Palm Beach County charter school shows risk of poor oversight

School Desk
The Palm Beach County School District may have to repay $2.5 million to the state because it failed to provide proof of the attendance records of a closed charter school.

A state Auditor General’s report said the district failed to provide class attendance records for 736 students enrolled at Charter School of Boynton Beach during the 2013-14 school year. The auditor found the district should reimburse the state for those students, estimated to be $2.5 million.

Last summer, the charter school closed after it had received two F grades. According to the Palm Beach Post, the district tried to get the attendance records, but the school was uncooperative.

Part of Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ termination recommendation for the Pensacola Newpoint schools is “the School failed to maintain accurate enrollment data and daily records of student attendance and shall provide enrollment, attendance, demographic, assessment, and any other student and human resource data to the Board on a timely basis using the District’s data information system.”

The question will be: did the Newpoint schools improperly report its attendance and received more money that it should have from the district? If so, the school district is on the hook with the state.

Newpoint Education Partners has disputed the findings by Superintendent Thomas.

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