TEA correction makes Outreach Academy closing final
State first tells charter school it could apply for rehearing, then says it was mistake
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BACKGROUND
In 2002, the State Board of Education created Outreach Word Academy, which concentrates on humanities and foreign languages
By January of the next year, the school failed to turn in its yearly financial audit, a practice that will continue ...
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BACKGROUND
In 2002, the State Board of Education created Outreach Word Academy, which concentrates on humanities and foreign languages
By January of the next year, the school failed to turn in its yearly financial audit, a practice that will continue throughout the school's operation
Other financial problems include delinquent taxes, failure to pay payroll and misdocumentation of federal funds. The school blames the problems on a subpar financial management system and lack of support from the TEA
The TEA announced its intent to revoke the school's charter in July 2010
A judge ruled the TEA should revoke the charter in July 2011
A correction notice from the Texas Education Agency extinguished the hope Outreach Word Academy had to open for a new school year.
In a letter sent out Monday, the TEA recanted its previous notice, saying the Commissioner of Education's decision to revoke the school's charter is final.
A Friday letter from the agency mistakenly informed the school it could apply for a rehearing.
The school had been planning to open Aug. 15 while waiting for its appeals to play out.
However, Tracy Rush a legal assistant with TEA, explained charter schools are subject to different rules than other entities involved in administrative hearings. The law that allows rehearings for most cases does not apply to charter schools, she said.
The division of hearings and appeals had sent a standardized letter spelling out the option for a rehearing, which is available in almost every other instance, Rush said.
At a special board meeting Tuesday night, Elaine Phillips, co-founder of the school, said the academy is sorting out its options. Phillips said she and the board hope to have more information by the time teachers return for a staff meeting Thursday and parents come for an open house Friday.
The administration wants to first communicate any future plans with the staff and parents, Phillips said.
She did, however, say the school's attorney will file for clarification from the TEA and petition for judiciary review, hopefully taking the case to a higher court.
More than 300 students had enrolled in the school for its 10th year of operation, Phillips said.
Diane Boyett, district communications specialist for Victoria schools, said some students have made the switch from the charter school to VISD, but the district hasn't sorted through the registrations to know how many have transitioned.
Boyett said the district is prepared to accommodate as many students as needed but encouraged parents to register their children as early as possible.
"We do want those kids to feel welcome to their school and to be ready on the first day of school," she said.
Students not living in the Victoria school district who wish to attend the school should seek a transfer as soon as possible, too, she said.
To find out how to register, Boyett suggested parents call their neighborhood school. To find out which school zone students are in, contact the administration building at 361-576-3131 or find attendance zone maps at visd.com.
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Comments
Icantcook have you been reading the articles in the paper for the last year about this issue. Money is missing and there are no recipts for where it has been spent. When you say its about money your right. We need money to live and work for it. Someone just took the money and did not earn it and now they all have to pay the price.
August 16, 2011 at 10:09 p.m.the intentions of the phillips and the school are good, it's the execution that got them in this situation. to me it seems that they were given plenty of time to get their affairs in order and they, for whatever reason, failed to do so. the clock ran out and they have only themselves to blame. it's the fault of their inability to manage a business that caused the staff to lose their jobs not the TEA or anyone else.
sometimes the truth hurts, but we have to face facts.
August 16, 2011 at 10:03 p.m.I cannot believe that we as a society have gotten so far away from the reason for education of any level. It is all about children and meeting their learning needs. This has nothing to do totally with Mr and Mrs Phillips, they are good Christian people, who are now mourning the loss of extended family. Everyone has a learning process in life, business, school, church, everyone. TEA didnt seem to be concerned with educating young children, many of which did not do well when mainstreamed into larger public schools. The fact that test scores were higher for the majority of the students at Outreach, than any school in VISD, totally ignored. It seems like our schools have become like the rest of the world, corporately greedy and all about MONEY rather than what they do for this generation of kids. These kids are our future. This isnt about education, it is about MONEY, POLITICS, and DISGRUNTLED FORMER EMPLOYEES. It is a shame that 301 kids have to suffer for that. I say do away with TEA, they dont do their job. They are a waste of our tax dollars. They addressed the issues here about as well as they did Drill Team Members being made to practice until well after midnight on school nights.
August 16, 2011 at 9:52 p.m.Good for you TEA, you corrected your mistaken letter after a month or so.
You did not wait to correct it like Elaine Phillips did after 10 years.
Parents start enrolling your children in VISD, FFA, OLV, etc, and anywhere else available. Sounds like the bank is closing for Phillips.
So sad for the staff. Sounds like other wrong doings will surface eventually.
August 10, 2011 at 9:19 a.m.