Students at an Atlanta charter school are donating their spare change and holding bake sales to try to raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars required to keep their school open after the alleged theft of more than $600,000 from the school.
The founder of the school — Latin Academy — has been named as a suspect in the theft.
Latin Academy has about 250 students, most from low-income families, in grades six through eight. Academically, it’s a successful school — the state rates it higher than all but one traditional public middle school in Atlanta.
But the school was put on probation this fall by both Atlanta Public Schools and the state Department of Education. On top of the alleged theft, the school wasn't contributing to the state's teachers pension fund on time or complying with laws protecting children with disabilities, according to state and district records.
And in the middle of this school year, it saw a drop in funding after it enrolled fewer students than expected, Atlanta Public Schools spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green said. As a charter school, Latin Academy receives public funding and is overseen by Atlanta Public Schools but operates independently of the district.
Last month, Latin Academy's board proposed closing the school at the end of this school year, saying financial mismanagement and the alleged theft threw the school into a financial pit too deep to scale. But after hearing pleas from dozens of students, parents and teachers, the board postponed a decision about closure until later this month, at a March 17 board meeting.
The board gave families and staff a month to come up with a plan to raise the $500,000-$600,000 board members said was needed to keep the school open. Parents and staff are aiming to raise $250,000, enough to keep the school open in the short term.
They’ve raised about $25,000 so far.
The school’s board, which includes former top state education officials and corporate and nonprofit leaders, is “looking at opportunities to move the needle in a faster way,” board president Kaseem Ladipo said.
Budget cuts could also help close the gap. “As we’re raising money, we’re also saying, ‘What are some of the things we can do to save money without impacting the quality of services,’ ” Ladipo said.
Students are competing to see which grade can contribute the most pocket change. A local church held a fundraiser. School leaders set up an online fundraising page. And on Sunday, the school will hold a fair, including food sales, games and selling chances to throw pies at school staff.
Ladipo, the board president, said he’s hopeful about Latin Academy’s future.
“No one wants it to close. No one wants the school to be dealing with the issues that we’ve dealt with,” he said. But “the board’s role is not to be just hopeful. The board’s role is to be fiscally responsible.”
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