The Colorado Department of Education has picked an outside firm to probe allegations of testing irregularities in the Cesar Chavez network of charter schools.
The state will pay Caveon Test Security $25,000 to examine whether Cesar Chavez charter schools purposely violated the rules when administering the Colorado Student Assessment Program tests from 2006 to 2009. And Pueblo’s school district has set aside $80,000 to investigate the charter group.
“This is a huge waste of taxpayer money and time,” said Lawrence Hernandez, founder and chief executive of the Cesar Chavez Network.
State Education Commissioner Dwight Jones sent a letter to Hernandez on Tuesday explaining the parameters of the audit, which he said will include interviews with staff and parents, and a close examination of test results.
Hernandez responded to the commissioner’s letter with an e-mail, saying parts of the request for information are “completely unreasonable.”
Hernandez said that “based on the tone of your letter” he has advised each staff member to hire an attorney in preparation for the audit.
He also said some records have been archived or do not exist, including the records of how the school administered CSAP tests for 2006-07.
Hernandez said his staff members already have provided thousands of pages of documentation regarding finances and are working 16-hour days to accommodate requests.
In the e-mail, Hernandez asked for a meeting with Jones, Attorney General John Suthers and lawyers to discuss the probe.
Colorado Education Department officials refused to comment further.
Wednesday, Hernandez called the investigation a “fishing expedition.”
“I am asking, ‘What are you really asking for? You have the records. What do you really need from us? Who are you accusing?’ ” Hernandez said. “I want to be cooperative and clear our name, but please be transparent about what you are looking for.”
The state also is developing a request for proposal for a firm to investigate Cesar Chavez’s finances.
The Charter School Institute, which authorizes Cesar Chavez’s online program and its Colorado Springs school, hired an outside firm for $5,000 to look into the organization’s finances.
The issue arose when Hernandez sought to close one of two Colorado Springs schools because of financial problems. Reports also began coming out about the salaries of Hernandez and other executives in the organization, which make them some of the highest paid K-12 educators in the state.
The school network serves about 3,000 students. It has schools in Pueblo and Colorado Springs, a soon-to-open K-8 in Denver and an online program that will be based in Westminster.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
