G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
The scandal-plagued Prime Prep Academy is insolvent and will close at the end of school today, the new state-appointed administration announced.
Parents will be given lists of public schools in their attendance areas as well as names of other charter schools that have immediate openings.
Texas Education Agency commissioner Michael Williams said he agreed with the decision to cease operating immediately.
“While there was hope this charter could survive through the end of the school year, the financial resources simply aren’t there,” Williams said in a news release. “It is unfortunate that those who remained committed to learning on these campuses -- the students and teachers -- are the ones who will be affected most by circumstances out of their control.”
Williams said that the action today could have been avoided.
“In light of what we now know, such upheaval could have been avoided by the previous school leadership had they acknowledged their financial issues and worked with us toward an orderly transition that put students first,” he said.
The school, co-founded by former Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders, opened in 2012 and is more than halfway through its third school year. Attendance at its two campuses has dropped to fewer than 300 students, down nearly 50 percent from last year. The school gets most of its funding from the state based on attendance.
Prime Prep’s inevitable collapse has accelerated in recent weeks as the new administration crunched numbers and discovered how far the school’s finances had sunk. The new officials replaced the existing board and Superintendent Ron Price, who resigned earlier this month, after the TEA was notified that school finances were deteriorating.
New Superintendent Alan King notified staff on Tuesday that the school didn’t have enough money to meet Friday’s payroll. The total payroll cost is more than $200,000, and the school had about $100,000 in the bank. More state aid wasn’t expected for several more weeks.
In addition, the school has another $500,000 worth of debt, King said.
The school, envisioned as college preparatory academy featuring a strong athletic program, has been the subject of controversy since before it open. The constant troubles have included a steady stream of lawsuits, infighting among the co-founders, failure to comply with UIL athletic rules, academic troubles with the NCAA and financial mismanagement.
The school’s test scores have also lagged other charter schools.
The Texas Education Agency announced plans to revoke the school’s charter in July. The school’s final appeal was held Tuesday, but no Prime Prep representatives were in attendance. The school’s lawyers, who hadn’t been paid, resigned days earlier.
The TEA said that it will distribute information packets to students and staff at both campuses after school today. In addition to listing potential schools, it gives parents the process for acquiring student records to transfer.
Employees will be provided with information about how to apply for unemployment and extended health coverage.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/educ...ep-to-close-today-amid-financial-problems.ece
Parents will be given lists of public schools in their attendance areas as well as names of other charter schools that have immediate openings.
Texas Education Agency commissioner Michael Williams said he agreed with the decision to cease operating immediately.
“While there was hope this charter could survive through the end of the school year, the financial resources simply aren’t there,” Williams said in a news release. “It is unfortunate that those who remained committed to learning on these campuses -- the students and teachers -- are the ones who will be affected most by circumstances out of their control.”
Williams said that the action today could have been avoided.
“In light of what we now know, such upheaval could have been avoided by the previous school leadership had they acknowledged their financial issues and worked with us toward an orderly transition that put students first,” he said.
The school, co-founded by former Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders, opened in 2012 and is more than halfway through its third school year. Attendance at its two campuses has dropped to fewer than 300 students, down nearly 50 percent from last year. The school gets most of its funding from the state based on attendance.
Prime Prep’s inevitable collapse has accelerated in recent weeks as the new administration crunched numbers and discovered how far the school’s finances had sunk. The new officials replaced the existing board and Superintendent Ron Price, who resigned earlier this month, after the TEA was notified that school finances were deteriorating.
New Superintendent Alan King notified staff on Tuesday that the school didn’t have enough money to meet Friday’s payroll. The total payroll cost is more than $200,000, and the school had about $100,000 in the bank. More state aid wasn’t expected for several more weeks.
In addition, the school has another $500,000 worth of debt, King said.
The school, envisioned as college preparatory academy featuring a strong athletic program, has been the subject of controversy since before it open. The constant troubles have included a steady stream of lawsuits, infighting among the co-founders, failure to comply with UIL athletic rules, academic troubles with the NCAA and financial mismanagement.
The school’s test scores have also lagged other charter schools.
The Texas Education Agency announced plans to revoke the school’s charter in July. The school’s final appeal was held Tuesday, but no Prime Prep representatives were in attendance. The school’s lawyers, who hadn’t been paid, resigned days earlier.
The TEA said that it will distribute information packets to students and staff at both campuses after school today. In addition to listing potential schools, it gives parents the process for acquiring student records to transfer.
Employees will be provided with information about how to apply for unemployment and extended health coverage.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/educ...ep-to-close-today-amid-financial-problems.ece