PA Cyber Charter School Going Before Grand Jury-News

==Source:==
* kdka.com - Cyber School Going Before Grand Jury "Oct 16, 2006 
==Cyber School Going Before Grand Jury==
(KDKA and Andy Sheehan) Midland, PA -- A state grand jury begins taking testimony in October 2006 in a case first raised by the KDKA Investigators.
The grand jury will be looking at whether a local internet charter school misspent millions of taxpayer's dollars.
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School is a fast-growing alternative school that teaches students over the internet.
KDKA questioned whether the school was funneling tax dollars into other organizations and not spending all that money on the students.
Now, a state grand jury will be asking the same questions.
Teaching kids over the internet has been an economic shot in the arm for the Midland, Beaver County and made Pennsylvania Cyber School founder Nick Trombetta a hero.
A state grand jury will begin probing whether the Cyber School has misspent millions in tax dollars - paid to the Cyber School by other school districts and Pennsylvania taxpayers.
"This is real abuse of public money," said former business manager Michael Barney.
Barney has been called to testify. He says the school spends only half of the $34 million in tax money it gets actually educating students.
Barney says Trombetta has funneled the rest into organizations he also founded and runs -- including a $22 million arts center for the Lincoln Park School for the Performing Arts and the funding of a trip for 90 to a New Mexico resort for a conference sponsored by another Trombetta organization called the National Network of Digital Schools.
Other districts have accused Pennsylvania cyber of misusing tax dollars.
Also subpoenaed to appear tomorrow is Brett Geible, whose voice mail identifies him as the Cyber School�s director of technology.
The school's attorney - Timothy Barry - says Geible is actually an employee of NNDS.
Barry says the school has no information about the grand jury or what it's scope might be.
The state attorney general office initiated the investigation and will now be presenting evidence before the grand jury.
Attorney general spokesman Kevin Harley had no comment.
category:schools