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Sunday, April 26, 2015

THE "LYNCH" PIN? Bay City Academy Schedules Special Board Meeting For April 27 @ 1:00pm; Current Superintendent Brian Lynch Rumored To Have Formed Management Company To Pick The Financial Bones Of Faltering Charter School.

It looks like the Bay City Academy is poised to officially announce its selection of a new management company tomorrow.

The Academy posted a "Special BCA Board Meeting" notice just this morning on its website, announcing the date (Monday, April 27), time (1:00pm) and place (301 N. Farragut Street) for the coronation event.

Miss Fortune hears from reliable sources that current Bay City Academy Superintendent, Brian Lynch, has formed his own management company and will officially be awarded a management contract by the assorted toadies cherry-picked by Steven Ingersoll the faltering charter school's Board of Directors.

For those of you who may be new to this story, Lynch is the son-in-law of longtime Ingersoll business associate, Mark Noss. 

As I reported on April 17, 2014, the seat Traverse City optometrist Noss used in his role as President of the Grand Traverse Academy's Board of Directors had barely cooled before he began heating up a new perch—as head of the Academy's education service provider, Full Spectrum Management, LLC (FSM). 

FSM replaced Steven Ingersoll's Smart Schools Management, Inc.

FSM came kicking and screaming into the world on March 19, 2014 at 4:31pm when Traverse City attorney David Rowe faxed its incorporation paperwork to Lansing. 

The Grand Traverse Academy board had awarded a multi-year management contract to FSM earlier that day during a special, early-morning board meeting. Noss sat at the head of the Grand Traverse Academy Board of Directors, presiding over the charter school during the years Ingersoll systematically made off with $3.5 million dollars of taxpayer money.

What, you thought Kim Jong-Un was the only unqualified guy who'd ever parlayed family ties into a new job?

Back on March 11, Lynch addressed a group of roughly six people who attended a public meeting at the Bay City Academy, telling them it's "education as usual" at the charter school founded by convicted tax cheat, Steven Ingersoll. 

Looks to Miss Fortune it's more like "business as usual"—with that business being "monkey"!

During the March 11 meeting, Lynch said the shrinking charter school was likely going to change management companies and dissolve all affiliation with Ingersoll's Smart Schools company, which currently operates the Bay City Academy. Lynch said a new management company hadn't been identified, and said he expected a company would approach the Bay City Academy school board or officials from Lake Superior State University and pitch their business plan.

The Bay City Times reported that Nick Oshelski, executive director of charter schools at LSSU, met with the university's legal counsel on March 10 and hoped to provide options for the school in the coming weeks.

"I'm hoping whatever is decided can happen smoothly," Oshelski said to the Bay City Times. "The Academy has been moving along very nicely as far as academics and its culture. We don't want to see anything happening in a negative matter."

Miss Fortune wonders if Mr. Oshelski believes in unicorns, too?


Must have been a helluva pitch by Lynch at Thursday's Bay City Academy board meeting!

In what may be the most delicious of Freudian slips, Lynch was quoted by the Bay City Times in its March coverage: "Depending on what level of involvement the next management company has, it could mean more or less change. My recommendation is that we take the side of the spectrum as of little change as possible. I don't want to be replaced, I don't want to leave and I'm going to fight hard for my job."

We'll know tomorrow how hard "cream puff" Lynch had to fight.

The name of Lynch's new firm is unclear, and he may be following in the footsteps of father-in-law Mark Noss: signing a "pre-formation" management contract (uncommon and sneaky, but legal) and then faxing incorporation paperwork to Lansing.

Miss Fortune has a few suggestions if a name hasn't been selected:

Fortunate Son-In-Law, LLC

I’ll Keep Your Secrets, Inc.

Omerta, Incorporated

Not-So-Smart Schools Management, Inc.

Fuller Spectrum Management


Old Mission New House Corporation
 

What do you think? And do you have a suggestion?


12 comments:

  1. I like Omerta, Incorporated.

    Up North Progressive

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  2. It's shocking to me that when given the opportunity to do the right thing, the BCA board looks the other way, allowing more of the same unethical behavior. Lynch and the Ingersoll pack continue to put their personal greed ahead of what's best for kids. Truly sickening! I'd never want to see a charter school shut down, but how else will these people be stopped?

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    Replies
    1. The ethical thing to do is shut the charter school down. that's the only way to stop these charlatans.

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  3. Their entire Request for Proposals was a sham! Once Ingersoll was convicted, I'm sure the plan was to give Lynch the opportunity to make some serious $$$$$. And you can bet Noss is holding his hand through the process. I'll even predict that we see a merging of Lynch's new company with Full Spectrum down the road. GTA and BCA will be back where they started...under the control of the same greedy people with conference calls to Ingersoll in prison!

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  4. This has to end. It appears only the people of Bay City can close it down.

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  5. This is such Bull Shit. The Board should not allow it - but they are under Ingersoll's control. LSSU should not allow it - one would think they are independent but have never acted that way so they must be paid off by Ingersoll and friends as well. How do we stop this run away freight train?

    Is Brian Lynch still residing at an Ingersoll-owned property when he overnights in Bay City?

    I would like to know how much time Lynch spends per week at Bay City Academy vs. in Traverse City.

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  6. BCA Board put on the pretense of opening the proposal to legitimate management companies and at least one responded. Sad that it was a sham because they could have ended up with a company that actually puts the students first. It would have been partial management with the majority of the the budget in the hands of the school where it belongs. But since the board is not from the local community or parents, this was a pre-cooked (pre-crooked?) deal.

    So where is LSSU in all of this? It's their reputation on the line and they're sitting idly by fuming that their 'fix' was ignored by this crooked cabal. If this continues, the MDE will have to get involved and then all charter schools will be hurt. LSSU needs to give them a one year charter with a list of what needs to be fixed. If they don't meet those requirements then the lose their charter and good luck on getting another authorizer to pick them up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Any idea which management firm responded to the RFP? As for the "one year charter" with a list to fix, LSSU already did that last year in its "Mid-Contract Review". The current BCA charter runs through the end of the 2015/2016 school year, and it has not met some of the key benchmarks in the LSSU 2014 review.

      Someone needs to grow a pair!

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    2. There were 3 companies considered but no names mentioned. One wanted more $$ than Steve was charging and the other 2 wanted to lay off everyone and have them re interview (as it should have been). Brian told his staff that no major changes would take place, so expect no major leadership changes and plenty of IVL. Brian also may seek to renew the charter early.

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    3. If that was stated in the Board Meeting then someone was lying because there was an ESP that would not have laid off anyone but just assume the HR responsibilities while leaving the majority of the budget in the school's hands. What a sham!

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  7. Stopping the fraud may need reporting to the federal Dept of ed to stop this.

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    Replies
    1. The U. S. Department of Education was provided the information nearly one year ago. And they did nothing.

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