News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The closure of Sisters Charter Academy of Fine Arts (SCAFA) last week leaves the Sisters School District holding the bag for at least $18,000.
That's the amount of state school funding district administrators distributed to the charter school before the beginning of the 2009-10 school year, based on SCAFA's projection of enrollment. That projection turned out to be over-optimistic.
"I think that was corrected as soon as the real numbers came in," said school board chair Christine Jones.
The school district began last fall withholding funds in an effort to zero out the amount owed, as it became obvious that the charter school was not going to significantly increase enrollment.
"We know that if they continued to the end of the year, they would owe about $18,000," said Sisters School District special education director, Margaret Bates.
The early closure will add to that amount, but Bates is not sure by how much. Bates was not sure how the district would proceed to collect the money owed.
"I don't know. We haven't crossed that bridge," she said.
SCAFA announced its official closure on Tuesday, March 24, after being evicted from its schoolhouse and office facility for nonpayment of rent. Sisters Park & Recreation District had offered to lease space at a substantially reduced rate to allow SCAFA to finish the school year, but school principal Teresa Schneiderman informed SPRD that SCAFA could not come up with any funds to pay rent.
The charter school's insolvency calls into question if and how the district can expect to be repaid.
"Well, that is owed to us by the charter school and we'll have to see how, legally, we can enforce the contractual agreements," said Jones. "I don't know, legally, what our options are."
SCAFA attorney Barb Smythe declined to comment on how the school district might be recompensed. Smythe did say that she and school officials are actively working on retrieving supplies that have remained locked in the schoolhouse since the eviction.
High Desert Education Service District attorney Shawn Swisher told The Nugget that the compensation issue will need to be resolved through a lengthy administrative process with the Oregon Department of Education.
When a charter school closes, Swisher explained, there is a "settling of accounts" with ODE.
"Sometimes that can mean there is a correction to state school funding distribution," Swisher said.
However, that correction could take up to a year, he noted. And there's no immediate guarantee that a correction would mean full reimbursement to the district.
"We have to trust that ODE is just and equitable," he said.
Bates told The Nugget that the 20 students at SCAFA were to be in some form of schooling at the end of spring break last Monday.
"The kids sound like they're pretty well accounted for, that parents have made arrangements as of Monday," Bates said. "That's the report I have from Teresa Schneiderman."
Some students were expected to go to Sisters Elementary School; some will go to private schools or other academies elsewhere in the region; some may be homeschooled.
"That's as it should be," Bates said. "Parents should have a choice."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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