Stand Up for Educational Accountibility by Affirming the Charter Revocation of the Controversial Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School

The Controversial Lucrative 1% Educational Collective of Academia Semillas del Pueblo faces its "moment of truth" and you can help in putting a end to the true purveyors of hateful, divisive and shameful rhetoric in education.  

 Academia supporter's hateful attack against Doug McIntyre and Paul Harvey.

Academia's hateful attack against a certain Mayor Sam Blogger.

** Blogger's note: Contrary to the backroom support of the likes of LA County Board of Supervisor Gloria "Molina Boo Boo", LAUSD School Board Mouthpiece Monica "Gorda Boo Boo" Garcia, former CD 14 City Councilman Richard Alatorre, current CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar, former Mayor Antonio Villar and others, there is a growing majority of El Sereno community members who support the recent LAUSD Charter Revocation of the Controversial Academia Semillas del Pueblo Education Collective of Mr. and Mrs. Mark(os) Aguilar-Ferguson. A petition and this form letter below, is being circulated to support the Los Angeles County Department of Education's recommendation to affirm the action of LAUSD and deny the appeal of its June, 2013 vote. Contrary to Academia's repugnant and racist attacks against the likes of KABC 790 AM Talk Radio Host Doug McIntyre, LA County Board of Education Member Douglas Boyd and a certain Mayor Sam Blogger, the letter below, highlights education deficiencies, nefarious fiscal issues and nothing about race, in supporting the recommendation of the LA County Board of Education Superintendent. Simply, there is nothing race-related in our discerning reporting on Academia, only the outing of fraudulent educational and fiscal actions by Mr. and Mrs. Mark(os) Aguilar-Ferguson and their collectivist enablers---Scott Johnson. 

 

To: "Turrentine_Rebecca@lacoe.edu" <Turrentine_Rebecca@lacoe.edu>
Cc: "Freer_Rudell@lacoe.edu" <Freer_Rudell@lacoe.edu>; "Boyd_Douglas@lacoe.edu" <Boyd_Douglas@lacoe.edu>; "Braude_katie@lacoe.edu" <Braude_katie@lacoe.edu>; "Holt_Gabriella@lacoe.edu" <Holt_Gabriella@lacoe.edu>; "Reza_Maria@lacoe.edu" <Reza_Maria@lacoe.edu>; "Saenz_Thomas@lacoe.edu" <Saenz_Thomas@lacoe.edu>; "Calderon_Jose@lacoe.edu" <Calderon_Jose@lacoe.edu>; "higelin_judy@lacoe.edu" <higelin_judy@lacoe.edu>; "hernandez_joaquin@lacoe.edu" <hernandez_joaquin@lacoe.edu>; "sanchez_lila@lacoe.edu" <sanchez_lila@lacoe.edu>; "Frank.Torres@asm.ca.gov" <Frank.Torres@asm.ca.gov>; "galperin@lacity.org" <galperin@lacity.org>; "mike.feuer@lacity.org" <mike.feuer@lacity.org>; "rmayo@da.lacounty.gov" <rmayo@da.lacounty.gov>; "dana.aratani@da.lacounty.gov" <dana.aratani@da.lacounty.gov>; "da@da.sbcounty.gov" <da@da.sbcounty.gov>; "howard.blume@latimes.com" <howard.blume@latimes.com>; "stefan.huh@ed.gov" <stefan.huh@ed.gov>; "mayor.garcetti@lacity.org" <mayor.garcetti@lacity.org>
Sent: Monday, October 7, 2013 4:54 PM
Subject: Petition:LACOE deny appeal for Anahualcalmecac AKA “Semillas” on Oct 8

October 7, 2013

 

Rebecca J. Turrentine Ed.D, Board President

Board of Education

Los Angeles County Office of Education

9300 Imperial Highway

Downey, CA 90242

 

Sent Via E-Mail

 

RE: Letter and Petition to Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) to deny the charter received on appeal for Anahualcalmecac International University Preparatory AKA Semillas Sociedad Civil “Semillas” on October 8, 2013

 

Dear Board President and Members of the Board of Education,

 

On September 6, 2013 residents and taxpayers of the community of El Sereno who live and reside near or around the three sites currently used for the Charters Semillas Sociedad Civil - Anauhualcalmemcac University Preparatory High School, AKA “Semillas” wrote a letter and enclosed a petition to voice our concerns and demanded that the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) deny the charter petition received on appeal for Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory.  The letter cited low academic performance, failing to comply with the Office of Inspector General, Federal and State tax violations, illegal Café and school cafeteria, health and safety concerns specifically L.A.M.C. zoning and parking violations and most importantly cited the school governance as problematic that has led to financial conflicts of interest by the school administration.   Semillas’ lack of transparency and possible misappropriation of funds raises questions as to the ethical behavior of the School Administrators as the school was operating with negative net assets and negative net income which called into question whether the governing board – husband and wife duo  is adequately “exercising its fiduciary duty” to oversee and manage the school’s finances. 

 

In a similar case, the husband and wife founders of a San Fernando Valley charter school were sentenced Friday for the misappropriation of more than $200,000 in public funds.  This legal case will have major impacts and will affect charter schools statewide and will expose other Charter School operators such as Semillas Administrators:

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1005-charter-sentence-20131005,0,4905942.story

 

As in the San Fernando case we believe that a similar conflict of interest exists between the School Administration and Board of Directors including the Executive Director and Principal, a married couple.  According to the most recently filed IRS Form 990 – 2010, the married couple has received both a salary and a stipend as Board Members/Trustees of over $261,104.  In addition the owner of the properties Tzicatl Development Corporation which leases the buildings to Semillas lists the Executive Director as Mr. Marcos Aguilar who is also “Executive Director of Semillas” and “Non-Voting Member of the Board of Trustees” for Semillas, raising legitimate questions as to the conflict of interest that exists between the two Non Profit Entities.

In conclusion, Semillas has been given several opportunities to provide a quality learning environment to students, yet Semillas has consistently underperformed on academic metrics, Semillas has not respected nor followed Los Angeles zoning requirements and the misuse of Semillas facilities has created an unsafe environment for its students and its local residences.   We support the concept of Charter schools to help raise student achievement; however Semillas raises some serious concerns over fraud, waste and abuse of public funds. 

 

As residents and taxpayers of the community of El Sereno we demand that the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) deny the charter petition received on appeal for Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory and stop the waste and abuse of tax dollars on this failing school.

 

Respectfully,

 Concerned citizen 

 

Cc:       Board of Supervisors, County of Los Angeles

Board of Education Members, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Arturo Delgado, Ed.D., Superintendent, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Executive Cabinet, Los Angeles County Office of Education

California Department of Education, Charter Schools Division

California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Education

Stefan Huh, Director Charter Schools Program

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement

Inspector General Kathleen Tighe, U.S. Department of Education, OIG

California State Senator, Ed Hernandez

California Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, California State Assembly

California Congressman, Javier Becerra

United States Senator for California, Diane Feinstein

City of Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti

Los Angeles City Attorney, Mike Feuer

Los Angeles City Controller, Ron Galperin

John E. Deasy, Superintendent Los Angeles Unified School District

Los Angeles County District Attorney, Dana Aratani