The state Department of Education might revoke the charter of an online school that enrolls more than 100 Lancaster County students.
The department alleges that Devon-based Agora Cyber Charter School violated its charter by hiring a for-profit management company to handle its day-to-day operations.
Agora allegedly misused millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to benefit the company, Cynwyd Group LLC, which was run by the school’s founder, Dorothy June Brown, the department said in court papers.
Education officials also allege that Agora’s board of directors failed to vote on annual budgets or maintain a budget reserve, mishandled student academic records and misrepresented the certification status of Agora’s teachers.
Joel Frank, an attorney for Agora, said that the allegations are unfounded and are based on complaints from a small group of disgruntled Agora parents.
“The vast majority of the parents are supportive of Agora and the education their children have received from the school,” he said.
State officials have known since 2006 that Agora was run by an outside firm, which is not prohibited in the school’s charter, Frank said.
The education department has scheduled a hearing for Aug. 3 and 4 to address the allegations and determine whether the school’s charter should be revoked.
Without a charter, Agora could not operate.
The school, which began in 2005 with about 100 students, provides online instruction to about 4,500 pupils statewide in kindergarten through grade 12.
Officials said the legal dispute is not likely to disrupt the 2009-10 school year because a final decision on the charter isn’t expected before next summer.
The education department began reviewing Agora’s operations in March in response to complaints from parents.
In April, officials stopped making payments to Agora because of concerns the school was misusing taxpayer funds.
On July 7, Agora asked a federal judge to order the education department to release the money withheld from the school and postpone the revocation hearing, but both requests were denied.
Like the 10 other public cybercharter schools in Pennsylvania, Agora is funded primarily by public school revenue.
Students attend cyberschools at no charge, and their home districts pay their tuition, which varies from district to district.
In 2007-08, cyberschool tuition payments for Lancaster County students ranged from about $6,900 per year for a regular-education student to $20,055 per year for a special-education pupil.
The state reimburses districts for about 25 percent of those costs.
A total of 109 students from 16 county school districts were enrolled in Agora in ’07-08, according to education department records.
School District of Lancaster had the most students — 27 — for which the district paid $181,250 in tuition, SDL spokeswoman Kelly Burkholder said.
Source: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/239859