Gulen Politician- NYS Assembly Member Cymbrowitz gives a proclamation for Fethullah Gulen

Virginia Representative of 87th District David Ramadan, the reason Gulen Loudoun Math and IT Academy passed State Hurdle

David emigrated to the United States of America from Lebanon in 1989. He is a graduate of George Mason University (Virginia, USA) with a Masters of Arts degree in International Trade and Transactions and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Governments and Politics. He completed graduate studies at Oxford University (Oxford, England), the American Graduate School of Business (Geneva, Switzerland), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) and Georgetown University (Washington DC). He completed his High School at International College (IC) in Beirut, Lebanon. David served on the Board of Visitors of George Mason University (GMU); he was appointed by Governor McDonnell. He formerly served as an Adjunct Professor at his Alma-mater where he taught a course
George Mason University is also a receipant of huge $$ contributions by the Republic of Turkey, Erdogan has visited this University . http://news.gmu.edu/articles/2417/erdogan
Read more here about Rep, David Ramadan’s controversy over Sharia law and the ground zero mosque.  Where does his loyalty REALLY lie? (as in liar) http://novatownhall.com/2011/05/12/awaiting-david-ramadan-2-0-questions-on-competence-honesty-grover-norquist-the-ground-zero-mosque-and-sharia/
http://www.tooconservative.com/?p=13148
http://shariafreeusa.com/grover-norquists-new-muslim-protege/

ROUND TWO OF APPROVAL WILL GO TO THE COUNTY

CAN DAVID RAMADAN PUSH THROUGH THE GULEN CHARTER SCHOOL?

Loudoun Math and IT Academy Charter School Application

Gains Approval by State Board of Education

State BOE Action Paves the Way for Local Consideration of the

Charter Application by the Loudoun County School Board

 https://www.davidramadan.com/2012/08/03/loudoun-math-and-it-academy-charter-school-application-gains-approval-by-state-board-of-education/

Richmond, Va. – The Loudoun Math and IT Academy (LMITA) charter school was formally approved as meeting all the necessary charter school criteria by the State Board of Education (BOE) at its meeting this week, paving the way for the Loudoun County School Board to consider the application, and ultimately, decide on its final approval.
“This is a significant step forward in the process of making the Loudoun Math and IT Academy a reality,” said Ali Gocke, a Loudoun County parent and IT professional who has spearheaded the effort to establish the charter.  “With this affirmative statement from the State Board of Education that our application meets all the necessary criteria to advance, we are looking forward to engaging the education, parent and business community in Loudoun to ensure the LMITA can truly enhance the excellent education Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is currently providing through offering an additional choice for those kids who are interested in math and information technology.”
The LMITA is seeking to establish a charter school in Loudoun County for grades 6 through 12 with a particular emphasis in the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) and cyber security areas.  The LMITA charter school project grew out of a true grass roots effort by a group of Loudoun County parents, many of whom work in the IT field, who became interested in opportunities to have more focused math and IT education choices within LCPS. This group of parents researched charter schools across the tri-state area looking for a model that they thought may be a good fit for our community.  Through their research, they found the Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School (CSP), which is in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and has achieved significant success and recognition since its approval in 2005.  After further discussions and consideration, they decided to pursue building support for and establishing a charter school here in Loudoun modeled after the CSP concept, but that is adapted to meet the unique culture and dynamic here, as well as to provide a true enhancement to the already high level of education that is currently being provided to our children through LCPS.
By Virginia law, charter schools must have open enrollment; therefore, any student living in Loudoun County would be able to attend the Loudoun Math & IT Academy at no additional cost to the family or the school system, as long as there are available seats. Pending approval, the LMITA plans to enroll 96 students in each grade starting with 6^th and 7^th grades in the fall of 2013, and will add one additional grade every year from there until full enrollment is reached.
“We applaud LCPS for all it is doing to focus on the STEM areas throughout the schools, but firmly believe a free-standing charter school – one that is focused on STEM education and open to all interested Loudoun students grades 6-12 – will enhance and expand those efforts, and broaden LCPS’s capabilities to prepare Loudoun’s children not just for today’s job market or for the academic programs in today’s colleges and universities, but for those of the future,” said Gocke.
The LMITA has already received broad support throughout the community, including letters of support from the majority of Loudoun’s General Assembly delegation, many current and past members of the Board of Supervisors, business leaders and several business organizations, including the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Dulles Regional Chamber.
Having been approved as meeting the necessary criteria for a charter application by the State Board of Education, the LMITA charter will now be considered by the Loudoun County School Board, which will make the ultimate decision with regard to approval of this charter school. 
The School Board has already actively engaged on the issue of charter schools, having recently adopted revised protocols that provide for greater participation in the local evaluation process by members of the Board, which the LMITA sees as very positive.  “The more input and dialogue we are able to have with LCPS staff, Board members and the community, the better our school will be able to meet the needs and interests of the community, so we welcome as much participation as possible in the process by the Board and the community,” said Gocke.
The LMITA hopes to host a series of information sessions over the coming months to provide more information about its application and seek community feedback.  In the meantime, for more information, please visit www.lmitacademy.org, or follow the LMITA Facebook page for regular updates at http://www.facebook.com/loudounmathanditacademy?ref=hl.

Monica Garcia, LAUSD cajoling with the Gulen Movement

Monica Garcia and her list of partial supporters.  Monica is a champion for the Gulen Pacifica Institute's charter school chain in California.  please refer to http://www.magnoliascienceacademy.blogspot.com

Poor Monica Garcia, will she survive the Monica Garcia RECALL?  If you are angry about Garcia's affiliation with the Gulen Movement, let your vote be heard and sign the petition to recall her.  Your voice matters, let elected officals know that if you sell us out we vote you out.  Betraying American values and education for $$$ is criminal.



http://www.dailycensored.com/2012/08/05/monica-garcia-champions-the-gulenist-charter-movement-in-lausd/

This increasingly well-rooted network provides the Gulen Movement with daily access to the minds of over 45,000 students, and yearly access to hundreds of millions of hard-earned tax dollars. — Sharon Higgins

Charter schools are privately managed entities with negligible oversight, but funded with public money. The somewhat secretive Gülenist Islamic sect, named after charismatic Turkish Imam Fethullah Gülen, runs more charter schools than any other charter school chain in the United States. While there’s nothing wrong with privately financed religious schools, it’s problematic at best that public funds are being used to fund religious charter chains.

The cultish Gülenist Movement currently operates eight such privately managed charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Several more are slated to open after having won approval under the woefully misnamed “Public School Choice” (PSC) resolution, brewed by former LAUSD District 5 Trustee, Yolie Flores, who was also an employee of the Gates Foundation while concurrently “serving” the school district. Flores’ PSC gives brand new school facilities built with public money away to charter school corporations like the Gülenist Magnolia Science Academy.

It turns out that the individual most responsible for the proliferation of Gülen Charter Schools in LAUSD is the Board President herself, Mónica García. García’s ties to the Gülenists are quite strong, and she is a tenacious advocate on their behalf. She is speaking at the Gülenist Pacifica Institute in September 2012 regarding her prominent role corporate education reform and the unprecedented privatization of LAUSD under her neoliberal reign. The Pacifica Institute ran into controversy last year, when Armenian groups protested the organization’s ties to Turkish groups denying the 1915-1918 Armenian genocide. That García chooses to be so insensitive to the considerable Armenian population in her school district is most likely attributable to the fact that there are no Armenian organizations managing large chains of lucrative charter schools in LAUSD.

Advocating for the Gülenist movement and speaking at their events have paid handsome dividends for García. In addition to helping proliferate more privately managed charters schools, the Gülenists have been very generous donors to García’s political coffers. García, who raised more than $100,000 in just two months for her 2013 reelection bid, counts several Gülenist operatives among her contributors. Suleyman Bahceci, CEO of Magnolia Charter Corporation, donated $250, as did Varol Gurler, Magnolia’s CAO. The Pacifica Institute’s Director, Ferdi Mesut Ates, chipped in $100. Pacifica’s Ilker Yildiz contributed likewise. Undoubtedly, García will continue to rake in cash from the Gülenist machine, as she has from most of the lucrative corporate charter chains. In an ethical education environment, donations from corporate charters to board members that have the power to grant them their charters and give them choice facilities would be considered a conflict of interest.

Corporate charter school magnate Yvone Chan has also recently donated to García’s efforts to capture a third term as a LAUSD Trustee. Milken Educator Award winner Chan, despite a vested interest in the charter school industry, is also on the California State Board of Education (SBOE). Like García, Chan has a long and rewarding history with the Gülen Charter Movement. In fact, she made sure that she and her other SBOE members granted Magnolia its Statewide Benefit Charter because:

Yvonne Chan had been on a free, Gulenist-guided trip to Turkey courtesy of the Pacifica Institute in one of the years just prior.

Incidentally, California isn’t the only state where the Gülen “leaders lavish gifts and dinners on” politicians.

The Gülen Movement and their ubiquitous Gülen charter schools loom so large on the American education landscape that CBS’ 60 Minuntes devoted a full length segment entitled: U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam to this phenomenon of school privatization.

What’s important here isn’t which religious group runs these schools, but that public funds are being used to support schools having an overarching political and religious agenda like the Gülenist do. This is no different than the right-wing Milton Friedman inspired capitalism indoctrination American Indian Public Charter Schools and Green Dot Public Schools push on their hapless pupils. The former actually requires their charter school students to make daily pledges to our abject political economy. Nor is it any different than the charter school chain that teaches its students that Emmett Till’s brutal murder was a just desert for what they termed his “sexual harassment.” The selfsame Celerity Charter Chain pushes a “post-racial curriculum” that ignores institutional racism in favor of students self-colonizing by “dress[ing] for success…” rather than “focus[ing] on how the history of the country has been checkered.” Because there’s little to no oversight or regulation for the privately managed charter school sector, these and many more such incidents will continue unabated.

Another major problem with García’s expansion of Gülen charter schools in LAUSD is that part of the Gülenist modus operandi is to staff their schools not only with teachers lacking credentials (part and parcel the standard in the charter school industry), but with personal who have never taught before at all. Gülen schools bring in many Turkish businessmen and professionals on 1HB visas to teach, yet there is currently a glut of highly qualified, credentialed teachers in LAUSD. Indeed, if there really were a dearth of teachers, then the importing of teachers wouldn’t be an issue. Gülen supporters claim a lack of educators versed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), but the reality is that there’s neither a shortage of STEM workers nor teachers in the United States. Instead, Gülen movement watchdogs have demonstrated a pattern of abuse in regards to H1B visas.

Ultimately, the failings of Gülen Charter Schools are the same as with all charter schools. They are privately managed. They have unelected boards. They have a glaring lack of transparency both in terms of finances and operations. They contribute to the deprofessionalization of teaching. They are undermining public schools and the bare semblance of democracy which those pubic commons represent. They are to all intents and purposes, private organizations with access to a publicly financed revenue stream. Johathan Kozol’s prescience prediction that our public school system was on the corporate auction block is borne out by the expansion of Charter Management Organizations. Gülen Charter Schools are a symptom of a much deeper systemic problem known as neoliberalism.

That an individual elected to represent their community’s interests in regards to public schools is so beholden to the competing interests of the lucrative charter school sector speaks volumes to Mónica García’s renowned greed and opportunism. Her championing of the Gülenist charter movement is further proof that she holds no consideration of her constituents and the children in our community.