Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School: Evidence of Affiliation with the Gulen Movement


Page created August 2010; last updated Mar 3, 2013
by C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. - Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools

Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School is a publicly-funded charter school in Syracuse NY.

In common with all other Gulen charter schools, SASCS uses H-1B visas to hire staff from other countries, primarily Turkey.  The website myvisajobs.com, which tracks H-1B visas, shows that this school submitted 28 H-1B visa applications from 2003-2010.

Syracuse Academy of Science students participated in the Turkish Language Olympiads, an event run by the Gulen Movement. 

A Youtube user named "GulenMovement" has uploaded a video of some of these students at the Turkish Olympiads.  The accompanying text says “Kyla Tailor from Syracuse Academy of Science came in first with Yunus Emre poem.  And Ahsan Khan from the same school was third with the song called 'My Turkiye'."  Note that Yunus Emre is a Sufi poet of great significance to Fethullah Gulen and his followers. [Note added Mar 3, 2013: Since this was first written, the original link for the video has been made private.  It can now be viewed at the ebrutv everest youtube channel]  In another video, from the 4th New York Turkish Olympiads, the announcer enthuses "And here they are...the Whirling Dervishes of Syracuse Academy of Science" after briefly explaining the religious significance of this Sufi ritual. 

SASCS students participated in ISWEEEP, a science fair in Houston, and in the GENIUS Olympiad in Oswego; both competitions are run by the Gulen Movement and are heavily biased towards Gulen schools.

In April 2011, the SASCS wrestling team participated in a camp at Yamanlar College in Izmir, Turkey.  The visit was reported by Cihan News Agency, a Gulenist media outlet.  Yamanlar College (Yamanlar Koleji) is a college-prep high school run by the Gulen Movement.

In 2011, Mehmet Ozhabes submitted an application for the Westchester Academy of Science Charter School.  This proposed Gulen charter school never materialized, but the application stated that it was to be a replication of Syracuse Academy of Science.  Mehmet Ozhabes has other connections to the Gulen Movement; he was on the board of Truebright Science Academy, a Gulen charter school in Philadelphia, and was a founder of Central Jersey College Prep, a Gulen charter school in New Jersey.  In 2012, Tolga Hayali ran an apparently successful effort to replicate Syracuse Academy of Science in Utica with the proposed Utica Academy of Science, scheduled to open in fall 2013.

Four members of SASCS' class of 2011 were accepted at North American College, a Gulen institution located in Houston TX.

Lotus Media Productions, a Gulenist corporation that has done website development and graphics design for a number of Gulen charter schools, Gulenist businesses and Gulenist organizations, also contracted to Syracuse Academy of Science.

In 2011, Syracuse Academy of Science applied to the E-Rate program (a federal subsidy program for telecommunications and internet) for the amounts of $193,932.00 and $23,228.10.  The vendor in both cases was Technotime Business Solutions LLC, a New Jersey-based Gulenist corporation that has done business with other Gulen charter schools.

Further connections to the Gulen Movement and nationwide network of Gulen charter schools are shown by the multiple affiliations, both past and present, of the following individuals:

Mustafa Coban
  • Operations Manager, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Husband of Syracuse Academy of Science board member and teacher Patricia Coban
  • Terra Science and Education Foundation (Gulenist organization)  - as of 2011, owner of building that SASCS rents; this is a conflict of interest.

Fehmi Damkaci
  • Board President, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Terra Science and Education Foundation (Gulenist organization)  - as of 2011, owner of building that SASCS rents; this is a conflict of interest.
  • Founding board member, Pioneer Charter School of Science  (Gulen charter school in Massachusetts)
  • President, Turkish Cultural Center of Syracuse  (Gulenist organization)
  • Founder, organizer, GENIUS competition (Gulenist)
 
Ehat Ercanli
  • Founder, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Speaker at event at Turkish Cultural Center of Syracuse (Gulenist)
  • Involved in formation of Concept Schools and development of Horizon Science Academy network of Gulen charter schools in Ohio
  • Horizon Educational Services of Columbus
Note: Horizon Science Academy is the name of a network of Gulen charter schools in Ohio.  Concept Schools now oversees most of the Horizon schools, and Horizon Educational Services is another corporation in charge of some Horizon schools; both companies are Gulenist.

Ertugrul Gerdan
  • College Counselor, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Coached several Syracuse Academy of Science students to be Whirling Dervishes (as per video of the Gulen-run Turkish Olympiads)
  • Terra Science and Education Foundation  (Gulenist organization)

Tolga Hayali
  • School director, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Principal of Pioneer Academy of Science (private Gulen school in New Jersey)
  • Participated, along with Levent Koc, Director of the Interfaith Dialog Center and Mevlut Kirazli, Program Coordinator of the Interfaith Dialog Center, in Assemblyman Thomas Giblin’s tour of Pioneer Academy of Science
  • Teacher, Horizon Science Academy Cleveland Middle School, Ohio
  • Horizon Science Academy Denison, Ohio
  • Superintendent at Horizon Educational Services, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Participated in events at Interfaith Dialog Center, New Jersey
  • Speaker at HUTACA (Hudson Turkish American Cultural Association) events
  • Co-applicant, Capital Academy of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (proposed Gulen charter school; application denied)
  • Co-applicant, Lancaster Academy of Science, Pennsylvania (proposed Gulen charter school; application denied)
Note: The Interfaith Dialog Center, now renamed the Peace Islands Institute, and HUTACA are Gulenist non-profits.  Horizon Science Academy is the name of a network of Gulen charter schools in Ohio.

Hakki Karaman
  • Principal, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Principal, Magnolia Science Academy 3, California
Note: Magnolia Science Academy is the name of a network of Gulen charter schools in southern California.  

Gurkan Kose
  • Math teacher, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Director of Mathematics Instruction, Apple Educational Services (Gulenist corporation and vendor to many Gulen charter schools in the northeastern US)

Akin Ozturk
  • College Guide, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Teacher, Putnam Science Academy  (private Gulen school in Connecticut)
  • Staff, Rochester Academy Charter School  (Gulen charter school)

Birol Ozturk
  • Board Secretary, Syracuse Academy of Science, per IRS Form 990 2008
  • Turkish Cultural Center Syracuse  (Gulenist)
  • Dove Science Academy (Gulen charter school in Oklahoma)
  • involved with Institute of Interfaith Dialog  (Gulenist organization)

Kamil Toprak
  • System Administrator, Lotus Media Productions  (Gulenist corporation and vendor to Gulen charter schools)
  • IT Manager / Computer Teacher, Hampden Charter School Of Science  (Gulen charter school in MA)
  • IT Manager / Computer Teacher, Truebright Science Academy Charter School  (Gulen charter school in PA)
  • IT Manager / Computer Teacher, Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School

Taha Uzumcu
  • computer science teacher, Syracuse Academy of Science
  • involved with Turkish Cultural Center Syracuse (Gulenist organization)

Halil Yavuz
  • Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Turkish Cultural Center Syracuse (Gulenist)
  • Shown on 2007 IRS Form 990 as Director, High Way Education (Gulenist corporation)

Yildiray Yildirim
  • Syracuse Academy of Science
  • Editorial Board, Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics (Gulenist publication)
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Economic and Social Studies (Gulenist publication)