State questions NCA statements
mbutts@idahopress.com
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
This story has been edited to remove an incorrect statement. View the correction
NAMPA — Nampa Classical Academy board members misled the Public Charter School Commission last week in a meeting to discuss the new school's compliance issues, the commission's program manager alleges in a letter.
But the school's acting board chairman, Mike Moffett, disputes the claims.
Official response
The Idaho Public Charter School Commission's written response to letters of support for NCA:
"The Commission appreciates stakeholder input and hopes the stakeholders will understand that a charter school authorizer's (the Commission's) oversight responsibilities go beyond ensuring a positive educational experience for students. Authorizers are also obligated to monitor legal compliance and fiscal soundness, and the Commission's experience demonstrates that an effective board is critical to the ongoing health of a school. Concerns in these areas should not go uninvestigated, even if the majority of students are excelling in a strong academic program."
The meeting resulted in the Charter Commission issuing a notice of defect to the charter school, listing nine issues of concern. They included Title I funding, proper education certification for staff, failure to provide public records and open meetings violations.
In an e-mail to Charter Commission members from commission program director Tamara Baysinger sent Tuesday, she raised three questions about information Nampa Classical Academy board members gave to the commission during Thursday's meeting in Boise:
1. NCA representatives stated that Diane Demarest, executive director of the Idaho Charter School Network, pointed out a possible conflict of interest on the Idaho Charter School Network audit team. But Demarest has stated that the conflict of interest question was raised by the Nampa Classical Academy and not by her.
The suspected conflict of interest comes from Baysinger being a member of the audit team while Nampa Classical Academy has taken the Charter Commission to court in an attempt to be able to use the Bible and other religious texts in the classroom. "It's my understanding the postponement of the audit was offered (by Demarest) ... and it was accepted," Moffett said. Some of the confusion might arise from the fact that Demarest first dealt with the school's former board chairman about the issue before that member resigned, Moffett said.
But Demarest wrote in an e-mail to NCA officials Friday, "I can't think of anyone with a conflict of interest ... It was your attorney and board chair who canceled the last (audit) date."
2. NCA representatives said they asked recently resigned NCA board members Bryon Merrill and Mitch Miller why they resigned. But Baysinger said both board members have indicated they were not contacted about their resignations. "I don't care what they said," Moffett said Tuesday. "Their credibility is shot through the whole thing anyway." Moffett said the former board members have been asked on numerous occasions why they resigned. Miller wrote in an e-mail to Baysinger that Moffett had not contacted him and that Moffett "lied" to the Charter Commission chairman about contacting him.
NCA board members told the Charter Commission that Merrill's and Miller's resignations were not official because they had not signed a letter of resignation themselves. They therefore considered them still members of the board. In e-mails to Baysinger, Merrill and Miller said their resignations are valid.
In other news about NCA, the school's two teachers with provisional teacher certification applications are expected to be approved for provisional certification by the State Department of Education Dec. 3. That should eliminate one issue of contention between the Charter Commission and NCA.
