Hta Hawaii
Hawaii HtaThe Hawaii Technology Academy Research
Since 2008 Jeff Piontek has been headmaster of the Hawaii Technology Academy. the public-private, profit-oriented educational enterprise that provides the school's syllabus. Situated in a warehouse-like facility on the Farrington Highway in Waipahu, the site is shared with a Kirby dealer, a veterinary hospital and a Sherwin-Williams paintshop.
The HTA has more than 900 pupils across the country attending computer classes with a dedicated syllabus instructed and supervised by instructors on-line. "There are so many issues we as instructors have to deal with here at school," said HTA primary schoolteacher Justin Nidgion, who was speaking last Thursday at the Waipahu United Church of Christ, a few blocks away from the college, at a controversial HTA Education Committee group.
Pionetek amazed the crowd by showing up and being in the back seat, even when mum and dad were complaining about the way he was spent, which got him into difficulties. The majority of it was for flight costs, hotels, food and rent a vehicle for Pionetek, the dismissed headmaster and his deputy headmistress Ana Matsumoto, who had taken time off from college at the end of December, said wells.
In the same year, the school's 30 educators and employees paid $18,016 for trips, most of them to neighboring countries to get together with pupils and families and conduct testing. "Misuse, squandering or deception is likely to have happened, but no decision has been made until the conclusion of a court case," said the review conducted by Carbonaro DeMichele CPAs, an auditing company based in Wailuku, Maui.
Pionetek refused an interviewer in front of the cameras, but argued in defense of the travels he had made at the cost of the college by saying they were occasions to disseminate the messages about the college, which he ran for more than three years, and to foster Hawaii as a place of innovation as well. HTA students' families were indignant when a journalist recounted how much the former HTA admins were spending on travelling.
There were five of us on a day out for the whole house, and we didn't spend a fifth of it," says Kathie Kaanga from Ewa Beach, whose kids have been attending the beach since it was established four years ago. Mililani' s Cheyanne Aglia, the dam of a sixth-grader who just began her schooling this year, said: "I am aghast.
" Pionetek said he had reserved the entire trip of the college and remarked: "Ultimately, everything was my responsibility," but he said: "The committee has authorized the entire trip. "When a journalist asked HTA CEO Louis Saint-Cyr if the committee agreed to all Piontek and Matusmoto's trips, Saint-Cyr said he could not commented.
It also poses serious issues about how the Pionetek -managed bank accounts business dealt with it. "It was not possible to check that all funds obtained from the college were duly registered and paid in. Alumni boards members said the State attorney general's Bureau is inquiring, and sources said its researchers have already asked former and present alumni.
Saint-Cyr said to those who participated on 16 February, the first open executive committee session since Piontek's dismissal, "We also have a copy in the charters training center. K12, Piontek's former employers, recruited former Hawaiian Attorney General Mark Bennett to examine the matter.
At first HTA began staff said the college handed out complimentary office Depot tickets to several families to help them buy computer accessories for their children. were used to buy thousands ofthe dollar in gifts tickets and present vouchers at other locations, among them Chili's Inns, Marriott Hotel, Ala Moana Center and Spafinder, the web site that allows travelers to sign up for physical therapies such as massage, face care or pedicure at 7,000 spa resorts around the wol.
"I' ve never got or still never got a voucher from HTA. I have been at this nursery for four years," said Kathie Kaanga, who is the dam of a sixth and eleventh grade. But, no, I haven't been given such a voucher and I don't see what these places have to do with a school," said Cheyanne Aglia, the mom of a schoolgirl who just signed up last autumn.
"Since there was no bookkeeping of the property acquired by the college, we could not check whether the college was receiving and using gifts coupons, computer, TV, electronic equipment and various consumables in an orderly manner. "The Hawaii Technology Academy has named Leigh Fitzgerald as Managing Partner with a five-month-agreement.
The executive committee last Thursday approved a guideline on the ethical conduct of schools. "We' ll accept the Hawaii Committee Code of Conduct for Electoral Officers, State Officers, Directors and Commissioners," Fitzgerald said before the committee reunion, which was filled with educators, parent and schoolchildren. It also adopted an auditor's proposal to raise the annual rate of annual accounts from once to every three month.
"In order to be able to regularly check where the money is going to be used as it is spent," said Mark Snyder of Kauai, the member of the Executive Committee representing the neighbouring isles. Pionetek had the exclusive discretion to use the debt approval cardboard before he was unemployed as long as any acquisition does not top $10,000, same document.
Expenditures exceeding $10,000 had to be authorized by the executive committee, according to HTA executive committee members. . Last Thursday, the committee chose to annul the Credit Cards and adopted a new policy that any schools buy over $2,500 must be licensed by two schools official. The Executive Committee held five meetings in 2011, but this year it has resolved to hold meetings on a month-to-month basis.
In addition, the Executive Council has set up an Auditing and Finance Committees, which meets monthly. Saint Cyr said that the members of the executive were unaware of dubious expenses until they were sent a note in early December 2011 pointing out the issues. "Our management responded very quickly. "I am very proud of how the employees and the Executive Management reacted," said Saint-Cyr.
It is an occasion to move the schools in the right directions. "Mark Snyder said: "It is important that the general population understands that we are facing a rapid reaction to a crises that was only presented to us 11 months ago.
" A few mothers like Kathie Kaanga put the guilt on the executive committee for being laxly supervised. "I' d like to know why they didn't supervise the whole thing better. What about them on the plank? An annihilating state review published in December 2011 said that some of Hawaii's 31 charters have issued funds without adequate supervision, leading to "unethical and illegal" expenses.
Hawaii Technology Academy was critical of the auditors because before he was released, Piontek was with K12 Inc. an educational for-profit organization that also offers the school's on-line syllabus. In accordance with the K12 agreement with HTA, the firm, and not the charters college or its executive committee, has hired the headmaster. "He is not bound by the Ethical Codex as a member of the staff (Piontek) and is in the end not answerable to his enterprise, the state or his school", the auditors say.
During the HTA Executive Committee session on 16 February, Saint-Cyr President and CEO stated that the headmaster is now under the headmaster's authority and is an HTA staff member rather than an K12 staff member. Hawaii's Charters system of schools has operated without proper external supervision since the first Charters opened in 1995," said State Auditor Marion Higa Dec. 15, 2011.
" Concentrating on the Myron B. Thompson Academy in Kakaako as an example of "waste and abuse", the auditors found that the academy "excessively" raised wages. An overpayment of US$133,000 to salaried staff was found in one year, which was described in the review as "potentially fraudulent" improper employing and purchasing practice.
Oshiro's sibling supervised the primary as deputy headmistress while working as a cabin crew member for Hawaiian Airlines, the paper reports. A nephew of theirs was used as a head athlete, although the college had no sporting crews and he does not give gym classes. In the 2009-2010 academic year, the state auditors said charters got nearly $50 million in state financing, much of which was issued with little supervision.
Camaile no longer pays tuition for what are known as "student incentives". "The Hawaii Technology Academy opened in 2008 with approximately 250 attendees and became the state' s biggest charters college with approximately 1,000 undergraduates. A number of pupils have a lifestyle that makes life harder for them.
It is also a favourite with army and home schooling family. Pionetek said in an 2011 Honolulu Star advertiser survey that 47% of HTA pupils came from government colleges; 31% were soldiers; 20% were home-trained and 12% came from privately funded schooling.
It uses a standardised on-line syllabus acquired from the for-profit K12 Inc. group. the country's biggest supplier of curricula and on-line training for pupils from nursery to grammar schools. During the year ended June 30, 2011, HTA made $1,567,480 in royalties to K12 Inc. in accordance with the school's income statements.
"Cheyanne Aglia, the mom of a sixth grader HTA girl who moved from state schools to charters last autumn, said, "I like the class, I still like the syllabus. The enrolment has fallen below 1,000 pupils this year, which some families believe is due to the school's managerial difficulties. In autumn 2011 the HTA was " disorganised ", said one of one of the schoolboys' registered at the HTA who refused to be located.
It said that parents have not been able to get trustees to react to some issues and the academy was lacking co-ordination in recent months. Over the past few weeks. "Many children left because of what happend, because I know my son's family. You went back to state schools," she said. Mr. Piontek was the first headmaster of the Hawaii Technology Academy, which opened four years ago.
Rather than being described as a manager, managing partner or headmasters, Piontek's job was headmasters. Prior to joining HTA in July 2008, he was a state scientific expert at the Hawaii Department of Educa-tion, a post he occupied for almost three years. However, it is serious to place Hawaii at the heart of the Pacific region in terms of scientific, technical and mathematical training (STEM).
on his LinkedIn profil as "an innovating enterprise with know-how in architecture and engineering up to the realization and developement of curricula". "Piontek's background is that he led the educational guidance practice from 2005 until today, while also working for the state educational system and leading the HTA.
In the 2006-2007 academic year, he received his doctorate from the University of Hawaii. Prior to his move to Hawaii in 2005, he served in various positions at the New York Ministry of Education, among others as scientific head and schoolteacher.
12: LARGEST ON-LINE 12: largest on-line educational institution in U.S. 12 Inc. headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, provides educational and service offerings to more than 2,000 primary and secondary education institutions across the United States, with approximately 94,000 full-time college graduates registered at on-line government colleges. They receive an annual fee of $5,500 to $6,000 per alumnus from state and municipal authorities.
"It is the company's mission to provide services to community learning, strengthen educators and help kids realize their full potential," the com-pany states. "K12's broad offering - from one-to-one training (credit recoveries, global language learning, AP) and evaluation utilities to blend and on-line training programmes - allows district and local government institutions to select a solution that meets the needs of their schoolchildren.
Educational precincts and non-governmental, non-profit charters define the levels of K12's range of goods and service. As the paper reported: "A profile of a business is being created that tries to cut down on the benefits of government tuition by enrolling more people, increase the work load of schoolteachers and lower standard. The paper says that some high schools supervise more than 250 schoolchildren.
" "Rather than taking a factual look at K12's on-line and blinded educational software and software, the author usually edits, selects some facts and leaves out many others to meet a predetermined story," the firm said.