Margo Davidson PA State Senator goes to Greece for Gulen Fugitives - Connections to Vision Academy

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Margo Davidson is currently running for Congress, She has also been in trouble not 1 time but 2 times for crashing Government vehicles with a suspended license.  See Criminal Report and Court case below.   THIS IS WHAT RUNS FOR CONGRESS

Opening Schools for Gulen
https://theupperdarbysentinelnews.com/2018/04/17/muslim-based-gulen-movement-tied-to-william-penn-sd-vision-academy-charter-school/   Excellent investigative reporting by Agnes Lawless Bedard

September 2015 the William Penn School District opened the doors to the first charter school in Delaware County. The ribbon cutting ceremony for Vision Academy Charter School was attended by Pennsylvania State Representative Margo Davidson, (D-164), Yeadon Mayor Rohan Hepkins, the only mayor to attend out of 48 boroughs, but the event was short on elected representatives. Those in attendance were not told the whole truth about the charter school. Vision Academy is a Gulen Movement school with its CEO and principal having organized other Gulen school that the FBI is now investigating.

Representative Davidson’s support for the school has not changed even with the knowledge that Adem Oksuz, principal and CEO of Vision Academy has moved from school to school, state to state creating Gulen schools only to have the schools investigated or closed due to financial irregularities, abuse of the H1B Visa program and failing the students with a subpar education. Davidson stated at the opening that “I know some folks are going to beat me up for supporting,” she said as she gave remarks to the crowd. “But I still say every child has the right to education, regardless of their zip code. We cannot continue to [let] children that live in poverty have only one option.”

Adem Oksuz, is the registered CEO of Vision Academy. The filing with the Federal Department of Education, lists Oksuz’s accomplishments as being the supervisor of the Daisy Education Corporation (charter holder of Gulen charter schools in Arizona including Sonoran Science Academy) and the Superintendent of Sonoran Science Academy. The picture is not what it would seem. In fact, Oksuz had been involved in more than 4 different Gulen schools in various capabilities’.

In Arizona, the charter schools related to the Gulen movement included, Sonoran schools, which Oksuz was involved with. According to an audit of the schools, it was found that there was a lack of compliance in the filing of financial information, of incorrect overbillings for school lunches for the federal program, improper record keeping of student’s attendance, and the misuse of the H1-B Visa Program where the schools brought 358 teachers from Turkey to teach at the schools between 2001 and 2016. The practice of spending funds on H1-B Visas has become so rampant in Gulen schools it costs American taxpayers $8.7 million.

Margo Davidson with Gulenist Adem Oksuz

In 2015, two Arizona Members of Congress, U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva and U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego called for hearings into the Sonoran network of schools. An investigation found that the H1-B employees were forced to give back 40% of their paychecks to the Gulen Movement.

The Gulen Movement school has been accused of running the organization like an illegal enterprise like the Mafia. There are multiple companies that overlap with the schools. Oksuz has been listed in various businesses with ties to Gulen as a consultant or as CEO but then he shifts from those positions to a school position. For example, the educational vendor for Gulen schools is Apple Education Service, which is also, according to records, Oksuz either owned or was the Regional Director for the East Coast. While at “Apple”, Oksuz applied for but was denied applications for 2 other charter schools, one in Hawaii and the other in Lancaster while he was also working in the Arizona charter schools.

The overlap of services is what the FBI and other government agencies look at for racketeering charges, according to a retired FBI agent who asked not to be named. One senior State Department official said Gulen schools and charities in America “look a lot like the ways in which organized crime sets itself up…to hide money for money laundering.” In 2017, Yale Education Studies published a research study of Gulen schools. After studying how the schools are set up, the faculty, financial reports and investigations by government agencies, their conclusion was “While schools disassociate themselves from Gulen himself, many administration officials in his charter schools are connected to him and his religious-political cult. Numerous Gulen schools across the country are under investigation by the FBI, the Department of Education, and/or the Department of Labor.”

Continuing the study written by Edgar Aviña, Shoshana Davidoff-Gore, Caitlin Dermody, Daniel Vernick, the study concluded that “the Gulen schools appear to be implicated in a greater scandal that would most likely affect the students’ abilities to receive an education solely focusing on the student’s growth academically, intellectually, and socially.”

The charges the Gulen schools face are “paying female and non-Turkish teachers less than male Turks to favoring Turkish companies for construction of school buildings despite lower bids from American businesses, and forcing teachers brought over from Turkey to give a certain portion of their salary to Gulen political leaders in Turkey.” Yet, with this wealth of information, the William Penn School District and Pennsylvania State Representative Margo Davidson, both approved a charter school run by Adem Oksuz whose employment record includes education stops driven by the Gulen Movement.

Mr. Gülen has an international following estimated to approach 10 million people. He has developed a vast network of businesses and nongovernmental organizations that supply him with financial support, and he is estimated to control at least $25 billion in assets. In the United States, Mr. Gülen controls dozens of business entities and more than 120 charter schools in various states, many of which are or have been under investigation by state and federal criminal and regulatory authorities. The California chapter of the NAACPhas also called for all Gulen schools to close immediately.

VISION ACADEMY MIS USE OF TAXPAYERS FUNDS CURIOUS CASE OF ISAAC DURMUS

Isaac Durmus

Vision Academy Charter School was opened in 2015 in the William Penn School District. The principal of the school is Isaac Durmus who is also listed on federal documents as the co-CEO of the school. This is not the first school that Durmus has been involved in. According to documents, Durmus has been involved in charter schools for over 10 years and the schools all have one thing in common, they have all been linked to the Gulen Movement.

Durmus’ background in education came under fire from the Philadelphia School District, when another school that has been linked to the Gulen Movement, Truebright Science Academy Charter School was closed due to its inability to increase the skills of its students in 2015, which is the same year that Vision Academy Charter School opened in Lansdowne. Truebright came under fire then investigation when they received a grant of over $1.2 million for an afterschool program but the problem was the school was being closed by the Philadelphia School District.

Although, the school was aware of it’s perilous situation they decided to move forward on the application for funding. Durum, who was Truebright’s dean of academics, stated that school leaders decided to move forward despite uncertainties related to the charter. He said, “That’s not going to be our decision, so we decided to keep moving on serving our students. That’s our goal.” The goal, apparently, was to continue funding a school that would close. The school was closed by the Commonwealth and the Philadelphia School District in 2015.

The school was not renewed by the Philadelphia School Reform Commission and told to close by 2012. The school continued to appeal the decision but the SRC stated multiple reasons for the closing. In all the SRC found there were 18 different violations committed by Truebright. The SRC stated that Truebright should not have their charter renewed because “adequate yearly process (AYP) in every year during the Charter School’s current charter term,” failure “to provide adequate academic supports and program implementation for English Language Learners and for students with special needs,” and having fewer than 75 percent of professional staff certified.

Margo Davidson at Ribbon Cutting for Gulen School VISION ACADEMY 

n 2011, nine teachers filed unfair hiring complaints against the school, alleging Truebright hired and promoted Turkish nationals, many who lacked teaching certificates, at the expense of more-experienced and certified American-born teachers. One teacher brought discrimination lawsuit against the school, which was settled out of court in 2013. Yet, this knowledge still led to Durmus being approved to open a charter school in the William Penn School District.

Durmus is the co-CEO of Vision Academy according to documents filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Included in the application is a resume for Durmus. Durmus states in the resume that in 2006 he was teaching in his homeland of Turkey. Yet, in just a year later, Durmus lists that he became the not only a teacher but the department chair for science for another known Gulen movement school, Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology. Once again, accusations of discrimination arose. This time by a member of the United States military.

Erik Verniere, a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard, 1st Squadron, 102nd Cavalry Regiment and a social studies teacher at Paterson, sued the school after not being retained for employment. Verniere stated the school “exhibited hostility” towards him for his membership in the National Guard and his need for military leave when he asked for time off for his duty. Verniere stated that he was told that “it was not conducive to his career at Paterson to miss certain training due to military obligations.” According to Verniere, the school in “blatant retaliation” terminated his employment. Verniere finally settled the case after bringing a suit against the school for $125,000.

In reviewing the records of employment for Durmus, a pattern emerges of schools that do not meet their educational goals that are promised in the charter applications. The schools have been sued for discrimination against teachers who are not of a Turkish background. There is an obvious uptick in H1-B Visa applications. There has been evidence of financial wrongdoings such as not putting work up for bid.

Another school that Durmus was the principal of Rochester Academy Charter School in New York, has an ongoing investigation for the improper use of tax dollars. As in all Gulen schools, the outside vendors are all connected to the Gulen Movement. For instance, the use of Apple Educational Service for educational devices such as laptops, etc. the address for Apple Education is listed as the same address as Fethullah Gulen. The schools and the company Apple Education deny their relationship with Gulen. Considering the use of the same address it seems unreasonable to believe to believe there is no connection.

The available knowledge of those who are involved in Vision Academy Charter School is not difficult to find. The accusations of discrimination, the settlements, the lack of progression in test scores and the connection between those who run this school with the Gulen movement is evidence that the William Penn School District would have been able to find quickly. The school is now expanding into a larger building in Darby as the school’s plan was accepted by council December 2017.

https://theupperdarbysentinelnews.com/2018/04/23/isaac-durmus-principal-vision-academy-charter-school-past-includes-investigations-of-misuse-of-taxpayers-funds/ Investigative Report by Agnes Lawless Bedard

Wait it gets better, democrat Margo Davidson accepted PAC funds from Betsy DeVos StudentsFirst 

Democratic Pennsylvania State Rep Margo Davidson has been the recipient of donations from Betsy DeVos PAC

Students First Political Action Committee, an offshoot of Betsy DeVos PAC for charter schools

When President Trump picked Betsy DeVos to head the Department of Education it the understanding was she was picked due to her financial support to the Republican Party. It is estimated that DeVos, her husband, Dick DeVos and their family have donated at least $20.2 million to Republican candidates, party committees, PACs and super PACs” since 1989. DeVos has been instrumental in fighting for educational vouchers to allow public education funds to be used for private schools and creation of charter schools. DeVos, is a staunch conservative Republican. It would seem unlikely that a Democrat would ever be on the receiving end of any contributions from DeVos. One did. Pennsylvania State Representative Margo Davidson (D-164)

Said Onal is a top Gulenist who has unsuccessfully
Been turned down on 2 charter school applications. (RI and MA)
he is also on the board of Gulen's company Amish Naturalich Yogurt Co
Mudd Farms.  

Betsy DeVos created the political action committee, American Federation for Children, (AFC) to contribute to the campaigns of candidates who will sponsor legislation that will allow public funding of private schools and charter schools. Margo Davidson has been the recipient of much of her campaign funding from that DeVos, as StudentsFirst, an offshoot of DeVos’s AFC, has spent almost $200,000 on the Davidson campaign to re-elected as a Pennsylvania State Representative. According to campaign finance reports, the AFC has already funneled $1 MILLION into Pennsylvania politics this spring through the Students First PAC. How much Davidson will receive has not been reported as campaign financials have not been released.

What does DeVos expect from her candidate that after being bestowed with a political contribution from her PAC? She expects and demands the candidate do her bidding. DeVos stated in an earlier interview with “Occasionally a wayward reporter will try to make the charge that we are giving this money to get something in return, or that we must be purchasing influence in some way. They are right. We do expect some things in return.” According to campaign finance reports, the AFC has already funneled $1 MILLION into Pennsylvania politics this spring through the Students First PAC.

Davidson has not been shy about voting for to create charter schools in Upper Darby and across Pennsylvania. Since her vote in 2011, along with Pennsylvania Republicans to create a voucher system which would create public funding of charter schools, Davidson has walked the line between pro and anti-charter school groups.

Complete Story by Agnes Lawless Bedard HERE  https://theupperdarbysentinelnews.com/2018/04/03/leading-democrat-margo-davidson-campaign-funded-by-betsy-devos-pacs/