Rocky Mountain Classical Academy

D-49 PUTS CHARTER ON PROBATION AS IT DIGS OUT OF FINANCIAL HOLE, May 07, 2010, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)

A one-year probationary contract with the financially troubled Rocky Mountain Classical Academy was unanimously approved Friday by the Falcon School District 49 board.

District administrators said they will work closely with the 4-year-old charter school, conducting monthly audits to ensure it is on track.

The Falcon board grilled the school’s leaders during meetings Friday and last week about steps taken to rectify problems uncovered by the state in a review released last year…

Under the contract, the academy must meet strict financial reporting deadlines. If it fails, the charter could be revoked…

Kristin Geesey, an academy board member, pledged to “stick to budget, and you won’t have any concern.”

She blamed the charter school’s financial problems on poor communication between leaders and board members.

The school has cut spending, is instituting professional accounting system, obtained help from a financial expert and reduced nonteaching staff by six, said Tate, who has three students at the school…

The school was founded four years ago around a kitchen table by a fireman, a pet groomer and others who had an academic vision but little business experience…

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D-49'S ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHARTER ACADEMY IS IN TROUBLE, May 21, 2009, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)

A charter school in Falcon School District 49 has taken out a $350,000 bank loan to pay its bills and will cut administration salaries to keep it in the black next year, board members said Thursday.

They also said the Rocky Mountain Classical Academy's director, Linda Stahnke, is on voluntary paid leave for an indeterminate amount of time. Board president Eric Sova and treasurer Kristin Geesey declined to further discuss Stahnke's status.

Stahnke, a homeschool expert who helped found the school and a former candidate for Colorado House District 17, could not be reached for comment.

The school's financial problems came to light last month in a report from the Colorado Department of Education.

A charter school support team that visited in late January found significant financial and leadership problems at the 3-year-old charter school and said it could be headed toward collapse if corrective action isn't taken…

Geesey said the board was aware of budget issues because the school overestimated the student count and had to return some funds to D-49. But it also was hit with unexpected special education costs and a deep state cut in capital construction money…

The board was unaware of specific issues cited in the report until after the fact, including that the school had failed to make some payments to the state's public employee retirement fund…

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

They kicked out my special needs, honor roll, never a behavior problem son for my refusal of the state assessment in the best interest of his health. They don't care about kids.

Anonymous said...

Yeah I am completely unimpressed with that school

Anonymous said...

yeah I am completely unimpressed with this school

Anonymous said...

ive had the worst experience dealing with this school. my daughter used to go there but when we moved its taken over a week for them to fax the school records to her new school. they never answer their phones and when I finally got in contact with someone they claim they sent her records through regular mail even though I sent multiple messages for them to fax. if someone reads this please think twice before enrolling your child in this school.