public schools locally run, strong and free.. |
The 13 states who have stood up
to the feds and declined to apply
for Phase II of Race to the Top:
to the feds and declined to apply
for Phase II of Race to the Top:
13
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
| About the "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden flag: "it was in the fall of 1775 when the United States Navy was established. Their main job was to intercept British ships who were attempting to deliver supplies to the British troups in the colonies. To support the Navy, five companies of Marines were mustered to accompany them on their first mission. These first Marines originated from Philadelphia and carried drums painted yellow with a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen rattles. These thirteen rattles represented the original thirteen colonies. The motto painted on these drums was "Don't Tread On Me". This is the first recorded telling of what the future Gadsden flag would symbolize. This flag was designed and named after American patriot Christopher Gadsden." (SOURCE) |
| June 2011 |
| ONER U CELEPCIKAY |
| MUSTAFA ATIK |
| KADIR ALMUS |
| ELLEN A MACDONAL (sic) (correct spelling "MacDonald") |
| DR. SONER TARIM |
| BILAL AKIN |
| CENGIZHAN KESKIN |
| DR. IBRAHIM SEL |
| TURKS IN TEXAS: Harmony charter schools' & Cosmos Foundation, Inc.'s ties to Turkey |
| The above chart was compiled with information from the Texas Education Agency; see it full size here, |
MORE FACTS:
| SOURCE--Cosmos Foundation, Inc. |
D-Day 2011: Turks in Texas
By Peyton Wolcott
June 8, 2011 - 3:34 a.m.
On June 6 the Texas Senate Education Committee -- the
majority of whose members accepted a total of $15,000
from the Texas Charter School Association's paid
lobbyists -- voted a charter school bill, SB 31, out of
committee, 8-0, with one senator (John Carona) absent.
This is a sincere question: If this is not pay to play, what
is?
Is this what my husband risked his life in Korea and Viet
Nam to protect, the right of lobbyists to hustle cash for
our elected officials' votes?
5th time's a charm
This was the Education Committee chair's 5th attempt (in
4 months) to pass this bill which would give all Texas
charter schools -- including the Turkish-run Cosmos
Foundation/Harmony charter operation -- a Permanent
School Fund guarantee for their construction bonds.
We're not fighting the bill, just asking that 3 simple
fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards be added:
By Peyton Wolcott
June 8, 2011 - 3:34 a.m.
On June 6 the Texas Senate Education Committee -- the
majority of whose members accepted a total of $15,000
from the Texas Charter School Association's paid
lobbyists -- voted a charter school bill, SB 31, out of
committee, 8-0, with one senator (John Carona) absent.
This is a sincere question: If this is not pay to play, what
is?
Is this what my husband risked his life in Korea and Viet
Nam to protect, the right of lobbyists to hustle cash for
our elected officials' votes?
5th time's a charm
This was the Education Committee chair's 5th attempt (in
4 months) to pass this bill which would give all Texas
charter schools -- including the Turkish-run Cosmos
Foundation/Harmony charter operation -- a Permanent
School Fund guarantee for their construction bonds.
We're not fighting the bill, just asking that 3 simple
fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards be added:
| Why so many Turks in Texas? Why was Texas singled out for so much aggressive expansion by the Turks? Is it our robust economy? Our lax charter school regs? With 34 Turkish charter campuses, more than any other state, nothing against the fine Turkish nation--despite its problem with dirty laundry and the recent arrests of 68 journalists--but no one with whom I've spoken can name a comparable French or Irish or Brazilian inroad into US public education. Can you? |
| Texas state senators Florence Shapiro (above) and Dan Patrick (below) spoke eloquently at the Texas senate's wind-down in May 2011 of their passion for charter schools; both have accepted charter school PAC cash. |
- Senate Education
Committee Vice Chair
Dan Patrick - $2,500 from charter
school PAC lobbyist - Voted YES on charter
school bill SB 31
| Q: Are the Turkish charter operators & their PAC paying to play at the Texas Lege? A: Define 'is.' |
- US citizenship for charter operator board members
(like all ISD trustees) and top administrators. - Names, titles & bios of all board members & top
administrators online (like KIPP already does). - Online check registers (like 70% of all local
school dollars are already).
- Senate Education
Committee Chair
Florence Shapiro - $4,000 from charter
school PAC lobbyist - Authored & voted
YES on charter
school bill SB 31
The House likes the 3 safeguards
House Ways & Means added all 3 of our safeguards before
voting a prior incarnation of this bill out of committee.
SB 31 includes a promise that in the event a charter operator
defaults on their construction bond they have to give back the
10% projected savings. On what planet? If a charter operator's
defaulted on their bond, they're not likely to still have the
mythical 10%. So what do we do, send TEA to Turkey to seize
desks and chairs? Like TEA needs more desks? Or more
things to do when we keep cutting their budget?
The $25 billion Permanent School Fund -- interest from which
funds free textbooks for all Texas students -- still exists after a
century and a half because many people have taken good care
of it. Even the high-dollar charter lobbyist who wanted to talk
with us agreed the 3 safeguards are reasonable. Why then isn't
the Senate?
House Ways & Means added all 3 of our safeguards before
voting a prior incarnation of this bill out of committee.
SB 31 includes a promise that in the event a charter operator
defaults on their construction bond they have to give back the
10% projected savings. On what planet? If a charter operator's
defaulted on their bond, they're not likely to still have the
mythical 10%. So what do we do, send TEA to Turkey to seize
desks and chairs? Like TEA needs more desks? Or more
things to do when we keep cutting their budget?
The $25 billion Permanent School Fund -- interest from which
funds free textbooks for all Texas students -- still exists after a
century and a half because many people have taken good care
of it. Even the high-dollar charter lobbyist who wanted to talk
with us agreed the 3 safeguards are reasonable. Why then isn't
the Senate?
The Grey Lady visits a Red State
The otherwise xenophobic Manhattan-loving New York Times has taken notice of our
Turkish charter operators all the way down here in Texas; Stephanie Saul's piece
published on D-Day.
Some highlights:
The otherwise xenophobic Manhattan-loving New York Times has taken notice of our
Turkish charter operators all the way down here in Texas; Stephanie Saul's piece
published on D-Day.
Some highlights:
| While educating schoolchildren across Texas, the group has also nurtured a close-knit network of businesses and organizations run by Turkish immigrants. The businesses include not just big contractors like TDM but also a growing assemblage of smaller vendors selling school lunches, uniforms, after-school programs, Web design, teacher training and even special education assessments. Some of the schools’ operators and founders, and many of their suppliers, are followers of Fethullah Gulen, a charismatic Turkish preacher of a moderate brand of Islam whose devotees have built a worldwide religious, social and nationalistic movement in his name. Gulen followers have been involved in starting similar schools around the country — there are about 120 in all, mostly in urban centers in 25 states, one of the largest collections of charter schools in America. |
| An examination by The New York Times of the Harmony Schools in Texas casts light on a different area: the way they spend public money. And it raises questions about whether, ultimately, the schools are using taxpayer dollars to benefit the Gulen movement — by giving business to Gulen followers, or through financial arrangements with local foundations that promote Gulen teachings and Turkish culture. Harmony Schools officials say they scrupulously avoid teaching about religion, and they deny any official connection to the Gulen movement. |
| Records show that virtually all recent construction and renovation work has been done by Turkish-owned contractors. Several established local companies said they had lost out even after bidding several hundred thousand dollars lower. “It kind of boils my blood a little bit, all the money that was spent, when I know it could have been done for less,” said Deborah Jones, an owner of daj Construction, one of four lower bidders who failed to win a recent contract for a school renovation in the Austin area. Harmony’s history underscores the vast latitude that many charter school systems have been granted to spend public funds. While the degree of oversight varies widely from state to state, the rush to approve charter schools has meant that some barely monitor charter school operations. |
So, again, in the event of a default on their PSF-guaranteed construction bonds, TEA's
going to fly over to Istanbul and seize furniture and equipment? Not so far-fetched a
notion: Many of the original Cosmos Foundation/Harmony charter applicants --
almost all of whom originally hail from Turkey -- have moved away or disappeared
from public notice.
Better to be safe than sorry and include the 3 easy safeguards, friends, for those
charter operators seeking the PSF guarantee: (1) US citizenship for all charter
operator board members (like for ISD trustees) and top administrators; (2) names,
titles & bios of all board members & top admin. posted online (like KIPP is already
doing); and (2) online check registers (like 70% of all ISD dollars already are)..
going to fly over to Istanbul and seize furniture and equipment? Not so far-fetched a
notion: Many of the original Cosmos Foundation/Harmony charter applicants --
almost all of whom originally hail from Turkey -- have moved away or disappeared
from public notice.
Better to be safe than sorry and include the 3 easy safeguards, friends, for those
charter operators seeking the PSF guarantee: (1) US citizenship for all charter
operator board members (like for ISD trustees) and top administrators; (2) names,
titles & bios of all board members & top admin. posted online (like KIPP is already
doing); and (2) online check registers (like 70% of all ISD dollars already are)..
| Harmony official at Texas Lege, May 2011 |
You really must study this New York Times graphic: somebody's done a
lot of careful work here following the money:
lot of careful work here following the money:
In addition to tying the Cosmos Foundation's Harmony charter operation to Fethullah
Gulen, the Times also looks at their handling of tax dollars:
Gulen, the Times also looks at their handling of tax dollars:
| Newest Harmony charter school (Austin, Texas) |
| JUNE 19, 2011 UPDATE FROM PEYTON: I have contacted Cosmos/Harmony superintendent Soner Tarim several times now but he has not yet -- more than a year later -- told us basic factual information about the 33 (NY Times) or 34 (the figure Harmony administrator Levent Sakar told me when we talked May 11, 2011 at the Capitol) or 36 (the new number posted on Harmony's website) campuses Soner operates in Texas -- for which he has been given over a quarter of a billion dollars by taxpayers in the past 3 1/2 years. Still, Harmony through its membership in the Texas Charter School Association continues to seek the same Permanent School Fund guarantee for their construction bonds as enjoyed by Texas public school districts run by elected trustees -- not appointed board members as at charters. His PR pro, former White House staffer Karen Hughes, has also declined to give us any factual information -- such as how much money Harmony is paying her and her firm, Burson-Marsteller. |
| Harmony administrator Levent Sakar |