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State education commissioner orders takeover of Colorado Springs Charter Academy

The state's education commissioner ordered a third party to take over the management of Colorado Springs Charter Academy Wednesday to ensure the school can open in the fall, citing problems with financial oversight and leadership.

The head of the Colorado Department of Education, Katy Anthes, ordered Daniel McMinimee, the former Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent, to take over the duties of the school's board to address circumstances that pose a threat to the K-8 school's solvency, the order stated. He will be in place for 120 days and his leadership could be extended for an additional 120 days, the order stated.

“The Commissioner finds that an emergency and a significant risk of irreparable injury exist,” the order stated.

Anthes wrote that the school is unlikely to have its budget for next school finished in time, contracts for teachers to start next school year are incomplete, only one senior-level administrator is in place, the school's board has seen significant turnover, and the school does not have an adequate plan to address the challenges.

Takeover of Colorado Springs Charter Academy operations considered by state education commissioner

The school planned to hire a consultant to provide board and staff training, assess and document staff concerns, and rewrite policies over the next 30 days, the document stated. In 90 days, the consultant was expected to write a report and issue recommendations, and the school intended to hire a chief financial officer.

The school has made no substantial progress toward those goals and, since the next school year starts in 90 days, Anthes found the plan would not address risks to the school in time.

The Colorado Charter School Institute, the group that oversees the state's charters, and CSCA's former school board president both called on the commissioner to use her emergency powers to intervene in the school prior to the order.

Both the institute and former board president raised concerns following leadership turnover.

Former Head of School Dan Ajamian left in December after the board voted 4-1 in favor of a “motion to terminate, with option to resign,” according to minutes from the Dec. 14 board meeting. Only the head of school has been replaced. Three other administrators, including the financial officer, also left in December.

Volunteer board members took over some of those duties without proper financial controls in place. The commissioner wrote that while the work of volunteer board members to carry out financial tasks was well-intentioned, it was “ill-suited” to support the school's operations.
 
The board also has seen significant turnover, with only one active officer remaining, treasurer Summer Groubert, who also is running in the Republican primary for House District 18.
 
Enrollment in the school is on the decline, with 40 students leaving during the school year and enrollment trending down year over year, Anthes' letter stated.
 
The problems have caused a lack of confidence among the staff, she wrote, and a neutral leader could help address some of the problems.
 
The school has the option to appeal the order in district court, but the board has not made a decision yet, said Dustin Sparks, with the Charter School Law Group, who is working with the academy.
 
“It is frustrating the commissioner would exercise these extreme powers,” he said. A takeover of this kind has only happened once before in the state, he said.
 
The school had a good plan, he said, and it could have been executed on a faster timeline if needed.
 
Current board members will stay in place with limited powers under the order, he said.
 
McMinimee will have power over most operational decisions and could ask for the commissioner to remove or replace board members as part of his work, under state law.

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Once a final decision is reached pending an appeal, Sparks said, he expected the school would take a collaborative approach to solving problems.

Groubert said in an interview Tuesday she believed the school could function without outside management.

“We've got amazing teachers who love their jobs, and we have some of the highest reading scores in the state,” she said. “We've accomplished this with an autonomous board, and I think we should be allowed to continue.”

 

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EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.