State may revoke school charter over financial, other irregularities
Everything seems tranquil on the surface of Quest Academy, where a shielded crest hangs over the front door and children scurry around in matching khaki shorts, skirts and polo shirts.
But the school is unraveling from the inside-out as allegations of collusion, contract tampering and improper payment of bonuses have been substantiated by the school’s administration and governing board, according to an investigation by the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority, which oversees the tax-funded charter school in northwest Las Vegas.
The authority – unsatisfied with Quest’s response to allegations from staff and a former board member whom the board booted for whistle-blowing – threatened Thursday to revoke the school’s contract, shutting down Quest if its board doesn’t make major changes.
Those changes include disciplining Principal Connie Jordan and forcing her to repay $15,000 in unearned bonuses, authority Director Steve Canavero wrote in a letter to the school’s governing board Thursday.
“To do nothing, which appears to be the board’s inclination, demonstrates a failure to govern,” he wrote.
The authority recently reported allegations of criminal activity, such as extortion, to Las Vegas police.
RESTORING CONFIDENCE
Although privately run, the 600-student K-8 school operates under a state contract and receives $5,249 per student from the state – the same amount the Clark County School District receives for its students. Quest will get about
$3.1 million from the state this year.
The authority would like to see the school continue to operate, Canavero said in an interview Friday.
“We would like to work with them,” he said. “We want confidence to be restored in the school.”
Canavero told Quest likewise on Thursday.
But “to restore parents’ and the authority’s confidence in Quest,” the school’s board “may” need to replace Principal Jordan and many of themselves in a “radical reconstruction,” Canavero wrote in his eight-page letter.
The authority can’t force the school to relieve anyone. Under state law, a sponsor doesn’t have that power.
What Quest will do remains to be seen. Through a spokeswoman, Jordan and board members declined comment Friday. Canavero said he hadn’t received a response, either.
“But if they don’t do anything suggested in the letter, we would move to revoke their contract,” said Canavero, noting that Quest’s board has cooperated in the investigation, which began in late October.
The authority has grounds for revocation because Quest broke its contract terms and state code, he said.
REPAYING THE SCHOOL
Many of the accusations involve a small group, most notably Jordan and Board President Christina Fuentes.
The authority got wind of possible misdoings from several sources, including Marc Abelman, a Quest board member subsequently ousted by the board.
“The board doesn’t want any questions asked,” Abelman said Friday.
His complaint centered on the $15,000 bonus paid to Jordan in three $5,000 checks signed by Fuentes on June 30, 2011. Abelman said the payment was never approved by the full board and contends it was split into three checks to skirt board policy that requires more than one signature on a check for more than $5,000.
The authority agreed with Abelman, writing Thursday that the payment was “improper” and a “circumvention of board policies, and may represent collusion” between Jordan and Fuentes. The authority also suggested Fuentes “may need to be immediately replaced.”
The board in a Nov. 26 letter to the authority defended the payments.
“This was not a bonus,” wrote the board, claiming Jordan took $5,000 in retirement payments from the state’s system, just doing it through the school.
The Nevada Public Employees’ Retirement System called that explanation “without basis,” Canavero said. The board said $6,404 was for unused paid time off and for extra work. But Jordan’s original contract didn’t cover payment for unused time off, the authority noted.
However, the contract the board submitted to the authority was different.
“Alteration, by the board, of the Connie Jordan employment contract in response to authority concerns is apparent,” Canavero wrote.
Even if the board’s defense held water, that leaves $3,596 unaccounted for, the authority pointed out.
“Ensure Ms. Jordan returns the $15,000 to the school’s general fund,” Canavero wrote.
PENDING INVESTIGATION
The authority didn’t come to a conclusion concerning complaints by Lucretia Glidewell, a former contract financial manager who said Jordan demanded kickbacks of $500 every two weeks as a condition for her continued employment.
The Quest board maintains that Jordan was only seeking repayment of a personal loan to Glidewell.
The authority is waiting on a response from Las Vegas police concerning this matter.
“The future of the school is clearly in the hands of Quest’s governing board,” said Canavero, noting that “what’s going on here is part of a national trend.”
Financial mismanagement is the most common reason for charter school closures, he said.
Nevada charter schools are autonomous and operate under a contract from the state authority or a school district, but must meet the same standards. If not, their charter could be revoked. The authority sponsors 16 charter schools; school districts sponsor another 16.
In Nevada, 11 charter schools have closed since 2000. Six closed voluntarily. Five saw their charters revoked because of financial practices, including failure to comply with accounting standards, poor record keeping or deficits.
But even Abelman doesn’t want to see Quest close.
“It’s still a great school,” said Abelman, whose two children attend Quest. “I hope they make the changes.”
The Quest board admitted to the authority that morale is low. As a result, a teacher has resigned, another was terminated and two were reprimanded for unprofessional behavior in front of students.
“Quest staff continue to feel an internal hostility towards one another and the school’s administrator,” the board wrote.
Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.
