FBI investigates at Albuquerque charter school.

[Hugin]

FBI agents on Thursday were at Southwest Secondary Learning Center charter school in Albuquerque as part of an ongoing investigation, FBI spokesman Stephen Marshall said.

The agents were seen loading boxes into two dark-colored vans parked outside the school near Morris and Candelaria during the afternoon.

The Journal could not reach principal Al Baysinger on Thursday afternoon. Chief Financial Officer Scott Glasrud did not return a phone call left at the school or on his cellphone Thursday, nor did he respond to an email from the Journal.

Jennifer Chavez, who has been a spokeswoman for the school, said she had no information because her contract with the school expired July 1.

More here: http://www.abqjournal.com/438935/news/fbi-investigates-at-albuquerque-charter-school.html

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No comment.

[Warpy]

1. That one's been flying under the radar

I haven't seen anything in local news.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's just as much of a sick joke on students as the rest of the corporate forays into education have been.

[Hugin]

2. Apparently there has been some smoke from this fire for awhile...

Interesting blog.

http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2011/05/southwest-learning-center.html

HEAD OF CHARTERS EARNS $204,000. Albuquerque Journal (NM) 11 Mar 2010 http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/112311207866newsmetro03-11-10.htm
The head of three charter schools with fewer than 500 students combined earns $204,000, more than any superintendent in New Mexico except APS' Winston Brooks.

Brooks earns $256,000 a year to oversee a district of 94,000 students; Scott Glasrud oversees the Southwest Learning Center in Albuquerque with a combined enrollment of 495.

Albuquerque school board president Martin Esquivel called Glasrud's salary "beyond ridiculous," adding that it raises questions about accountability at charter schools.

"I think the perception is going to be that this charter school has set up its own private fiefdom using public money," Esquivel said in an interview. "There's really no way to justify this at all."

Glasrud's schools came under scrutiny last month after he refused to provide bank statements to the Albuquerque district, saying doing so would violate the schools' autonomy. He, along with Mike May of Amy Biehl Charter High, eventually released the documents…

It would be interesting to see how far any public institution would get with that "autonomy" argument.

[ALBliberal]

3. Pigs get fat .... Hogs get slaughtered

204k to head up a charter school of 500 kids all out of public funds? Meanwhile we can't get the bare mininum funded in our Albuquerque Public Schools. Ya I will watch this with interest.