Gulen Charter Schools
C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S.
  • Gulen Charter Schools
  • How the schools serve the Gulen Movement
  • Why it's wrong
  • Proposed Gulen charter schools
  • SITE INDEX
  • Flier: Print and Handout
  • How to get involved - Sample letters
  • Renewal schedule
  • Hearings on new applications, expansions, etc
  • How school chains evolve
  • Harmony Science Academy: Denials and Evidence
  • Sonoran Science Academy - Denials and Evidence
  • Quest Charter Academy - Denials and Evidence
  • Memphis School of Excellence - Denials and Evidence
  • Are the schools connected to Gulen?
  • Are the schools connected to Gulen? Part 2
  • Organic Ties
  • More organic ties
  • Organic Ties - Part 3
  • Gulenist Self-Empretzelment
  • [Generic] Science Academy - cut, paste, fill in the blank
  • TIE: Coordination across schools
  • TIE and Accord overhead
  • Skimming a percentage off 400 million
  • Total Revenue 2011-12
  • Audits & Financial Statements
  • Charter schools offer numerous business opportunities
  • Charter schools offer numerous business opportunities Part 2
  • Charter schools offer numerous business opportunities, Part 3
  • Blue Ocean Construction
  • Financial links between charter schools and Gulen Movement
  • Financial links between charter schools and Gulen Movement, ctd
  • Charter bond financing - the next subprime crisis?
  • Bonds for Gulen Charters
  • BayTech & Willow Education
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Brookside-Frontier School
  • Buffalo Academy of Science
  • Central Jersey College Prep
  • Chesapeake Science Point
  • Chesapeake Science Point: Timeline & Information
  • Concept Schools; Horizon Science Academy; CMSA etc
  • Concept Schools: now a multinational school management corporation
  • Concept Schools promotes patently false nationalistic propaganda
  • Concept Schools Favored Vendors
  • Coral Academy of Science
  • Dove Science Academy
  • Florida Schools: Orlando, River City, Sweetwater, Stars, New Springs
  • Fulton Science Academy
  • Fulton Science Academy, Cape Fear Board Member: "Yes, I am a Fethullah follower"
  • Fulton students at Gulenist, religious school in Turkey
  • Fulton Science Academy - letter from parent
  • Fulton Science Academy: comparing college prep with district
  • Fulton Science Academy: Charter Renewal 2011
  • Fulton 2015 Charter Renewal
  • GREEN Charter School
  • Harmony Science Academy, Cosmos Foundation
  • How the Harmony schools serve the Gulen Movement
  • LISA Academy
  • Lotus School for Excellence
  • Lotus School for Excellence - some restrictions apply
  • Magnolia Science Academy
  • Magnolia Science Academy ctd
  • Massachusetts schools: Hampden & Pioneer
  • Paterson Charter School of Science and Technology
  • Paterson Charter School, ctd.
  • Paterson Charter School for Science & Technology - Related-Party Deals
  • Rochester Academy Charter School
  • School of Science and Technology
  • Sonoran Science Academy
  • Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School
  • Triad Math and Science Academy
  • Triangle Math & Science Academy Related-Party Deals
  • Truebright Science Academy
  • Utica Academy of Science
  • Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania
  • Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania
  • Wisconsin Career Academy
  • Principals of Gulen schools
  • Maps
  • Proposed ABECS school
  • Proposed ABECS School - Denials & Evidence
  • New schools and expansions 2012-13
  • Enrollment
  • News articles 2013 - Gulen charter schools
  • News articles 2014 - Gulen charter schools
  • News articles 2015 - Gulen charter schools
  • Growth of enrollment
  • Gulenist hijrah (migration)
  • ISWEEEP
  • Harmony Schools Fact-Checking
  • Harmony's anomalous at-risk increase
  • Vanishing High School Students
  • Vanishing High School Students, Pt 2
  • Standardized tests
  • Standardized tests, ctd
  • Application forms
  • Application forms ctd
  • Borrowed texts
  • From Massachusetts to Pakistan: More borrowed texts
  • Text strings copy-paste
  • Grants to Gulen schools
  • Federal grants for teaching Turkish
  • Importing English teachers from Turkey
  • Schools paying for visas, immigration
  • Reform Laws Needed
  • Authorizers, Auditors and Accreditors: Concerns
  • Financial Incentives to Ignore Abuse
  • Discrimination
  • Special education
  • Favoritism and Disorganization: Evidence from Sonoran Science Academy Phoenix
  • Report from Concept Schools staff member
  • Culture of secrecy
  • Fraudulent Application or False Denial?
  • Missing information on school websites
  • Charter school authorization: Lack of public input and transparency
  • Lawsuits against Gulen charters
  • Lawsuit: J.R. Johnson v. Cosmos Foundation and Solidarity
  • American enablers
  • Who is responsible?
  • Manipulation tactics
  • Waiting for the government
  • Comments on 60 Minutes Segment
  • Legal threats: a Gulenist intimidation tactic
  • Collecting information on students - where does it go?
  • International schools provide insight
  • Research tools
    • How to find school report cards
    • Charter school law
  • Pioneer Academy of Science
  • Brooklyn Amity School (private)
  • Brief updates
  • The Stem Sell Problem
  • Submit information
  • Return to Guide to the Gulen Movement's Activities site
  • For Turkish speakers - Türkçe konuşanlar için

Bergen Arts and Science Charter School - Evidence of affiliation with Gulen Movement

North Jersey Arts and Science Charter Schools:
Bergen, Passaic, and Paterson ASCS


Page created July 28, 2010   last updated Sep 15, 2013
by C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. - Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools

Bergen Arts and Science Charter School is a publicly-funded charter school with campuses in Clifton, Garfield, and Hackensack, New Jersey.  It was the first school in what is now (as of fall 2013) a chain called "North Jersey Arts and Science Charter Schools," consisting of:
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School - Elementary  (Clifton NJ)
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School - Middle School  (Garfield NJ)
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School - High School  (Hackensack NJ)
  • Passaic Arts and Science Charter School - Elementary  (Passaic NJ)
  • Passaic Arts and Science Charter School - Middle School  (Passaic NJ)
  • Paterson Arts and Science Charter School - Elementary  (Paterson NJ)

A pdf document available on the Bergen website, giving the schedule for practice NJ ASK tests, has metadata title "HARMONY SCIENCE ACADEMY - DALLAS."  Harmony is a Gulen charter school in Texas.  Metadata of 3 other school documents show they are from Syracuse Academy of Science, a Gulen charter school in NY, with author Ehat Ercanli.  Yet another school document has metadata showing "DSA-OKC" which is Dove Science Academy - Oklahoma City, also a Gulen charter school.

The Bergen Arts and Science Charter School website shows that the school organized an iftar (religious ceremonial) dinner; based on the photos it appears to have taken place at a Gulenist cultural center.  The school website gives a photo album for the event; the album appears on a page with links to all school photo albums.  One photo of the event shows several Bergen students in their school uniforms. Another photo shows Ibrahim Tuncel, a Gulenist school administrator, wearing a school uniform shirt with school logo and his last name on it.

Gulenist dialog organizations all over the US and around the world very commonly hold iftar dinners and invite community members.

The Bergen iftar dinner is also referred to in a school document on "Program Analysis of BASCS 2008-2011" under "Parent Programs."  The document states "PTO, parent picnics, grandparent’s night, awards assemblies, muffins with mom, and donuts with dad, cultural night, Cinco de Mayo Celebration, pasta night, home visits, and soccer with parents, parent teacher volley ball, Iftar dinner, Hispanic heritage, concerts, Diwali celebration, Black History Month celebrations, award ceremonies."  Note that while several of the events mentioned, including the Diwali celebration, could be described as multicultural, the Iftar dinner is the only one that is truly religious.

An October 14, 2012 column in the Gulenist propaganda "newspaper" Today's Zaman, by Bergen Arts and Science Charter School board member Arzu Kaya-Uranli, contained the line "Nihat Guvercin, a charter school administrator at one of the top charter schools in New Jersey, told me that 'charter schools are absolutely essential for public education.'"  The mention of Nihat Guvercin leaves no doubt that this referred to Bergen Arts and Science Charter School.  Kaya-Uranli did not mention her affiliation with the school as a board member, even though normal journalistic standards would dictate such a disclosure.  The article sought to portray the American educational system in a very negative light and then offer charter schools as the "solution;" clearly this is self-serving as the Gulen Movement is profiting greatly from its charter school business.  It is noteworthy that Today's Zaman (based in Turkey) only seems to take an interest in U.S. K-12 education when it involves the Gulen charter schools; a July 25, 2011 article on Abramson Science and Technology School is another example.

The connections with the Fethullah Gulen Movement are further shown by the multiple affiliations, both past and present, of the following individuals.


Harun Celik
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Hampden Charter School of Science   (Gulen charter school in Massachusetts)

Serkan Costur
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Paterson Charter School of Science and Technology  (Gulen charter school in NJ)

Bekir Duz
  • 2011-12 CEO, Truebright Science Academy  (Gulen charter school in PA)
  • 2008-11 Principal, Central Jersey College Prep  (Gulen charter school in NJ)
  • 2007-08 Bergen Arts and Science Charter School     
  • West Penn Cultural Center (Gulenist organization)  From a March 10, 2006 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Bekir Duz, a board member of the cultural center, said the group follows the teachings of M. Fethullah Gulen."

Nihat Guvercin
  • Principal and lead person, Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Principal, Harmony Science Academy Dallas TX  (Gulen charter school)
  • Cosmos Foundation, Texas  (Gulenist)
  • Lead petitioner, Passaic Arts and Science Charter School, NJ  (Gulen charter school)

Arzu Kaya-Uranli
  • Board Member, Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Columnist for Today's Zaman and Zaman Amerika (Gulenist propaganda newspapers)

Edis Maric
  • IT Manager/Coordinator, Bergen Arts And Science Charter School
  • Sales Associate, Candela Network  (Gulenist business in NY area)
  • Web Developer and Event Organizer at FEBA - Federation of Balkan American Associations  (Gulenist organization)

Osman Oztoprak (a.k.a Akin Osman Oztoprak)
  • Director, AfSV - Alliance for Shared Values  (Gulenist umbrella organization)
  • President of the Board of Trustees of Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • CEO, Pioneer Academy of Science (private Gulen school in NJ)
  • Chairman/President, Turkish Cultural Center of New York  (Gulenist organization)
  • Frequent speaker, Interfaith Dialog Center in New Jersey   (Gulenist organization that openly promotes the teachings and philosophy of Fethullah Gulen.  Fethullah Gulen is the honorary President of the Interfaith Dialog Center.)
Mehmet Secilmis
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Milkyway Education Center, Inc.  (corporation running Pioneer Academy of Science)
  • Pioneer Academy of Science  (private Gulen school in NJ)
Ogur Yildiz
  • Principal, Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Pioneer Academy of Science  (private Gulen school in NJ)
Erdal Yilmaz
  • Bergen Arts and Science Charter School
  • Central Jersey College Prep Charter School  (Gulen charter school in NJ)
  • Teacher, Paterson Charter School of Science and Technology 
    (Gulen charter school in NJ)
C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. - Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools  See also here
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This website has two companion websites:  A Guide to the Gulen Movement's Activities in the US    and    Gulen in the International Press