“Financial problems close three charter schools in Broward.” The Miami Herald (FL), 9/14/2012
Parents, students and teachers are unexpectedly scrambling to find a new school.
The abrupt end was punctuated by locked doors and silence at one school, and with a chaotic gathering of parents and students at another.But the story at three Broward charter schools was essentially the same on Friday: financial problems had led to closure, leaving parents and students to unexpectedly scramble to find a new place to enroll.
“We should have had way more time to look for other schools for our kids,” said Nicole Williams, whose son Alfonso was a 10th-grader at Eagle Charter Academy in Lauderdale Lakes, one of the three schools now closed. Also closing this week were the nearby SMART Charter School (run by the same company as Eagle Charter), and Touchdowns4life Charter School in Tamarac, which was founded by former Miami Dolphins running back Terry Kirby.Williams said the school sent her a notification letter on Wednesday...Broward school district officials said Eagle and SMART shut down because of shrinking enrollment, and district spokeswoman Tracy Clark said Touchdowns4life’s closure was due to “funding” issues — likely also enrollment-related, since charter schools are funded almost entirely based on the number of students who attend...Annual audits for all three schools show deep financial troubles...The parent company of Eagle and SMART, according to the most recent audit, owed a $1.2 million debt to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes...
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“Three Broward County charter schools abruptly close.”Sun Sentinel (FL), 9/14/2012
Three Broward County charter schools abruptly closed this week, leaving parents scrambling and exposing a potential dark side to schools designed to be appealing alternatives to traditional public schools.Touchdowns4Life, a financially troubled school in Tamarac founded by former Miami Dolphins running back Terry Kirby, closed its doors Tuesday. On Wednesday, Eagle Charter Academy and SMART Charter School, both operated by the same company, informed parents they would close their doors and gave parents until Friday to pick up student records...The sudden closure of the three schools has also raised questions about who oversees them. Neither parents nor the school district, which contracts with the schools, had prior warning, said district spokeswoman Tracy Clark.In the case of Eagle Charter Academy, its Board of Trustees was also left in the dark.Some Eagle Charter parents said Friday the curriculum was disorganized this year and their students were doing little or no work...Angelia Millender, who chaired the Eagle Charter board, which met about two or three times a year, said she didn't get into the daily operations of the school.She said it didn't even have the authority to hire or fire the principal, which was the responsibility of TechEdventures, a private charter school company, which operated Eagle Academy and SMART Charter School...
... "If (problems) were happening, maybe they were telling someone. They weren't telling board members."TechEdventures founder and CEO Edward Miller couldn't be reached for comment, despite an attempt by phone...
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“3 Broward Charter Schools Close Their Doors.” NBC Miami (FL), 9/14/2012
Three Broward charter schools closed their doors to students Friday, a day after the school board was notified of the closures...Eagle Charter Academy has been in the news recently amid allegations former dean Jeffrey London molested at least three boys over an 18-year period. London has pleaded not guilty.
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