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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

CONNECTING DOTS AT A “SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SCHOOL”: State Representative Charles Brunner Unloads On MDE Decision To Approve Bay City Academy's Five-Year Deficit Elimination Plan. Charter Lobby Influence-Peddler & Cosseted Insider Demand Apology! (Duel At Sunrise?)


















In response, Brian Lynch, who runs Mitten Management, the school's management company, called Brunner an "Uneducated individual who is trying to connect invisible dots." 
April 6, 2016
MLive

Bay City State Rep. Charles Brunner sure got under the super-thin skin of charter school insiders Brian Lynch and Dan Quisenberry with his broadside against the MDE's approval of the Bay City Academy's five-year deficit elimination plan. 

MLive reports (search for the story yourself...they don't post links to my work!) Quisenberry is demanding an apology for what he called an 'outrageous attack' and Lynch called Brunner an 'uneducated individual who is trying to connect invisible dots'. (What is that, some kind of bitchy Zen koan?)

There are dots that do connect, though!

Here's the text of Brunner's statement:

Brunner Disappointed in Bay City Academy Deficit Elimination Plan 

Lawmaker frustrated by lack of accountability and transparency with charter school 

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 

LANSING – State Representative Charles Brunner (D-Bay City) was saddened and frustrated to learn that the Michigan Department of Education had approved the Bay City Academy’s five year deficit elimination plan. The Bay City Academy, founded by Steve Ingersoll who is currently awaiting sentencing for felony convictions of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States, has a 1.3 million dollar deficit. 

“The Bay City Academy has objectively failed both academically and financially in recent years,” said Rep. Brunner “Nothing in the deficit elimination plan offered by the Bay City Academy has given me faith that the academy is serious about educating the students attending their sorry excuse for a school.” 

The deficit elimination plan offered by the Bay City Academy is predicated on drastic growth in the number of students attending the school, the assumption that no repairs will be necessary to their building in the next five years, and increases in state funding in future fiscal years which have not been discussed yet by the Legislature. 

“That the Michigan Department of Education does not have the tools to hold the Bay City Academy accountable for its failures is further evidence that bills my colleagues and I have introduced to bring transparency and accountability to charter schools are increasingly necessary,” said Rep. Brunner 

“Despite my best efforts, the Department of Treasury, Attorney General Bill Schuette, and the charter authorizer Lake Superior State University have refused to take responsibility to investigate the financial misdeeds and misuse of taxpayer dollars at the academy. The only group who has shown any interest in ensuring our children get access to a great education is the Michigan Department of Education, which is hamstrung by the outrageously lax charter school laws in this state.” 

While the Department of Education is requiring the Bay City Academy to file a signed letter indicating it has no further associations with the previous management company, Smart Schools Inc., this does not account for the fact that the academy’s school board is headed by a close friend of Steven Ingersoll, Craig Johnston, who has been on the board throughout the academic and financial failures of the academy since its founding. In addition, the current management company is run by Brian Lynch, the former superintendent of the academy who now oversees the entire operation of the academy. Mr. Lynch also has family ties to a business associate and friend of Mr. Ingersoll. 

“If the Bay City Academy were truly concerned about students and cared about responsibly handling the taxpayer dollars they receive, they would absolutely divest themselves of anyone and everyone personally connected to Steve Ingersoll and remove from their board people who have been involved in the previous failures of the school,” said Rep. Brunner “It is unconscionable that the individuals who have so assiduously shirked responsibility for their past performance have continued to be involved in the operation of the academy and even in some cases promoted. I will not stop advocating for the children of Bay County and will not rest until every student has access to a financially stable and academically enriching school environment. I am calling on my colleagues in the House and Senate to pass sensible reforms to our charter school laws to hold schools like the Bay City Academy accountable, Lake Superior State to take responsibility for the academic performance of the school it permits to operate under its auspices, and the Department of Treasury and the Attorney General to do their jobs and ensure that Michigan taxpayers are not having their hard-earned dollars be abused and misused by a corrupt school board.”

11 comments:

  1. I dont think it could be any clearer that Lynch is guilty as well. These comments are further proof of his inability to truly be transparent.

    If Lynch is so sure of his schools "success" (and there's all these first hand accounts that say otherwise), what justifies his 20,000 per month management fee? What is his salary compared to the staff who bust their tails to make him look like he "knows" what he's doing? How about the kids, who he only sees as more money for himself?

    It's about time that the right people are speaking out and against these people. If Lynch had nothing to hide, why did this get under his skin so badly?

    This is crazy and it's only the beginning!

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  2. Well done Mr. Brunner and Miss Fortune for all your support in bringing all this fraud to the public's attention!

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  3. yes thank you mr. Brunner Ms Fortune,


    I guess mr. Lynch has not heard of mr. Brunnerbut I am sure you will find out exactly who he is... LOL

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  4. The sad part is the people that work there do put everything they have got into these kids but reality is they are helping these crooked people steal money away from educating children properly. I don't think most of them comprehend the big picture. If these schools continue they will only destroy our school systems. Yes you want and need a job but where is your integrity, because deep down inside you know all of this is true and these guys are funneling taxpayers money into their pockets. Have you seen Lynch's home on the Bay. Pocketing 20,000 a month for the service he gives you, really. And I am sure he expenses driving back and forth, meals and lodging now wouldn't that be nice.

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  5. Gary Naeyaert also tweeted some choice comments about Brunner tonight. The comment section of that MLive article was lots of fun tonight.

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  6. I have heard that Lynch's rise in wealth is completely grotesque and sums up who he is as a person. His residence in Traverse City is extremely expensive and it's ironic that he just happened to move when he was given this management company.

    These lavish lifestyles will soon come to an end with Lynch and Noss. After reading the Mlive article, it clearly showed what an ass Lynch is. Calling someone "uneducated" who taught for 30 years (business I might add), has two masters degrees and is a state representative was a very ignorant thing to do. This is especially true when his own schools are falling apart and the buildings are piles of shit.

    Lynch has buried his pathetic excuse of a reputation by verbally attacking people. His character is showing and nobody likes what they're seeing and hearing.

    I also love how Lynch talks about his Noss like he has no communication with him. What a joke. If Lynch is so completely separated from Noss, why in the hell are his schools providing and pushing IVL? Lies always bite you in the ass Lynch.

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  7. Does Brian Lynch even realize how stupid he is? This is a guy who's breaking so many laws as it is, paying himself a massive salary, and holding meetings at my child's school acting like a principal. Isn't he supposedly just supposed to manage the financials at the schools?

    Also, it is hard to say that no one from BCA was associated with Smart Schools because of the simple fact that Brian Lynch was the Superintendant of Smart Schools when he was employed by them!

    This is all just comical.

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  8. Can we be clear here. Brian Lynch is the son in law of Mark Noss. He has a BA & a provisional teaching certificate with about 6 years teaching experience. That's it. WTF ever qualified him to be a Superintendent let alone run a "management" company? I'll tell you what. He worked as a teacher at GTA for Steve Ingersoll, and then married Noss's daughter. That's it. These guys saw PILES of tax money for their own profit, and their lack of any quifications have never bothered any of these agencies handing out OUR doufh.

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    Replies
    1. Imagine the balls on this Lynch guy: days after the Michigan Department of Education granted a five-year bailout plan (potentially worth $16.5 million additional taxpayer dollars between July 2016-June 2020) this guy called an elected official, State Rep. Charles Brunner, an "uneducated individual who is trying to connect invisible dots." Listen up, putz, or someone will describe you as an "uneducated individual who just happened to marry well"!

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    2. I'm not sure if I'd classify this as an issue of having the balls or just plain stupidity and arrogance.

      To even begin to claim that you've somehow become entitled to insult an elected official with 30 years of teaching and two masters degrees when you've got a bachelors, no experience, and your father n'law who handed you your job in a silver platter is ludicrous at best.

      Lynch has buried himself alive with his stupidity. He doesn't even have a leg to stand on and is a lousy scam artist just like Noss. He prances around flaunting his money, buying expensive homes, and all of this is done while the people that work for him starve and the kids receive a shitty education.

      In a world of shit, Lynch is a class act.

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    3. In case my point was delivered too softly, Lynch just bit the hand that is feeding him.

      By insulting an elected official shortly after receiving a taxpayer-fueled windfall, Lynch revealed the truth: he's merely an unsophisticated brat who was born on third base and thought he hit a triple!

      Who the hell is advising this jackass, his in-house belle de jour?

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