All Tribes American Indian Charter School

INDIAN SCHOOL UNDER SCRUTINY TO REORGANIZE: DESPITE DECISION, BOARD PULLS CHARTER; July 17, 2008; San Diego Union-Tribune (CA)

VALLEY CENTER – Facing revocation of its charter over accusations of financial mismanagement, a school for students living on North County Indian reservations has decided to close and reopen under a different structure.

A lawyer for the All Tribes American Indian Charter School announced the move last night just as a local school board was about to vote to pull the school's charter.

The Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District board went ahead with the revocation anyway,
but the two dozen school supporters, who included staff members, Indian leaders and students, laughed...

School officials and their lawyer said the district is motivated by money. Indian students who live on reservations generate about twice as much funding as other students.

District Superintendent Lou Obermeyer said funding isn't the issue. Instead, she pointed to a long list of problems the district found, including issues keeping track of attendance and how money is spent.

Donohue said she believes the school would have prevailed had it challenged those findings, but didn't want to spend the $60,000 in legal fees that would have entailed…

This isn't the first time the school has run afoul of the district, which pointed out problems several years ago…