Comments on: Imagine Schools Cash in On Education

By: thatsrightnate

thatsrightnate — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:43:23 +0000

Thanks for the reply. If you’ll pardon the pun, it was very educational.

By: PovertyNatrisk

PovertyNatrisk — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:08:40 +0000

This article brings everything to light and then some. As an employee here at Enviornmental Science and Math in Saint Louis. I have seen some real horror stories. For one the model to generate quick dollars is to advertise that you can accomodate Intellectually deficient student, when in reality you cannot. This generates more money for your school because the state gives more money for these students. Subsequently that money is used in many other ways. Secondly, it seems that the school’s strategy is really never to meet AYP (average yearly progrress)but to fill the real estate cauffers of the company and then move on. One strategy I think that this company is using that goes under the radar of even seasoned media professionals is the selection of areas for school development. Right down to how the land is chosen from shady developers, to choosing populations who will never ask real questions about theeir childs education. It seems to be one of the worst formulas for poverty pimping in Missouri.

By: thatsrightnate

thatsrightnate — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:27:15 +0000

Thanks for posting that ter Mom. I hope it helps.

By: ter Mom

ter Mom — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:35:35 +0000

My kids attend the Kennesaw school that is no longer “a proud member of the Imagine Schools Family” (or as we put it, either “a reluctant member…” or “a hostage of the Imagine Schools family.”). I’m thrilled that we are now a truly independent charter school. We’ve very fortunate that we had the opportunity to successfully boot them. Our situation was unique since we were a Chancelor Beacon school that Imagine took over. Despite Imagine’s best efforts, we didn’t have their new (illegal) LLC board structure that allows them to act as the man behind the curtain controlling everything. The first big step in this process, as I understand it, was for our school district to set us up to enable us to make the change. They gave us a one year charter contingent upon a revision of our operating agreement with Imagine such that the length of the contract matched the length of the charter and that the contract had to have a definite end date where both parties could walk away if need be. That date was to be at the end of the first week in August, 2010. Fortunately, we were able to separate before then and save nearly $30,000 per month in management fees to Imagine!

Best advice to other schools….DOCUMENT.DOCUMENT,DOCUMENT!!!! Imagine doesn’t like to put things in writing so you have to. When the Regional Director calls rather than sends an email, follow that phone call up with an email saying “to summarize our conversation…” This sort of documentation will hold up in court! Second, work with your school district. Have them help you in any way they can. Will they force Imagine to do what they did in Kennesaw? Renegotiate the contract s that the school can easily break away

By: thatsrightnate

thatsrightnate — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:54:45 +0000

That’s a hard thing to do. The best advice I can give you is to look at what parents in other schools have done. According to another poster, a school in Kennesaw dumped them so it’s possible.

By: georgiamom

georgiamom — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:01:12 +0000

We are an Imagine family in Georgia and the way they set up the schools here and everywhere it seems have got to be illegal. They are profitting from tax dollars, millions of dollars. Not just off their management fees but rent our school pays for the property they own. Their management of our school has never been in the best interest of the students. I think the IRS needs to audit them here in the state of Georgia and investigate them for fraud or educational neglect. Any thoughts on how to terminate a management contract with a school that owns every iota of it without jeopardizing the school itself?

By: ConcernedLVMom

ConcernedLVMom — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:08:46 +0000

Hi-
Have you heard anything about Imagine Schools newest school in Las Vegas, Imagine School in the Valle? They are still renting the YMCA campus and 2 local churches for their Kinder classes. Last time I spoke to them they are still considering renting an existing site or building ground up beginning next school year. Renting out the YMCA is more cost effective and I’m sure they have been going the safe route with all the controversy with 100 Academy of Excellence. It is interesting how much drama that school (Academy of Excellence) has gone through serving a larger population of socio-economic disadvantaged children, while Imagine School in the Valle is more culturally diverse and surrounded by middle class neighborhoods. No surprise though. Had they mirrored Andre Agassi’s Academy, a high achieving Charter School, located just up the street from Academy of Excellence, they might have been okay. They serve the same population and are a true example that if given guidance, proper education and funding is used for the students, no matter what your family income is, you can excel academically!

By: thatsrightnate

thatsrightnate — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:14:08 +0000

Thanks for posting. I had read about them being dumped. I know it isn’t easy though. Some of these charter school companies are the cockroaches of education.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:45:45 +0000

A small school in Kennesaw has successfully dumped Imagine Schools, but they aren’t going quietly. It’s about to get ugly.

By: thatsrightnate

thatsrightnate — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:11:56 +0000

Yes, I’m seeing that in Indiana. Unfortunately, there are a lot of equally corrupt charter operators. I hope to profile some of them soon.