Parents didn't buy the board's explanation, however. They wanted to know: If the layoffs had nothing to do with job performance, as the board reported numerous times, how could the discussion of personnel performance be a valid reason to close the meetings?

Halfway through the meeting, the board of trustees' answers started to get repetitive.

"In hindsight, I can see how we could have handled this situation better," Sims said.

"In hindsight," he said, "I can see that we should have communicated this decision better."

"In hindsight, I can understand how it may look like we were trying to withhold details from parents," Sims said.

Brian Allen, chair of the Utah State Office of Education Charter School Board, was upset by the number of e-mails "burning up" his inbox about the situation. While he said the state office generally allows schools to make their own decisions as long as they stay within the boundaries of the laws, he said he was looking into the situation.

"The worst thing in the world is to open up the newspaper and read a bad story about a charter school," he said. "I want you parents to know that we are very aware of this situation at a state level."

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Contributing: Amy K. Stewart

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E-mail: estuart@desnews.com