Agape lawyer: School likely to close without voucher cash

Agape Christian Academy will likely close without state voucher money, the Pine Hills school’s attorney told a Florida Department of Education hearing officer Friday. During the 15 years Agape has been open, it has submitted fraudulent fire inspections, hired people with criminal records and failed to pay employees, according to state and court records.

In August, the department banned the school from the state’s voucher programs for at least 10 years and said it had no right to appeal the decision because of missed payments for a state-mandated assessment program.

But last fall, the state decided to allow school leaders to plead their case during an informal hearing. Agape’s attorney, Blair Jackson, was a no-show during the first hearing Nov. 28, though the state allowed Agape to have a do-over Friday. Agape received $5.6 million from the programs during the past five years, and most of the children who attended last year received one of the scholarships.

“Revoking the scholarship money would be tantamount to basically forcing the end of the school,” Jackson told hearing officer Lois Tepper during the hearing, adding “this school has provided a lot of public service to the community.”

Tepper said Education Commissioner Pam Stewart will issue a final order on the matter in the coming weeks.

Agape has a history of financial problems, court records show. A cash advance lender, a former landlord and a contractor charged with maintaining the campus fire alarm systems allege the school owes them nearly $1 million combined. Some of the cases are still pending. The school’s main campus has missed water and electric payments totaling $5,686, according to Orlando Utilities Commission records. CEO Ingrid Bishop filed for bankruptcy last month for the second time since September. She reported receiving no income from the school, according to court documents.

It’s unclear how many students now attend Agape or whether they are paying tuition, but Jackson said, “there are still a fair amount of students attending the school because they believe in the mission of the school.”