Troubled academy might be closed

Following the mass exodus of the board of a North Side charter school, the sponsor of Imagine Columbus Primary Academy says it might close the school. The North Central Ohio Educational Service Center said Tuesday that it is considering “remedial action” against the school’s Virginia- based management company, Imagine Schools Inc., because the school board failed “to hold a meeting since January.”

In a letter sent Tuesday to Imagine, Educational Service Center Superintendent James Lahoski gave operators five days to respond to concerns, warning that the school could be put on probation, have operations suspended or see

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its contract terminated.

Charter schools are privately operated with public tax dollars. Under Ohio law, the schools must have a board that meets at least six times a year.

The action comes less than 24 hours after Imagine appointed five new members to the school’s board on Monday night. They replaced six members who resigned in recent weeks amid ongoing concerns about a high- cost building lease, teacher turnover and adequate services for students.

Meghan Glynn, spokeswoman for Imagine, said the appointments should rectify Lahoski’s concerns and company officials will work to address any others. The new board is scheduled to meet next Wednesday.

The new members joined board President Melonia Bennett who stayed, at least for now.

“I’m sticking around to introduce our new board members to our attorney and to bring them up to speed on what’s been going on the last year, the history of the school, the lease arrangement and history of principals,” Bennett said. “I’m not sure of my future on the board.”

Under Bennett, the previous board “explored” closing the school, which has 150 students attending, after clashing with Imagine Schools over several issues, including the academy’s $ 58,000- a- month lease.

The lease is with SchoolHouse Finance, a subsidiary of Imagine Schools Inc., raising questions about a possible conflict of interest.

Board members complained that the $ 700,000 annual lease consumes too much of the school’s $1.3 million annual budget. According to the Franklin County auditor’s office, the building, at 4656 Heaton Rd., is valued at $1,164,600.

SchoolHouse Finance purchased the building in 2005 for $1.5 million and made $ 2.6 million worth of improvements, according to the auditor’s website. SchoolHouse sold the building in 2006 for $ 5.2 million to a real- estate investment trust, then leased it back from the trust to charge rent to the school.

“I am disappointed we couldn’t close the school. We felt it was the right thing to do,” said Leon Sinoff, a board member who resigned last Wednesday.

The school opened in the 2013-14 school year, just months after another Imagine School that occupied the same building under a different sponsor was closed for poor academic performance.

Sinoff, a Columbus lawyer, who like others on the board volunteered his time, said he was “disenchanted” after learning that Imagine failed to disclose its financial interest in the lease arrangement.

Sinoff said board members also tried to increase teacher salaries, concerned that low salaries of $ 30,000 a year were causing high turnover. Imagine allowed the salaries to increase by $ 2,000.

In an interview with The Dispatch hours before threatening to close the school, the education service center’s Lahoski said he was unaware of the board departures but he, too, wanted answers about how operators were spending the money they receive.

Ohio Department of Education spokesman John Charlton said the agency oversees the educational service center and other charter- school sponsors and encourages them to hold school operators accountable.

“If a school isn’t doing what they are supposed to, we want the sponsor to step in,” he said.

State lawmakers are considering a pair of bills to overhaul Ohio charter- school laws. Among the provisions aimed at improving accountability of tax dollars is one preventing a charter- school sponsor from selling services to its school. Lawmakers also are looking at ways to block excessive lease deals.