Scientology school sinks to new low, but the federal dollars keep pouring in

Yesterday we spotted a story in the Australian press about a local school that sounded familiar. Then we remembered that it was a school that had been exposed by our friend and colleague, Bryan Seymour. We asked him for comment on the new story, and he didn’t disappoint…

Scientology has sunk to a new low in Australia. That’s difficult to do, given the long history of appalling abuse inflicted here by the cult.

Now they are selling off part of a school to raise money — not to improve the lives of the children they are supposed to be teaching; but to enrich the cult they serve.

You can read about it in the press here.

Basically, the Yarralinda Primary School and Early Learning Center in Mooroolbark (a Melbourne suburb) has decided to become a property developer. They will sell a 1960-square-metre parcel of the school grounds, including the netball court, (the children don’t need that when they have L Ron Hubbard’s Applied Scholastics), in the hope they can get $1.15 million for it. That land will then be developed into residential dwellings.

The reason for this cash grab is that the school, like the cult which runs it, is struggling to recruit human beings. It has just 23 students and four teaching staff. But it has to pretend it is flourishing.

In 2011, I revealed that Yarralinda, one of two Scientology schools in Australia, had mortgaged its property for $1 million. That money was then gifted to Scientology to help finance its new Ideal Org in Melbourne. At the same time, the school relied on Government funding to survive. Despite spending far less per student on education, they determined that creating a large, empty building to glorify their diminutive leader was more important than the future of the children in their care.

Yarralinda School received in 2011 from taxpayers $300,000 under a special stimulus program and $340,000 funding over four years from the Australian Government for a total of 26 students. During that period, Yarralinda mortgaged their property and donated $1 million to Scientology for the new Melbourne church.

I checked today and the figures are now worse — in 2016 Yarralinda received $300,000 from state and federal governments in one year. This year they will receive $11,875 per student from the federal government, rising to $18,164 per student in 2027. Not bad for an educational institution which regurgitates the drivel of a proven liar and narcissist in L Ron Hubbard – who famously flunked out of college but claimed to have a PhD from Sequoia University, a notorious diploma mill.

Scientology takes taxpayer money for school children which it then gives to itself to create a huge, empty building which provides no public service. It then pays no tax, ’employs’ staff, who toil for almost no compensation as a slave labour workforce, while investing in more real estate to guarantee future income for its autocratic, abusive leader, David Miscavige.

There’s a lesson here – one I fear the children at Scientology’s schools will never learn.

Watch more here…

“Unsuitable” Scientology Schools targeted for Official Senate Enquiry

 
— Bryan Seymour

 
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Ideal Non Existence in Milan?

Our thanks to the Italian reader who sent us a letter from the Milan Ideal Org with this message…

After almost 50 years in existence, the Milano Org has just admitted that their condition is “non existence,” even though they are located in a regional area containing more than 11 million inhabitants.

I just read a recruiting letter from org which says: “We are preparing ourselves to confront a period of great expansion due to the biggest ‘non existence campaign’ ever accomplished in Italy. It will start a big flow of new public in our org, as the marketing campaign will make us known in all town. The team of staff members is now less then 300 and we have to arrive to 500. This will give us the possibility to deliver our tech to thousand of persons…”

Do not forget that Milano has 2 Ideal Orgs in the same building: Milano Day and Milano Foundation. This new building opened with the presence of David Miscavige a few years ago and 8,000 Scientologists came from all parts of Italy as well from Europe and a few from the States. (in reality they were not more than 2,000, according to local newspapers.) But after almost 50 years their stats are crashing.

Thank you for that report, tipster. Yes, it was just October 31, 2015 when Miscavige held the Milan Ideal Org’s grand opening, and it’s only taken them three years to admit to their members that the expected multitudes haven’t appeared as Miscavige promised. But sure, add staff, and the public will come flowing in. Good luck with that!

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

 
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Now on sale: Twice the Miss Lovely!

 
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. What a pleasure it is for us to work with her on this after we wrote about her ordeal as a victim of Scientology’s “Fair Game” campaigns in our 2015 book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, which is also on sale in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions.

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] A close up look at how human rights abuser Scientology is touting human rights as a front
[TWO years ago] The way to break free from Scientology’s mind trap: Admit to yourself that you’re gullible
[THREE years ago] DOX: Woman sues Pasadena company for forcing Scientology on her
[FOUR years ago] Marc Headley responds to sliming Scientology gave him at the ‘International Business Times’
[FIVE years ago] The big reveal: What you actually learn on Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level Three
[SIX years ago] DOX: Autopsy Report of Scientology President’s Son, Alexander Jentzsch

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 10, 2018 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2017), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

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Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news