Troubled charter school board president resigns; principal ordered to repay bonuses

But, state officials said Tuesday, that is not enough to restore confidence in Quest’s embattled principal and staff, which remains unchanged despite an investigation substantiating allegations of collusion, contract tampering, improper payment of bonuses and more.

Quest’s board didn’t place Jordan on leave during the investigation. And, after the board admitted to the State Public Charter School Authority on Tuesday that Jordan circumvented board policy to take the bonuses, it will write only a letter of reprimand to place in her file.

“That’s a fox guarding the hen house,” said Michael Van, a member of the authority that oversees Quest and 15 other Nevada charter schools.

He was flabbergasted that Jordan was never even suspended. “I see a completely dysfunctional administration. I have a big problem with that.”

But the authority lacks the power to suspend Jordan or change personnel of the public yet autonomous school in northwest Las Vegas. The authority can only make recommendations, which it did on Dec. 6 after concluding its investigation, making it clear that inaction would force the authority to move to revoke Quest’s contract, closing the school.

Quest’s board acted late Monday, requiring the $15,000 repayment, doing so a mere nine hours before the authority’s Tuesday meeting. The Quest board ignored many of the authority’s recommendations made over a month ago.

“We threw you a life raft, and nobody jumped in until the eleventh hour,” said Van, who with other authority members are reluctant to close the charter school, but may have to do so because of the limited scope of their options.

The “threat” of closure doesn’t instill confidence, said Spencer Gunnerson, one of three newly elected Quest board members. Gunnerson asked the authority to take the threat of school closure off the table so the school can move forward and restore the confidence of both parents and donors.

Quest is in the middle of fundraising for a permanent location. It has placed a nonrefundable $50,000 deposit on a piece of land, Gunnerson said.

Authority members objected to Gunnerson blaming them for shaking the community’s confidence in Quest.

“The threat of revocation rests on your shoulders,” authority Chairwoman Kathleen Conaboy told Quest’s board. “If you continue to choose not to act, you leave us no choice. We would love to see you succeed. But it is your board who’s responsible to do the right thing.”

While some parents spoke fervently in support of Principal Jordan on Tuesday and others lobbied for the removal of her and other administrators, they all agreed on one thing.

“I, too, was praying for Quest to succeed,” said David Brown, parent of a former Quest student, who advocated for new school leadership but asserted the teachers provide a great education. “The school should stay.”

To make that happen, the authority will give Quest two weeks to outline additional changes that must be completed within three months to restore its confidence, authority Director Steve Canavero said. The changes could include the authority’s Dec. 6 recommendations to replace school administrators and the original board members, all of whom remain on the six-member board except for Fuentes, who resigned on Jan. 1.

“It’s in their hands,” Canavero said of Quest’s board.