The building at 1331 17th St. and Turing School founder and executive director Jeff Casimir. (BusinessDen illustration)
Denver’s Turing School of Software and Design, which is ceasing operations, will soon file for bankruptcy, according to Jeff Casimir, the school’s founder and director.
“(In) probably the next two weeks, we’ll file, and at that point the entity is officially dissolved,” he said.
The disclosure comes as the coding school draws the ire of a state division over Turing’s actions in recent weeks.
The Division of Private Occupational Schools, which oversees institutions like Turing, says it told Turing on April 3 that its certificate to operate had been suspended and it needed to shut down immediately.
In a May 5 email to Turing students obtained by BusinessDen, DPOS deputy director Mary Kanaly wrote the suspension was “because Turing failed to maintain funds for your protection in the event the school closed (by its own decision or for violations of the laws applicable to private occupational schools).”
But documents obtained by BusinessDen show Turing continued to teach classes after April 3. Turing’s intent to close gradually didn’t become public until mid-April. The school had 37 students at the time.
Casimir, who founded Turing in 2014, said he has “zero resentment” toward the state.
“They’re trying to make sure that students don’t get harmed, and we’re trying to do the same thing,” Casimir said. “But we don’t fit very well into the regulations.”
The state’s concerns relate to about $160,000 which, according to court documents, was transferred into an account used to pay back Turing’s former LoDo landlord. A judge has ordered Turing to pay Los Angeles-based CIM Group approximately $500,000 after the latter sued Turing over unpaid rent.
That $160,000, known as surety, is typically used for student refunds or transfer fees in the event a school like Turing closes, according to DPOS spokesperson Megan McDermott.
McDermott said the division received a complaint on May 2, which stated that Turing had graduated students the previous day, was still teaching students and “provided false and misleading information to students about Turing’s ability to continue operating.”
The division sent a cease and desist letter to Turing on the same day, again saying the school had to shut down. That letter also claims that Casimir falsified records as part of Turing’s annual reporting requirements to the division.
McDermott declined to provide more specifics regarding that allegation. Casimir declined to address it.
“DPOS’ enforcement of private occupational schools serves to ensure that students are protected in instances like the one with Turing, where a school took and misused money from students who elected to invest their time, energy and money in their education at the schools,” McDermott said in an email.
Casimir disputes he was misleading students. He says he was clear in communicating, sending out a survey on April 15 to let students know and choose their options, whether it be graduating, transferring or getting a refund.
“What the system and the regulations and statues are all set up for is for is when a school shuts down, you shut it down, turn the lights off and kick everybody out,” he said. “That’s not our style and it’s confusing to DPOS. And it’s problematic to the regulations and so forth. But it’s not okay for us to kick people out on the metaphorical street.”
Up until April 15, Casimir said, the future of Turing was still up in the air. The school was applying for new bonds for the student protection money, which, if received, would’ve meant its certificate would be reinstated automatically with little to no disruption, he said.
While Turing ultimately didn’t secure those bonds, he thinks the fact it was still deciding its future should be taken into account.
“It’s a little disingenuous when anybody points to early April dates like ‘Turing should have just pulled the plug,’” he said. “It took a few weeks and meetings and findings to figure out what was and wasn’t possible and what students wanted to/could do.”
“It’s interesting to look back… Did we do everything perfect? Probably not,” he added. “But when you go back to April 15, it was not clear at that time what was gonna happen.”
Some students feel different.
Montana Pfeifer, who was three-quarters of the way through Turing’s curriculum as of last month, said he and his peers didn’t know the school wasn’t certified until April 23.
On that day, DPOS sent an email to Turing students saying the division secured outside funds to facilitate transfers and refunds because Turing’s surety money wasn’t available.
Pfeifer said he and his classmates are confused about who is eligible for payments from DPOS since the division indicated students couldn’t get money if they were attending class.
He’s focused on a different certification — the diploma-like acknowledgement that he graduated from Turing.
“I didn’t pay $25,000 to go there and just receive info and not receive anything. It’s the same thing as an associates or bachelors – you’re not talking out those loans just to say you went to classes. You frame your diploma and hang it up because you’re proud of it and want something to show for it,” Pfeifer said.
“In my perspective, I’m paying for this certificate and I can’t get this certificate. The school broke their contract. The school shut down and can’t give that certificate anymore.”
The building at 1331 17th St. and Turing School founder and executive director Jeff Casimir. (BusinessDen illustration)
Denver’s Turing School of Software and Design, which is ceasing operations, will soon file for bankruptcy, according to Jeff Casimir, the school’s founder and director.
“(In) probably the next two weeks, we’ll file, and at that point the entity is officially dissolved,” he said.
The disclosure comes as the coding school draws the ire of a state division over Turing’s actions in recent weeks.
The Division of Private Occupational Schools, which oversees institutions like Turing, says it told Turing on April 3 that its certificate to operate had been suspended and it needed to shut down immediately.
In a May 5 email to Turing students obtained by BusinessDen, DPOS deputy director Mary Kanaly wrote the suspension was “because Turing failed to maintain funds for your protection in the event the school closed (by its own decision or for violations of the laws applicable to private occupational schools).”
But documents obtained by BusinessDen show Turing continued to teach classes after April 3. Turing’s intent to close gradually didn’t become public until mid-April. The school had 37 students at the time.
Casimir, who founded Turing in 2014, said he has “zero resentment” toward the state.
“They’re trying to make sure that students don’t get harmed, and we’re trying to do the same thing,” Casimir said. “But we don’t fit very well into the regulations.”
The state’s concerns relate to about $160,000 which, according to court documents, was transferred into an account used to pay back Turing’s former LoDo landlord. A judge has ordered Turing to pay Los Angeles-based CIM Group approximately $500,000 after the latter sued Turing over unpaid rent.
That $160,000, known as surety, is typically used for student refunds or transfer fees in the event a school like Turing closes, according to DPOS spokesperson Megan McDermott.
McDermott said the division received a complaint on May 2, which stated that Turing had graduated students the previous day, was still teaching students and “provided false and misleading information to students about Turing’s ability to continue operating.”
The division sent a cease and desist letter to Turing on the same day, again saying the school had to shut down. That letter also claims that Casimir falsified records as part of Turing’s annual reporting requirements to the division.
McDermott declined to provide more specifics regarding that allegation. Casimir declined to address it.
“DPOS’ enforcement of private occupational schools serves to ensure that students are protected in instances like the one with Turing, where a school took and misused money from students who elected to invest their time, energy and money in their education at the schools,” McDermott said in an email.
Casimir disputes he was misleading students. He says he was clear in communicating, sending out a survey on April 15 to let students know and choose their options, whether it be graduating, transferring or getting a refund.
“What the system and the regulations and statues are all set up for is for is when a school shuts down, you shut it down, turn the lights off and kick everybody out,” he said. “That’s not our style and it’s confusing to DPOS. And it’s problematic to the regulations and so forth. But it’s not okay for us to kick people out on the metaphorical street.”
Up until April 15, Casimir said, the future of Turing was still up in the air. The school was applying for new bonds for the student protection money, which, if received, would’ve meant its certificate would be reinstated automatically with little to no disruption, he said.
While Turing ultimately didn’t secure those bonds, he thinks the fact it was still deciding its future should be taken into account.
“It’s a little disingenuous when anybody points to early April dates like ‘Turing should have just pulled the plug,’” he said. “It took a few weeks and meetings and findings to figure out what was and wasn’t possible and what students wanted to/could do.”
“It’s interesting to look back… Did we do everything perfect? Probably not,” he added. “But when you go back to April 15, it was not clear at that time what was gonna happen.”
Some students feel different.
Montana Pfeifer, who was three-quarters of the way through Turing’s curriculum as of last month, said he and his peers didn’t know the school wasn’t certified until April 23.
On that day, DPOS sent an email to Turing students saying the division secured outside funds to facilitate transfers and refunds because Turing’s surety money wasn’t available.
Pfeifer said he and his classmates are confused about who is eligible for payments from DPOS since the division indicated students couldn’t get money if they were attending class.
He’s focused on a different certification — the diploma-like acknowledgement that he graduated from Turing.
“I didn’t pay $25,000 to go there and just receive info and not receive anything. It’s the same thing as an associates or bachelors – you’re not talking out those loans just to say you went to classes. You frame your diploma and hang it up because you’re proud of it and want something to show for it,” Pfeifer said.
“In my perspective, I’m paying for this certificate and I can’t get this certificate. The school broke their contract. The school shut down and can’t give that certificate anymore.”
