I’m proud of that heritage.”The alleged connection of publicly funded charter schools to Gülen is one of the strangest side stories to emerge from the unrest in Turkey. Yapanel, Magnolia’s board president, acknowledged that he had a part-time job with Accord when he was board president of another charter in Colorado. Magnolia also turned over its chief executive position to Caprice Young, a former L.A. school board member who later headed the California Charter Schools Assn. The schools celebrate Turkish culture and some offer Turkish language instruction — but they do no proselytizing, officials said. Still, Magnolia’s operations — including any Gülen role — have merited scrutiny, said L.A. school board President Steve Zimmer.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 31, 2016 10:00 UTC