Harmony Science Academy a Gulen Charter School

Harmony Science Academy in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico are under the Cosmos Foundation. The Cosmos Foundation ran by Turkish Nationals who are known members of the Gulen Movement have abused many state and federal laws. Cosmos is the largest abuser of H1-B Visas for foreign teachers than the largest school district in America. Scratch your head and wonder why the Gulen Movement is getting away with reverse discrimination? Texas money crosses over state lines to support the other Gulen Managed charter schools, this is WRONG!! DISCLAIMER: If you find some videos are disabled this is the work of the Gulen censorship which has filed bogus copyright infringement rights to UTUBE







Friday, December 9, 2011

Harmony Science Academy, A Gulen Charter School exposed by Act for America of Houston

spare the remarks about them being racist, bigots, or islamophobe.
it is the gulen movement that is prejudice towards others.

Harmony (Gulen) School on W. Airport in Sugarland, TX

READ ARTICLE HERE BY ACT FOR AMERICA OF HOUSTON
PROUD AND TRUE AMERICANS
http://actforamericahouston.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/the-gulen-movement-a-new-islamic-world-order/

Gulen Schools mentioned in AnonyMISS message to worlds Journalists



Looks like the world journalists are taking this jailing and abuse of journalists very very seriously.

Received many journalists messages and they have mirrored and acted on this.

http://www.xexer.tv/wonderful-anonymous-open-letter-to-the-worlds-journalists-mirror-2011.html

http://www.diyarbakirhaber.gen.tr/haber-3583-Anonymous-Gulen-cemaatini-arastirin.html

http://www.haberinka.com/anonymous-gulen-cemaatini-arastirin.html

http://www.gunlukhaberim.com/haber/188042/anonymous-gulen-cemaatini-arastirin.html

http://hevallo.blogspot.com/2011/12/anonymous-video-on-fetullah-gulen-and.html

http://www.gomanweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11354:anonymous-guelen-cemaatini-aratrn-ve-tehir-edin&catid=1:son-haberler&Itemid=124

Gulen Charter School discussed: Lesson Learned :: Texas Monthly

Lesson Learned :: Texas Monthly

Gulen Charter School Harmony Science Academy left out of ANOTHER Alliance.......

KIPP and YES schools of Texas have joined together to form a new foundation (Sky Foundation) leaving Harmony out in the cold.
Education leaders in Spring Branch are proud to announce a new, three-way collaboration between Spring Branch Independent School District, and two public charter school organizations, KIPP Houston and YES Prep Public Schools.  Where is Harmony?  Oh that is right they have their OWN foundation – Cosmos Foundation
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation congratulated the newly formed SKY Partnership (SBISD, KIPP, and YES Prep) and welcomed them as the newest members of the District-Charter Collaboration Compact cities.  Where is Harmony?
Spring Branch joins Chicago, which also announced its Compact today, and 12 additional public school systems – Baltimore, Denver, Hartford, Conn., Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Tenn., New Orleans, New York City, Rochester, N.Y., Sacramento, Calif., Central Falls, R.I., and Boston – that have signed compacts in the past year.
SBISD enrolls about 33,000 students who live in Houston’s west side neighborhoods. The District-Charter Collaboration Compact is part of an ongoing commitment and dialogue between traditional public schools and charter schools to work together to share their best practices and provide all children in their communities with a public school education that prepares them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in college and the workforce.
The SKY Partnership’s effort to build a national model for cooperation within a traditional public school district will now be eligible for up to $100,000 in grant funding from the foundation, as well as the opportunity to compete for significant additional funding for ongoing collaboration and improved student achievement.
“Spring Branch is setting an example for school districts and charter school leaders across the country to work collaboratively, learn from each another and build upon successful practices,” said Vicki L. Phillips, director of Education, College Ready, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Ultimately, they all have the same goal—to ensure every student succeeds – so it just makes sense for them to be on the same team. We applaud Spring Branch for publicly committing to work together and do whatever it takes to radically increase the number students prepared for college and career.”  What happened to all the money Gates Foundation gave to Cosmos?
Leaders in all three groups signed the SKY Partnership Compact, which is a general “roadmap” for continued collaboration and planning that capitalizes on the strengths of each organization to enhance educational choice and options for SBISD secondary students. Leaders of the three groups are: Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., SBISD Superintendent of Schools; Mike Feinberg, KIPP Houston Co-founder and Superintendent; and Jason Bernal, YES Prep Public Schools President.
Among the goals of the partnership is to launch the first year of a KIPP and YES Prep school-within-a-school program for the 2012-2013 school year at Landrum and Northbrook middle schools, respectively, in SBISD.
The school district has two, self-created public charter schools, both of which the Texas Education Agency (TEA) rates as Exemplary, the state’s highest rating. They are Cornerstone Academy, a middle school serving about 380 students, and Westchester Academy for International Studies, a 6th-12th grade charter school that focuses on global studies and international relations.
Westchester Academy, with about 1,000 enrolled students, offers the highly prestigious and world recognized International Baccalaureate Diploma program. In November, the U.S. Department of Education named the secondary school as a national Blue Ribbon School Award recipient, the highest federal honor that an American school can earn.
These two district public charter schools are enormously popular. More than 200 Spring Branch families currently have students on waiting lists in the hopes of attending either school, one of the reasons that Superintendent Klussmann has worked to provide new options under the SKY Partnership plan.
Another driving force is SBISD’s new five year plan, The Spring Branch Plan, 2012-2017, under which district leaders have proposed an ambitious goal for all high school graduates to earn some form of higher education in the field or area of their choosing.
“We believe in this partnership and its ability to benefit all students. Under SBISD’s five-year goal of doubling the number of its graduates who earn a technical degree, a two-year associate’s degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree from a college or university, we must have strong partnerships. Together, these three high-performing organizations have the proven ability of providing highly valued school choice options,” SBISD Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., said.
“We believe that we have much to learn from KIPP and YES Prep, and they have much to learn from us, as we all move forward together,” he also said.  But don’t you have anything to learn from Harmony?
“I believe this unique partnership between a successful traditional public school system and high-performing charter school systems will serve as a model for what is possible not just in Houston, Texas, but across the nation when educators collaborate and focus on the sacred promises that we have made to the children and community,” KIPP Houston Co-founder and Superintendent Mike Feinberg said.
“It is an incredible honor to partner with two organizations who believe that demographics need not define destiny and that one day all children will have access to a college education and the success of a college diploma,” Feinberg also said.
“YES Prep has always been open to innovative practices in efforts to increase the number of low income students who graduate from high school college-ready and prepared to persist through college. YES Prep, Spring Branch, and KIPP will each bring to the partnership their best practices. The partnership will maximize these strengths and leverage them to serve students at the highest level, and I firmly believe that the partnership will serve as a national model to meet the needs of underserved students across the nation,” said Jason Bernal, President of YES Prep.
Bernal added, “I am personally excited to be able to be part of this groundbreaking work and am committed to making sure that the partnership succeeds for the sake of the YES Prep, Spring Branch, and KIPP students that are all our children.”
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people – especially those with the fewest resources – have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. To read more about the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s education strategy: www.gatesfoundation.org/education  BUT WHERE IS HARMONY?
KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program). KIPP Houston’s mission is to develop in underserved students the academic skills, intellectual habits and qualities of character necessary to succeed at all levels – prekindergarten through 12th grade, college and the competitive world beyond. Guiding the work of KIPP is a commitment established by its Co-Founder Mike Feinberg to teach students to “Work Hard and Be Nice.” To read more about KIPP Houston, please visit: http://kipphouston.org/ 
Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD). Since the 1950s, SBISD has been nationally recognized as a top performing public school district in Texas and the nation. This highly diverse school district serves 33,000 students, including 57 percent who are impoverished or reside in low-income families. On the 2010 SAT, students in SBISD outpaced the state and nation in Reading scores. For the past decade, SBISD has offered families several schooling options, including district public charter schools Cornerstone Academy, a middle school, and Westchester Academy for International Studies (WAIS), a combined middle and high school. This fall, WAIS was named a national Blue Ribbon School. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has rated Cornerstone as Exemplary, the state’s highest campus rating, since it opened. To read more about SBISD, please visit: www.springbranchisd.com
YES Prep. YES Prep’s mission is to dramatically increase the number of Houston low-income students who graduate from four-year colleges prepared to compete in the global marketplace and to give back to their communities. Under the direction of President Jason Bernal, YES Prep takes a comprehensive view of student development with an aim to prepare students for college graduation, while at the same time instilling core values of community service and good citizenship. To read more about YES Prep, please visit: http://yesprep.org/


Gulen Harmony Schools Accused of Being Linked to Muslim Movement



Congratulations to Harmony Science Academy for being in the news (again)
This will not stop until they have been 100% honest with Americans and with themselves.

By Jacqueline Crea - Multimedia Journalist
Thursday, December 8, 2011 - 10:09am
EL PASO- The Harmony Schools in Texas have been accused of indoctrinating Muslim religious beliefs in their curriculum.
The Harmony Schools are charter schools in Texas that focus on Math and Science. There are two in the El Paso area which have been attracting attention for their success rates with the students.
The Cosmos Foundation is the parent organization to the Harmony Schools. It is a charter school operator founded a decade by a group of professors and businessmen from Turkey. Cosmos has moved quickly to become the largest charter school operator in Texas, with 33 schools receiving more than $100 million a year in taxpayer funds.There are about 120 schools across the country that teach over 20,000 students.
 In the last few years, the schools have been garnering negative attention for their supposed link to the Gulen Movement, a Muslim following. Many of the staff and some of the founders of the schools are from Turkey and happen to be followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish preacher of a moderate brand of Islam.
The Superintendent of the schools and one of the Co-founders, Soner Tarim, is a Turkish-American and came to the United States in the early 90's to study at Texas A&M. He says the schools do not reach religion at the schools. " Because I'm the head of the school people should not look at me and label the school...all of our teachers and parents know that we do not teach religion obviously, this is a public school."
Allene Helmick, a parent at Harmony Science Academy in El Paso, has been sending her son there for three years. She says she's completely satisfied with the school, but did do her research beforehand amidst the negative media attention."I am Christian and I would never send my child to a Muslim indoctrinated school because of course it's opposite of my belief," she said.
A recent graduate from Harmony Science Academy said the school prepared him for success. "The school prepared me well enough that I was able to go out there and apply for anything that I wanted because of the experience I got here," said Israel Castro. He is now a freshman at UTEP paid for by a full academic scholarship.
Not everyone in the school system is happy with Harmony. Donna Garner, a former teacher in Texas, has been studying these schools for years. She says the schools are a front for an Islamic movement. "They have brought in all these teachers from Turkey, how are they going to teach students about being a good solid American patriot, to learn about the U.S. Constitution, to honor our forefathers, to study the declaration of independence."
Tarim refutes this and says that some of the teachers are international, but 85% are hired locally.
Garner also recalled a situation at a Harmony School performance in Texas, when students stomped on an American Flag. Whether this is true or not, Harmony Schools insist that they do not teach any Anti-American beliefs.
Tarim say "We believe that math and science prepare our students for college for life so that they can be successful."

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Gulen Charter School -Lawsuit J.R. Johnson vs. Cosmos Foundation dba Harmony Science Academy

Lawsuit: J.R. Johnson vs. Cosmos Foundation and Solidarity Contracting

Page created Dec 3, 2011

On August 30, 2011, Mr. J.R. Johnson of Hico, Texas (a small town about 100 miles southwest of Dallas) filed a legal complaint with the District Court of Williamson County, Texas.  The complaint arises from a subcontract job that Mr. Johnson, doing business as Centex Construction, performed for Solidarity Contracting.  The job was performed on the building facilities of the Harmony School of Political Science in Austin, Texas, a publicly-funded Gulen charter school that opened in the fall of 2011.  These facilities are owned by the Cosmos Foundation, a Gulenist organization that is the charter holder of the chain of Harmony Public Schools.

In this complaint, Mr. Johnson contends that he is due $432,995.00, which he says is the unpaid remainder of the total amount he was owed for work performed in May and June 2011, relating to the stucco and facade of the building.  The work was completed on July 12, 2011, according to Mr. Johnson, who says he has been trying to collect payment since then.  Mr. Johnson's suit states that the amount in question is specified by the written contract and the change orders in connection with the job.

Mr. Johnson has indicated that the delay in payment is causing him considerable hardship and is having an adverse effect on his ability to take on new contracts.

The original complaint document can be downloaded here:
http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/pdf.png

originalpetition_filed_8-30-11.pdf
File Size:
351 kb
File Type:
pdf



_Background on Solidarity Contracting

Solidarity Contracting is a Texas company owned by Levent Ulusal.  This company was featured in an article in the Spring 2011 edition of the trade journal Construction Leaders Today.  The cover of that edition shows a photo of the Harmony School of Art and Technology in Houston, Texas, another Harmony Public School site for which Solidarity Contracting performed general contracting.  The article suggests that Ulusal had scant experience in the construction industry before he found himself in charge of general contracting for Texas public school buildings: "Ulusal earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in his homeland of Turkey and came to the United States in 2000 to earn an MBA in corporate finance. He worked in investment banking and accounting for eight years, but has always been interested in construction. In 2009, Ulusal joined Solidarity and later bought the entire company."  

Several other statements in the article are noteworthy.  The line "About 60 percent of Solidarity’s business is repeat or word-of-mouth, including a newly completed building for North American College in Houston," likely refers to the fact that much of Solidarity's business comes from within the Gulen Movement network; North American College is also a Gulenist institution.  Another line of interest: "Solidarity does not employ many laborers; instead, the company subcontracts on most jobs."
Ties to Gulen Movement

Levent Ulusal of Solidarity Contracting has several Gulenist connections.  He is listed as a director of The Institute of International Commerce and Partnership (IICP) along with Yunus Dogan, Celil Yaka, Unal Cevak, and Fatih Yigit (source: website of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts). 

Mr. Ulusal is described on the website of the Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce (TTACC) as Vice President.  The TTACC is listed on the website of the Turkic American Alliance (TAA) as one of its member organizations.  The TAA, formerly named the ATAF, was explicitly described in this New Jersey news article as the umbrella organization of the Gulen Movement in the United States.

Mr. Ulusal's connections to the Raindrop Turkish House (a.k.a. Raindrop Turkevi) and TUSKON, two other Gulenist organizations, are shown by the following quote from their website: "Members of the Raindrop Turkish House and Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce (TTACC) hosted Eli Cox, the chairman of the marketing department at the McCombs School of Business at University of Texas at Austin (UT) to discuss a possible collaboration between Raindrop Turkish House, TTACC, and UT's School of Business for business networking trip to Turkey.  ...  Levent Ulusal, the vice president of Texas Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce, made a presentation about the Texas Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce and Tuskon (short for Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey), which is currently the largest civic organization in Turkey with 15000 members." 

Connections of Mr. Ulusal's co-directors at the IICP further illustrate that he is part of a tightly-knit circle of businessmen with ties to the Gulen Movement and the Cosmos Foundation.

Fatih Yigit was listed as Secretary on at least one of the Cosmos Foundation's IRS Form 990s.

Celil Yaka, according to his Linked In Profile (accessed Dec 2011), is the President of the Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce, a Gulenist organization.  He is also Financial Manager at Helix Design & Production, LLC, which has produced websites for the Cosmos Foundation, Harmony Public Schools, and a number of other Gulenist organizations in Texas. 

Unal Cevak is associated with DNR Catering Services, a company that provides meals to Harmony Public Schools.  A June 6, 2006 article in the Houston Chronicle mentions Unal Cevak as the co-owner of DNR European Fast Food, and, interestingly, also mentions Inci Akpinar of Atlas Texas Construction and Trading as a patron (Ms. Akpinar was accused by charter school official Folwell Dunbar of offering him a bribe in connection with Abramson Science and Technology Charter School in Louisiana, as reported by the Times-Picayune.)

Atlas Texas Construction & Trading, Inc. has obtained millions of dollars in construction contract work from the Cosmos Foundation.  Yunus Dogan is the CEO of Atlas.  He is also on the advisory board of ISWEEEP, a Houston-based science "competition" run by the Cosmos Foundation.  Additionally, he is a director of Atlas Texas Food and Beverages LLC, along with Unal Cevak.  Atlas has provided meals to Harmony Public Schools, as mentioned in Stephanie Saul's June 6, 2011 New York Times article Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas.
Correspondence

Mr Johnson has attempted to obtain relief by appealing to the office of State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr.  He has provided this website with a copy of the response he received, so that the public can be informed.  As an aside, it so happens that Eddie Lucio was a co-sponsor of Texas State Resolution 85, commending Fethullah Gulen.

________________________________________________________________________________

From: Louie Sanchez <Louie.Sanchez@senate.state.tx.us>
Subject: FW: Harmony School - Austin
To: "Jr Johnson" <*****************>
Date: Monday, November 28, 2011, 1:36 PM

Took him 22 days to respond, but it’s a response… see below.

From: Soner Tarim
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2011 7:13 PM
To: Louie Sanchez
Subject: RE: Harmony School - Austin

Dear Louie,

We have been following this issue through our lawyers who are placing great legal pressure to make the payment.

We are hoping this will result positively.  However it will take a while since lawyers are in the middle.  I will keep you inform as I learn more.

Thank you

=========================

Dr. Soner Tarim, CEO
Superintendent of Schools
Phone   : 713-343-3333 Ext. 205
Web      : www.harmonytx.org

==========================

From: Louie Sanchez [mailto:Louie.Sanchez@senate.state.tx.us]
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 9:36 PM
To: starim@harmonytx.org
Subject: Harmony School - Austin

Dr. Tarim:

I’d like to follow up with the matter you and I discussed last week regarding the lien on the Harmony School in Austin.  What is the current status?  Please advise.

Thanks,
LS

LOUIE SANCHEZ | Chief of Staff
SENATOR EDDIE LUCIO, JR. 
Texas Senate District 27
Chairman, Senate Committee on International Relations & Trade

____________________________________________________________________________

Further updates regarding this case will be added as developments occur.

UPDATE SPECIFIC INFORMATION;   12/11/2011
https://deed.wilco.org/RealEstate/SearchResults.aspx

Enter "Cosmos" into the Grantee box select Search.


Instrument 2011054030 lists about 1 dozen laborer names and they are all Hispanic names. 

If these are illegal workers, then Harmony / Cosmos can try and beat them out of their pay.

there are 2 releases of mechanic liens filed (meaning they have been paid or payments are being made)

there is a lis pendens filed on the property , .a lis pendens blocks the property from a sale or other transactions UNTIL the debt is paid, which then a "release" would be filed.  "lis pendens - means a "lien" is pending on the property.

Is it right that a political science school is starting out with these unethical behaviors?  Is this the message we send to children, build a school and dup the laborers, suppliers and contractors out of their money?

Pacesetter Personnel Services                                                  $67,473.17
Kara Building Specilities                                                               4,756.75
Morrel Masonry Supply, Inc                                                   $137,856.67
J.R. Johnson dba Centex Const.                                             $432,995.00
American Drywal                                                                   $135,190.00
Champion Site Prep L.P. (John Gustanis)                                 $87,495.80
Arrow Glass & Mirror                                                           $129,806.36