Parents question charter school in Alpine
Considering some of the parents in attendance were so angry they mobbed the school at 7:45 Monday morning demanding to speak with administrators, the meeting was surprisingly calm. More than anything, the parents made comments conveying feelings of betrayal and sadness at the school's lack of public communication before making the drastic organizational change.
"My daughter didn't attend school today not because she was sick, or because we were angry with the school," said Tyra Cox, a mother of a Mountainville Academy sixth-grader. "She felt emotionally devastated, and she needed time to recover."
Even Mac Sims, chair of the charter school that serves grades kindergarten through eighth, choked up a little as he answered questions.
He said the decision was primarily prompted by budget concerns. Last year the school overspent by more than $300,000.
Aside from a few students who stood to give tribute to the three teachers who were laid off, most of the comments voiced during the meeting centered on the board's failure to involve the public in the decision-making process.
"This board has systematically circumvented the stipulations of Utah's open meetings laws," said Mike Farley, whose nephew attends Mountainville Academy. "You've known about the budget deficit since October, but there's been no discussion in your board meetings about what you are going to do about it."
Sims admitted the board intentionally meets in three-member committees to avoid public-notice requirements, he said. Any meeting involving four or more members would require public notice.
"None of this information forthcoming was ever known to the public, and that was by design," Sims said. "There was a reason for that."
Because the reorganization of the sixth grade included the firing of three teachers, the board of trustees said it wasn't required to discuss the decision with parents. State charter school officials said it is up to the individual schools to determine whether school directors have power to hire and fire employees.
Recent comments
We as 6th graders just think this whole thing is retarted and i was...
STUDENT | Dec. 19, 2008 at 2:24 p.m.
According to cdmom..see above..only 3 of 7 board positions are...
Anonymous | Dec. 18, 2008 at 9:28 p.m.
I know little of charter schools. I just know the banks demanded to...
Parents Bailout | Dec. 18, 2008 at 9:50 a.m.
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