Corruption and Malfeasance at San Antonio Charter System

When talking last week about his vision for corporate charter school principals, Arne Duncan said "we have to treat them as [CEOs], and we have to train them as such."

Looks like Arne's call for charter school leaders to become like corporate CEOs has been taken seriously for some time by the incompetent and crooked crew in charge at the School of Excellence in Education charter district of SA:

By Michelle De La Rosa - Express-News

A state-appointed official soon could be calling the shots at the School of Excellence in Education charter district — unless officials can give the Texas Education Agency a compelling reason by next week not to name one.

Citing ongoing financial problems, the agency released its decision Friday to place a conservator at the district. It's Bexar County's largest charter system with eight campuses and about 2,100 students.

“As a result of School of Excellence in Education's continued deficiencies in the area of financial performance, I am compelled to exercise my authority and intervene,” Education Commissioner Robert Scott wrote in a letter dated Nov. 30.

. . . .

“It's the worst sanction we can impose short of closing a school or a district,” Ratcliffe said.

Two reviews of the School of Excellence's finances — a TEA investigation in 2008 and the district's 2007-08 independent financial audit — revealed serious problems.

The audit found deficiencies in handling federal programs, including “inaccurate financial reports, improper accounting and recording procedures, little or no oversight from management and accounting policies and procedures that were either not followed or were nonexistent.”

Because the district submitted the audit nine months late, TEA gave it an unfavorable financial rating. . . . .