Sojourner Truth Learning Academy

SOJOURNER CHARTER SCHOOL CLOSES DOORS- TRUSTEES DENY RENEWAL REQUEST; June 12, 2004; San Diego Union-Tribune (CA) 

The Sojourner Truth Learning Academy, a charter school under scrutiny for alleged financial improprieties, closed for the school year yesterday and will not reopen.

The San Diego Unified School District board voted 4-1 this week to deny the school's application for a five-year charter renewal after being told by district staffers that Sojourner, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade campus, faces a $200,000 deficit…

Located in St. Stephens Cathedral Church of God in Christ on Imperial Avenue in Encanto, Sojourner had an enrollment of 144 and served a predominantly black and Latino student base.

Parents said many of the students who attend the school come from broken homes and have a history of academic and disciplinary troubles, but that at Sojourner they have found a nurturing environment…

According to district reports, the school fared poorly both financially and academically, failing to meet the goals of its charter…

An internal audit the district completed in February said Sojourner paid employees' salaries with money orders and cash in violation of state law and district procedures.

The school wrote checks totaling more than $22,000 to the principal and former and current employees without documenting why the payments were made.

When examining invoices for services rendered to the school, district officials who conducted the review were unable to locate some of the vendors. Out of 25 vendors contacted, 11 could not be reached because their telephone numbers had changed, were incorrect or were answering machines.

The review also said the school received $37,464 in state funding last school year that was not supported by its attendance records. The school's monthly attendance reports failed to account for 1,002 absences marked by teachers.

The review also found that gains third-graders at Sojourner made on standardized language, spelling and reading tests in recent years are suspect. A former school employee declared in two sworn statements that there were unusual erasure marks found on test answer sheets, but that the principal took no action…