Officials of both schools vowed to appeal. If the schools do not appeal within 30 days, they could be closed at any time after that. The district plans to send letters to parents and hold meetings to give them information about what happens next, officials said.
The Germantown charter, with 456 fifth through eighth graders in buildings on Germantown and Wayne Avenues, is in crisis, The Inquirer reported Sunday. Its test scores dramatically lag state benchmarks, dozens of vendors clamor daily for payments, and the school is threatened with eviction by a sister nonprofit created by its parent, Germantown Settlement. The school's accounts have been drained and the school has run deficits as high as $406,617, according to school and district documents.
The district inspector general investigated the school. Investigations continue by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Pennsylvania attorney general and the state auditor.
Before the SRC's vote, Chairman Sandra Dungee Glenn detailed the school's financial problems. She said it still owed more than $200,000 to creditors as late as this summer and had been unable to pay many contractors that provided services.
Emanuel V. Freeman, president of the Germantown Settlement Charter board, in an interview last week with The Inquirer, denied any wrongdoing and vowed to keep the school open. "We will continue to appeal at every conceivable level," he said. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Principal Jeffrey Williams confirmed after the vote that the charter board would appeal. "It's a sad day for the students," he said. "My primary concern has always been for the students and the parents. The disruption for them is the most devastating thing. They did not ask to be involved in this."
