The Varnett Public School

Last updated
Varnett Public School Pep Squad at the 2013 MLK day parade VarnettSchoolforwikipedia.jpg
Varnett Public School Pep Squad at the 2013 MLK day parade

The Varnett Public School is a state charter school network headquartered in the Varnett School Southwest Campus in Houston, Texas. The system has four campuses with more than 1,600 students.[ when? ] The school was founded as a private school in 1984 and became a public charter school in 1998.

Contents

In 2015 Ericka Mellon of the Houston Chronicle wrote that the school system "was a standout among schools serving mostly poor, minority children." [1] That year the founders of the school were indicted by federal prosecutors, accused of embezzling $2.6 million of school funds. [1] They pleaded guilty, and sentenced to prison in 2018. [2]

History

The Varnett School opened in 1984. [3] Dr. Marian Annette Cluff [4] and her husband, Alsie Cluff Jr., started the school, [3] then a private school, so they could give their son, then in preschool, a better education. [5] Annette Cluff served as the owner of the school system. [6]

In the 1990s, after voters rejected a Houston Independent School District $390 million bond package, superintendent Rod Paige contracted with Varnett, River Oaks Academy, and Wonderland School to house 250 students who could not be placed in HISD schools. The schools were paid $3,565 per student. This was 10% lower than the district's own per pupil cost. [7] In 1998 Varnett received its open enrollment charter from the state, and it converted into a public state charter school. [8]


In 2004 The Varnett School appointed Ronique Bastine-Robinson, a municipal judge of Stafford, Texas, to its board of directors. [9]

In 2007 Harold Dutton, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, sponsored a resolution that honored Annette Cluff for winning the service award Audrey Lawson Impact Award. [1]

In 2009 Varnett had three campuses with over 1,400 students in grades pre-Kindergarten through 5. [8] In 2010 Varnett the three campuses had 1,700 students. During that year 300 or 400 children were on a waiting list. [5] In 2010 the East Campus won the National Blue Ribbon Award. [10]

At one time Annette Cluff won the Pinnacle Award, an award from the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce which honors African American entrepreneurs. [11]

In 2012 1,730 students attended Varnett schools. That year a spokesperson of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) stated that the agency was investigating issues at the Varnett School system and in the Rhodes charter school system. Since March 2012, during a review of issues not specified, the TEA withheld the accreditation of the Varnett school system. [12] In August 2013 the TEA released a report stating that the school system conducted business out of the view of the public, had conflicts of interest, and spent millions of dollars in manners it considered questionable. The school responded through an attorney, Rusty Hardin, stating that it did no wrongdoing. [13]

In August 2014 the Cluff family resigned from positions related to the operations of the school. [1] On Thursday July 16, 2015 federal prosecutors announced a 19-count indictment against Marian Annette Cluff and Alsie Cluff Jr. It accused them of embezzling $2.6 million from the school system. [1] U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick stated that the Cluffs charged parents and students for various privileges and used the money to fund luxury goods and services. [14]

The Cluffs pleaded guilty in 2017. [4] They were sentenced by Melinda Harmon, the district judge, to prison in 2018; Annette Cluff got ten years and Alsie Cluff got three years. [2] In 2019 the U.S. Attorneys Office issued a $4.4 million restitution order. As part of that, about 4,000 families affected by the Cluffs' overbilling were to receive $110.02 per child enrolled, multiplied by the number of years each child attended the school system. The total amount of money to be paid out to the families is $604,889.79. [15]

Operations

Dr. Nita White was named superintendent in December 2022.[ citation needed ] Previously Annette Cluff served as the superintendent and campus director of the system. Her husband, Alsie Cluff Jr., was the operations manager. Alsie Cluff III the son of Annette and Alsie Jr., served as the assistant operations manager. Melissa Cluff, the daughter of Annette and Alsie Jr., is the assistant director of a kindergarten program. At one time a daughter in law of Annette and Alsie Jr. used to work for Cluff. [5]

Varnett did business with companies owned by the Cluff family. In the 2008-2009 school year the school paid over $1.5 million to Cluff-owned businesses. The school paid $822,000 to Texas School Bus Co. Annette Cluff said that the insurance carrier for Varnett School did not permit the Varnett School to own buses, so she had to create a separate school bus company. According to Annette Cluff, the state's charter agreement, which came into effect when Varnett became a public school, allowed the practice. The school also paid $786,400 to rent buildings from the Varnett Academy Inc., a Cluff company. In Texas traditional school districts and charter schools are permitted to do business in this manner as long as the people who would directly benefit from such arrangements do not vote in the matters, and all of the requirements for bidding are satisfied. [5]

The Texas Education Agency records state that for the 2008-2009 school year, Annette Cluff's annual salary was $252,000, while Internal Revenue Service records state that her annual salary was $372,961. TEA records state that Alsie Cluff Jr.'s annual salary was $166,800, Alsie Cluff III's annual salary was $68,900, and Melissa Cluff's annual salary was $48,000. Annette Cluff says that the individuals received high salaries because "[m]y people have to wear multiple hats" because "[w]e don't have the big administration building with lots of staff," like a traditional school district would have. [5] As of 2012 Cluff's salary was $264,600, which would place her among the most highly paid school superintendents in the State of Texas. That year, the principal of Lamar High School in Houston, which housed two times the combined total of students in the entire Varnett system, had a salary of $127,000. Alsie Cluff Jr. had a salary of $175,166 during that school year. By 2012 the salaries of the Cluff's had increased by 32% in a three year period. [12]

Campuses

The Varnett Public School
Invisible Square.svg
Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
8km
5miles
Red pog.svg
Southwest (HQ)
Red pog.svg
Southeast
Red pog.svg
Northeast
Red pog.svg
East
Campuses in Houston

All campuses are in the City of Houston.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Forest Independent School District</span> Former school district in Texas

North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) was a school district in northeast Houston, Texas. Established in the early 1920s in a low-income white area, it later became majority-black and black-run. The district had a history of financial and academic issues from the late 1980s until 2013. On July 1, 2013, it was closed by order of the state and absorbed into the Houston Independent School District (HISD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie Vanguard High School</span> Public magnet school in Houston, Texas, United States

Andrew Carnegie Vanguard High School, named after Andrew Carnegie, is located in the Fourth Ward of Houston, Texas near Downtown and was formerly located in Sunnyside. The school serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Houston Independent School District. It is the only High School Vanguard Program in HISD meaning that all students are labelled as gifted and talented by testing and the school has students take all Advanced Placement core classes as part of its curriculum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crosby Independent School District</span> School district in Texas, United States

Crosby Independent School District is a public school district based in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Crosby ISD serves the communities of Barrett and Crosby.

This article is intended to give an overview of the education in Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendleton Independent School District</span> Former school district in Texas

Kendleton Independent School District was a public school district based in Powell Point, unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, north of the city of Kendleton. The district served Kendleton and Powell Point. Powell Point is among the oldest historically black schools in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Brook High School</span> Comprehensive public high school in the United States

Forest Brook High School was a high school located at 7525 Tidwell Road in Houston, Texas, United States. Serving grades 9 through 12, Forest Brook was a part of the North Forest Independent School District. It is now the site of Forest Brook Middle School, now under the control of the Houston Independent School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Forest High School</span> Public school in Texas, United States

North Forest High School (NFHS) is a secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD); it was a part of the North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) until the district closed on July 1, 2013.

Leader's Academy High School for Business and Academic Success, previously the High School for Business and Economic Success (HSBES), was a Grade 7–12 state charter school located on the campus of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Windsor Village, Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. The school was formerly named Gulf Shores Academy. In 2011 it merged with Benji's Special Educational Academy into Victory Preparatory Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northside, Houston</span>

The Northside is a district of Houston, Texas, United States. It is within the Greater Northside Management District.

Jamie's House Charter School was a 6-12 state charter school in unincorporated northern Harris County, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benji's Special Educational Academy</span> Charter school

Benji's Special Educational Academy Independent School District was a state charter school with two campuses in the Northside district of Houston, Texas, near the Fifth Ward. The school covered grades Pre-Kindergarten 4-12. The school initially defied an order to close from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). In 2011 it merged with Leader's Academy High School for Business and Academic Success into Victory Preparatory Academy.

Juan B. Galaviz Charter School (JBG) was a state charter school located in Houston, Texas. The charter high school was an affiliate of the National Council of La Raza. Previously the school was located in the Northside district of Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeVry Advantage Academy (Texas)</span> High school in Houston, Texas

{{DeVry Advantage Academy and CLC at H.P. Carter was a high school in the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas, operated in conjunction with DeVry University. It was in the former Carter Career Center/Wheatley High School/E.O. Smith Education Center building. The school offered students the opportunity to receive a high school diploma and a degree in web graphic design at the same time. It opened in 2011 and closed in 2012.

Girls and Boys Preparatory Academy (GBPA) was a K-12 state-chartered primary and secondary school located in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas. It operated from 1995, making it one of the first Texas charter schools, to 2015.

Victory Preparatory Academy or Victory Prep (VPREP) was a charter school in Houston, Texas that had two campuses: one in the city's south, Victory Preparatory Academy South; and a northern campus, Victory Preparatory Academy North. The system all together served grades K-12 and was operated by the nonprofit organization Management Accountability Corp. It closed in 2018.

Pro-Vision Academy, is a state-authorized charter school in the Sunnyside area of Houston, Texas. A co-educational facility, it serves grades 3 through 12. It is one of the components of Pro-Vision, Inc., which also operates an after-school program and an aquaponics facility.

The Lawson Academy, formerly WALIPP-TSU Preparatory Academy, is a charter middle school in the Third Ward area of Houston, Texas. It was established as waves of single sex public schools opened in American inner city communities circa the 2000s.

The Houston Independent School District takeover is a 2023 takeover of the state's largest school district by the Texas Education Agency, replacing the superintendent and elected board of trustees with a board of managers and a new superintendent appointed by the Texas commissioner of education.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mellon, Ericka (July 16, 2015). "Houston charter school leaders accused of embezzling $2.6 million meant for kids]". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved August 15, 2015. The once-heralded couple now faces potential prison sentences and fines after a 19-count indictment, announced Thursday by federal prosecutors, accused them of operating secret bank accounts and pocketing more than $1 million from parents for field trips and school fundraisers. The Cluffs are accused of embezzling more than $2.6 million intended to benefit the impoverished students they enrolled.
  2. 1 2 Carpenter, Jacob (2018-06-15). "Varnett charter school founders sentenced to prison, ordered to pay $4.4M restitution". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 2023-03-30. Comparing them to villains from a Charles Dickens novel who steal from the poor, a federal judge on Friday sentenced Varnett charter school founders Marian Annette Cluff and Alsie Cluff Jr. to 10 years and 3 years in prison, respectively, for running an embezzlement and tax scheme that bilked low-income parents. Following a nearly-five-hour hearing, during which victims lamented their financial losses and the Cluffs pleaded for mercy, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon sentenced the married couple to the maximum sentences outlined in their plea agreements and ordered $4.4 million in restitution.
  3. 1 2 "About Us". The Varnett Public School. Retrieved November 22, 2011. ENTHUSIASM was high in 1984 when Annette and Alsie Cluff established THE VARNETT SCHOOL in an effort to provide a hands-on, quality education program for their son.
  4. 1 2 Boney, Jeffrey L. (2017-11-08). "Convicted: Varnett Public School Founder and Husband Will Do Time". Houston Forward Times . Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Hacker, Holly K (18 December 2010). "Varnett Public School in Houston pays not only officials but also their bus, property firms". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2023. Varnett has paid more than $1.5 million to companies owned by Annette and Alsie Cluff Jr., IRS records show. In 2008-09, the charter district paid $822,000 for bus services to the Texas School Bus Co., which the Cluffs own. Varnett paid an additional $786,400 to rent buildings from the Varnett Academy Inc., also owned by the Cluffs. [~] An IRS form from 2008-09 required for nonprofits, shows Cluff's salary as $372,961 - considerably higher than what was reported to TEA. Asked about the discrepancy, Cluff said she could not comment until she reviewed the IRS form.
  6. ↑ Hodge, Shelby. "Ivy EACF scholarships are funded in style." Houston Chronicle . Thursday March 6, 2008. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  7. ↑ Eggers, William D. "Alternatives House Student Overflow." Bridge News at the Lakeland Ledger . Friday October 3, 1997. A9. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 "Varnett Public School builds administrative headquarters". Houston Business Journal. June 19, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2023. The building is the first of its kind for the Houston open-enrollment charter school, which was formed as a private school in 1984. Varnett received its open-enrollment charter in 1998. Enrollment is more than 1,400 students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade spread between three campuses — southwest, northeast and east.
  9. ↑ "People in Business." (Alt) Houston Chronicle . Sunday December 5, 2004. Business Page 7. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Varnett school earns National Blue Ribbon award." Houston Chronicle . Friday September 10, 2010. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Business calendar." Houston Chronicle . Sunday June 12, 2011. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  12. 1 2 Mellon, Ericka. "Two Houston charter schools face state investigations." Houston Chronicle . May 12, 2012. Retrieved on August 21, 2013. Archived March 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Mellon, Ericka. "State finds millions in questionable spending at Houston charter." Houston Chronicle . August 20, 2013. Retrieved on August 21, 2013.
  14. ↑ Barker, Aaron (2019-04-16). "Couple who ran Varnett Charter Schools for 7 years stole $4.4 million". KPRC-TV . Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  15. ↑ "Parents scammed by school to get back nearly $605,000". KTRK-TV . Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  16. ↑ "Contact Us East Campus." The Varnett Public School. Retrieved on November 22, 2011. "Address: 804 Maxey Road, Houston, TX 77013" Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "Contact Us Northeast Campus." The Varnett Public School. Retrieved on November 22, 2011. "Address: 8305 Mesa Road, Houston, TX 77028" Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  18. 1 2 "Contact Us Southwest Campus." The Varnett Public School. Retrieved on November 22, 2011. "Address: 5025 South Willow Drive, Houston, TX 77035" Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "BO_PublicSchool_Ltr_Sep24_2018.pdf". Brays Oaks Management District . Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  20. ↑ "Directions." The Varnett School. Retrieved on November 22, 2011. "Administration Office 11211 Clematis Lane Houston, TX 77035" Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Contact Us." The Varnett Public School. Retrieved on November 22, 2011. "Address: 5025 South Willow Drive, Houston, TX 77035" Archived January 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

29°39′23″N95°27′59″W / 29.656423°N 95.466271°W / 29.656423; -95.466271

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.