Since the first charter school opened in 1992 in St. Paul, MN, charters have proliferated throughout the nation. They are typically viewed as "school choice" options, and in some cases, may provide an academic improvement over traditional public schooling. However, charters are hardly a panacea for parents seeking positive educational alternatives for their children.

The concept of charter schools dates back to the 1970s when New England Educator Ray Budde came up with the progressive notion that teachers should set up contracts or "charters" with local school boards to discover and implement new approaches to education. In the 1980s, former American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Albert Shanker helped move this concept along. "With his support," Public Charter Schools Insider recounts, "schools began to develop a test of 'schools within schools' programs or 'charters' in Philadelphia," and the new method of education began catching on.

Recent figures published by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools show that by 2020, almost three and a half million children were enrolled in 7,700 charter schools in 44 states. Along with homeschooling and other educational alternatives, charter school enrollment increased during the pandemic to the tune of seven percent, the largest rise in five years according to the NAPCS.

While charter schools are technically under the jurisdiction of their public-school districts and are supposed to provide equal access to all students, the reality is that most operate quasi-independently and essentially do their own thing. In some cases, such as with classical charter schools like the Merit Academy in Woodland Park, Colorado, this is all to the good. Local parents can keep close tabs on administrators and curricula, and reject extremist propaganda.

In other cases, however, critics point out that some charter schools find ways to screen out lower-achieving and otherwise disadvantaged students while others engage in conflicts of interest, and employ poor fiscal management. Like their regular public-school counterparts, some fail to teach basic skills.

Gülenist Terror Group-linked charter schools

Then there are charter schools that operate under foreign influence even while subsidized by U.S. taxpayers. A case in point involves groups of charter schools associated with the Turkish cleric and terror group-linked Imam Fethullah Gülen, who arrived in the U.S. in 1999. Gülen had alleged terrorist connections and was expelled from his own country after Turkish authorities accused him of promoting an Islamic state. (He was later tried and acquitted of the charge in absentia.)

By 2005, Gülen was spreading his version of Islam through U.S. public education by establishing groups of "Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)" charter schools in various states using local non-profit organizations that shared his philosophy and yet were willing to disavow his association with them. One such group is the Illinois-based Concept Schools, which are sprinkled throughout the Midwest. Another Gülenist group of charter schools operates in Texas, under the name Harmony Public Schools. The Harmony group includes 57 schools, plus an additional six STEM schools known as Schools of Science and Technology (SST). Texas has the dubious distinction of being home to the largest number of Gülen schools in the country.

As far back as 2013, the FBI was investigating "certain aspects" of Gülen's empire, which by then was said to be worth billions of dollars, mostly from his educational ventures. While continuing to deny any involvement in the U.S. charter schools, he nonetheless claimed that his "followers" had established more than 600 schools worldwide. (See Education Reporter, January 2013.)

Gülen schools have triggered a host of complaints over the years, ranging from charges that they employ only teachers imported from Turkey on H-1B visas, some of whom speak limited English, to promoting the Islamic religion according to Gülen, including mandatory study of the Koran after regular school hours. Some of these schools have shown poor academic results and many stand accused of poor fiscal responsibility. All of the schools almost exclusively use Turkish-owned businesses as vendors, a practice that eventually caught the attention of the U.S. Government.

On November 6, 2020, the Turkish international news outlet Daily Sabah, which is published in both English and Arabic, reported that the U.S. Justice Department had levied a $4.5 million fine on what it described as "a Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)-linked charter school for engaging in noncompetitive bidding practices in violation of the False Claims Act." The Concept Schools were charged with "rigged bidding for E-rate contracts between 2009 and 2012 in favor of chosen technology vendors so that its network of charter schools located in several states, including Illinois, Ohio and Indiana, selected the chosen vendors without a meaningful, fair, and open bidding process.

"These charter schools are used as a tool to siphon federal funds, namely the American taxpayers' money" Sabah continued. "FETÖ has some 312 educational facilities in the U.S. and receives almost $600 million per year for these schools," totaling $5 billion."

Jeffrey Bossert Clark, who in 2020 was the acting assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice's Civil Division, vowed "serious consequences for schools that seek to profit at the U.S. taxpayers' expense."

David Hunt, then-inspector general of the FCC, added that entities attempting to harm the contracting process such as by conspiring to rig competitive bidding "will not be tolerated and will be investigated aggressively."

During this time, the Turkish government appealed to both Ohio and Illinois courts in an attempt to prove what it noted is Gülen's criminal conspiracy to launder money obtained from U.S. corporations and individuals through its nonprofit Concept Schools. The funds are then sent back to Turkey "for the continued financing of illicit activities in violation of Turkish laws."

In April 2021, the Turkish-based news source, Azerbaijan in Focus, posted an article revealing that "a member of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) admitted that the group had formed a special unit for infiltrating the U.S. military through its members recruited from charter schools..."

İhsan Yilmaz, a prominent fugitive member of FETÖ who lives in Australia, told Azerbaijan in an interview that he was shocked when he heard about the infiltration strategy via a report by Amsterdam & Partners LLP, "which is pursuing a global investigation into the suspicious activities of FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen, and a high-level FETÖ member living in the U.S. who later confirmed the existence of the unit in 2019." Yilmaz said that he had warned the FETÖ leadership many times in the past against engaging in illegal activities but that they did not pay attention to his warnings.

Interestingly, the Amsterdam law firm in 2017 published a book titled Empire of Deceit: An Investigation of the Gülen Charter School Network, which describes how "the Gülen charter networks routinely use affiliated Gülenist vendors, whom they purposefully overpay to siphon public funds out of the schools and into the Gülen organization by way of apparent kickbacks from businesses. They also serve as H-1B visa sponsors and job creators for Gülenists." This book may be downloaded free of charge as a 648-page PDF file. Amsterdam has a second book in the works to follow up on this topic.

Despite the evidence of wrongdoing, these alleged terrorist-sponsored charter schools continue to operate in the U.S. The Harmony Schools' website is filled with braggadocio and nary a hint of the controversy surrounding their existence. While dated and with some links no longer working, the Concept Schools' website still appears to be active as well.

Why are Gülen schools allowed in the U.S.?

The Gülen schools are reputedly allowed to continue operating for political reasons associated with the complex U.S. foreign policy in Central Asia, particularly regarding Iran. The Daily Sabah reported in 2019: "The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. Department of State basically position these movements as moderate and peaceful to infiltrate regions where U.S. interests are to be pursued or at stake... When the Soviet Union fell, a vacuum emerged in Turkic countries in Central Asia, and there was a growing concern over the Iranian Shia expansion into the region. The Gülen movement then became instrumental to manage the Turkic countries and cripple the impact of Iran."

But even while the U.S. Government and state governments in turn close their eyes to the shrouded motives behind Gülen-backed charter schools, parents should be extremely wary of entrusting to them their children's welfare and education.

As for Imam Fethullah Gülen, he reportedly lives in relative obscurity in a luxurious and well-guarded compound near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.

Chinese influence in charter schools

Savvy parents and observers may suspect that China's tentacles in American education extend to charter schools, and their instincts would be correct. The influence of Confucius Institutes on higher education in the U.S. is well known and documented — with more than a hundred such programs currently operating on university and college campuses. Information about Chinese influence in the lower grades is sketchier, particularly with regard to charter schools.

One example, however, of a Chinese-sponsored full immersion K-8 charter school is the Yinghua Academy in Minneapolis. The school enrolls students via lottery and has a wait list, which is legally how all charter schools are supposed to operate. Yinghua opened its doors in 2006 and bills itself as "the first public charter Chinese immersion school in the U.S. and the first Chinese immersion school in the Midwest."

Its website states that the academy enrolls students "of all backgrounds and abilities," offering "a bilingual, bi-cultural, and bi-literate English (American) and Chinese educational experience." The school teaches Chinese culture and the Mandarin Chinese language, although prior knowledge of Mandarin is not required in order for a child to enroll.

Yinghua emphasizes that students are educated and nurtured to become "citizens for a global society." Two of the school's goals include: "Acquire an acute cultural understanding of China and other countries of the world for more effective participation as global citizens"; and, "Develop empathy and respect for others in the school and global community."

Therein lies the rub. Yinghua may well teach basic academic skills but does not appear to be shaping future American citizens even as American taxpayers foot the bills. Students are not likely to be encouraged to put America first or learn to revere and guard the precious freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Rather, students will be taught to view themselves as citizens of a global community, likely under a global government.

Seeking the bottom line

Volumes have been written about charter schools over the years. The intent to develop schools independent of teachers' unions and education bureaucracies appealed to many Americans, but as Phyllis Schlafly wrote, the charter concept "opened up a path for foreigners to run schools at the expense of the U.S. taxpayers, without much news coverage." Schlafly's April 2012 report exposed the Gülen schools, noting: "Most American taxpayers would be mighty surprised at what their money is financing."

While good charter schools do exist, the bad and the ugly also abound. Charter schools in general are often accused of employing incompetent teachers, and many perform little better than traditional public schools.

The bottom line for parents interested in enrolling their children in a charter school is to first investigate it fully, by talking to administrators and to parents of students who already attend. They should ask about the school's mission and goals, as well as an opportunity to view the curriculum if not readily available online. As with traditional public schools, parents can petition for access to the curriculum if it is not posted on the school's website.

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