SBI investigating allegations of fraud against principal of Selma private school

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SELMA, North Carolina The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation this week launched an investigation into allegations of fraud against the principal of Mitchener University Academy.

According to the SBI, Moses Robert Lee Mitchener fraudulently obtained funding for the Selma school from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. The state investigation into Mitchener began on Monday.

The Mitchener University Academy was forced to return $37,319 in scholarships it received for students who had not attended or dropped out of school, the Education Aid Authority of Michigan said. the state. In addition, the school will no longer receive the $300,000 in payments it was supposed to receive.

The Mitchener University Academy is no longer eligible to receive state opportunity scholarships.

Each year, the state distributes millions of taxpayer dollars for opportunity scholarships, sometimes called vouchers, that allow children to attend schools that are not their public schools.

During the current North Carolina legislative session, lawmakers are seeking to increase spending on school vouchers by hundreds of millions of dollars in just two years.

The Mitchener University Academy is the first school to be asked to return part of its funding. In addition, several other schools are no longer eligible.

Charlotte public radio station WFAE reported that the state had pulled four other North Carolina schools from the program in the past five years, including Oasis Performing Arts School in Charlotte, Faith Assembly Christian School in Dallas, the Academy of Excellence in Statesville and the Jefferson Day School. in Winston-Salem.

The reasons for this vary from failing to submit test schools and tuition schedules to failing to provide criminal history information to school leaders. The Education Aid Authority told WFAE that none of these people had to repay any money.

Currently, these are need-based scholarships. However, new legislation would make every family in the state eligible for a voucher, regardless of income. Governor Roy Cooper campaigned statewide against the bills.

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