The Philadelphia School District's first audits of charter schools up for renewal in 2004 found problems at all seven. In 2005, the School Reform Commission ended the audits rather than risk offending charter-friendly legislators. But now, some say the reduced scrutiny led to abuses such as the recent allegations of financial mismanagement, nepotism and conflicts of interest at the Philadelphia Academy Charter. A federal criminal probe is under way there.
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FROM APRIL 2008: Amid investigations and allegations of mismanagement, the board of a Philadelphia charter school has suspended the school's founder and a former CEO. Brien N. Gardiner, founder of the Philadelphia Academy Charter School, and former chief executive officer Kevin M. O'Shea were suspended with pay pending the results of an internal investigation. The Philadelphia School District's inspector general is investigating the charter school on allegations of fiscal mismanagement, nepotism, and conflicts of interest.
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Earlier: With Philadelphia Academy's charter up for renewal by the School Reform Commission, the district's inspector general is investigating the school administration for possible fiscal mismanagement, nepotism, and conflicts of interest. Philadelphia Academy, a K-12 school with 1,200 students, is valued by parents for being a safe, clean school with well-equipped facilities and promising test scores. The charter is especially popular among families of firefighters, police officers, and other municipal employees required to live in the city.
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