Valley charter school will close

PHOENIX - A Valley high school accused of holding bizarre board meetings and questionable spending will close its doors at the end of this school year.

During Monday’s Vicki A. Romero High School board meeting, the school board unanimously voted to close the school at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

No school administrators would speak to ABC15 after the meeting to discuss their decision.

Students said they received a letter in class, explaining the reasons for the closure.

According to the agenda reviewed by the ABC15 Investigators, the board also discussed other legal items with their attorney, including “negotiations with the Office of the Arizona Attorney General regarding open meeting law complaints,”  and “negotiations with Wilson School District (a neighboring school) related to the lease of real property and potential settlement discussions to avoid litigation," during executive session.

STATE BOARD VOTES NOT TO RENEW CONTRACT

Last week, the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools voted unanimously not to renew the charter contract for Vicki A Romero High School in Phoenix.

No school representatives appeared at the meeting to defend the school's charter contract, but they do have a until mid-June to appeal the decision before their contract expires in 2013. 

"I'm just frustrated that we're put in this position that no one is here to address our questions or concerns," said Jake Logan, the ASBCS President.

The ABC15 Investigators first reported about the school board's bizarre behavior and questionable spending in November, including reports about some school board meetings that lasted two minutes or less, as well as several meetings at which only one member of the board was physically present at the meeting location while other members made themselves available via speakerphone or did not make themselves available at all.

According to the school's own financial documents, the school purchased a Phoenix home for $40,000 and paid more than $48,681 for upgrades, repairs, and amenities before a salaried school employee moved into the home for several months.

State Department of Education documents  show the school, which enrolls between three and four hundred high school students each year, received more than two and a half million dollars in state aid (not including government grants) during fiscal year 2011. 

According to the ASBCS website , there are a few ways someone can obtain a contract to operate an Arizona charter school: Applying to The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, The State Board of Education, and  any local district governing board. According to the Arizona Charter Schools Association , someone can also apply to a university or a community college district in accordance with state law . 

A charter contract lasts fifteen years, but charters are reviewed by the state board every five years.

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