"The letter indicates that we will be renewed, and we can start getting back to some sort of normalcy, although the school year is winding down," Sperling said.
In mid-April, the School Reform Commission deferred acting on Philadelphia Academy's renewal application to give the Philadelphia School District's inspector general time to complete an investigation of allegations of financial mismanagement, nepotism, and conflicts of interest. The investigation is continuing.
The school is also the subject of a federal criminal probe, and lawyers from the firm of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll are conducting an internal investigation for the charter's board.
The School Reform Commission's decision to delay a vote came a day after The Inquirer detailed the allegations and disclosed that the school's top administrators were being paid more than most area school superintendents.
In her letter, Dungee Glenn said the commission had received regular updates on investigators' progress, as well as on the changes the charter school's board had made to ensure that the charter remains open.
She said the commission was aware that the delay and uncertainty over the school's fate had caused "a great deal of concern for parents, students and faculty."
Dungee Glenn said the commission "has taken every reasonable step to expedite consideration of PACS's application. However, we are not yet in a position to approve the application."
She noted that the district was developing conditions for the charter's renewal that will be submitted to the charter board for its approval.
"The SRC is confident that these conditions will enable the charter to be renewed in time for the coming school year," Dungee Glenn wrote.
The chairwoman has said she expects that the commission will act on the renewal later this month.
