A Denver school is pleading for financial help to stay open through May while at the same time asking the school board for a new charter contract.
Amandla Charter Academy in northeast Denver is reeling under huge debts and may not be able to finish out the school year, according to sources familiar with the school.
It is unclear how much money the school is seeking from the district to get through next month.
Denver’s school board will meet tonight to hear staff recommendations about whether to approve a new charter contract, which was submitted earlier this month.
School officials were accused of commingling public money to run a privately operated preschool, and reports surfaced about teachers and staff members who had criminal pasts.
The district approved a one-year contract for Amandla, the new name for the school seeking to distance itself from Challenges, Choices and Images.
The Amandla became a contract school with new principal Oscar Joseph, a new governing board and a mission to improve achievement that had been among the lowest in the state.
The school reopened last August with 427 kindergartners through 12th graders, most of whom are African-American.
Yet Amandla couldn’t escape all of CCI’s debts, which were reportedly about $2 million.
Amandla’s contract with Denver Public Schools ends June 30, and the school’s officials had until early April to submit a charter application.
The board will vote in early May on whether to approve a charter with the school.
Amandla’s problems, coupled with the troubled past of CCI, have some school board members wondering about the health of the school.
“I don’t want to have the same problem as last year,” said Kevin Patterson, board member whose district includes Amandla. “When you are looking for additional support, that is a concern. We just have to figure out what their approach is going to be. I’m more than a little concerned. There is the more fundamental question of are you fulfilling your mission.”
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
Still hoping for a brighter future
Amandla Charter Academy took the place of the troubled Challenges, Choices and Images, also known as CCI charter school, which faced closure after accusations of financial mismanagement and poor academic performance.
