One of Ball State University's 32 charter schools was placed on probation Monday after the university found it's school board to be deficient in providing satisfactory oversight of the school.
Dean of Teachers College John Jacobson, who oversees the university's charter school office, said the Imagine MASTer Academy, an elementary school in Fort Wayne, was placed on probation for two reasons.
First, Imagine MASTer Academy is a non-profit institution by definition of a charter school. Jacobson said the president of the school board for Imagine MASTer decided to lend its non-profit status to two schools in Texas, and in doing so, extended Ball State's jurisdiction of the Fort Wayne school to these schools as well. The decision to lend non-profit status to the Texas schools was made outside of formal school board meetings, further adding to the problem, Jacobson said.
Second, Imagine MASTer Academy school board officials didn't seem to understand the roles of the board or its officers.
Jacobson said reporters from a newspaper in Texas told him about the situation in November, and that's when he and university officials began to investigate the school board officers' conduct.
In a letter sent Monday to the Imagine MASTer Academy, Ball State officials outlined the conditions that need to be met before the Fort Wayne school's probation will be lifted. A series of training sessions for board members is one such condition. Ball State also called for Imagine MASTer Academy officials to respond to their letter within three business days.
The letter stated: We find that the Board is deficient in providing satisfactory oversight of the School, correctly following the Indiana Open Door Law, and adequately fulfiling its fiduciary duties. Therefore, in keeping with the provisions of the Ball STate University School ASsessment and Intervention Policy, we are placing the School on Probationary Status.
According to the letter, 'The Board potentially violated the Indiana Open Door Law by adopting a written resolution authorizing the School to share the School's [non-profit] status with two entities in Texas without open deliberations during a public meeting and by manipulating the written consent process.'
Jacobson said Ball State is the only Indiana university to establish charter schools.
He said any other four-year universities in Indiana and the mayor of Indianapolis also have this opportunity.
'We do it to ensure appropriate oversight, and to see that taxpayers' dollars are being used appropriately,' Jacobson said.
He also said charter schools ought to serve as sites of innovation. In allowing charter schools to operate, the university can research and evaluate the public school system, he said.
Jacobson said in the university's oversight, it couldn't pick up on the problems in the Imagine MASTer school system because they took place outside of formal board meetings. To help remedy this situation, Ball State officials have asked charter schools in the same region to schedule school board meetings around the same time so Ball State officials can attend the meetings and be sure nothing unethical or unlawful is taking place within the school system.
School board president for Imagine Schools, Don Willis, could not be reached for comment.
Jacobson said Ball State will not revoke the charter.
'It's up to the charter school in meeting the conditions of the probation,' he said. 'We are in the business of letting children in schools succeed.'
In conclusion, we find that the Board is deficient in providing satisfactory oversight of the School, correctly following the Indiana Open Door Law, and adequately fulfilling its fiduciary dties therefore, in keeping wiht the provisions of the BSU School Assessment and Intervention Policy, we are placing the School on Probationary Status with the following Corrective Action Plan to be satisfactorily completed by the Board within the time rames provided below
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