The Utah State Charter Board has voted to shut own a school for teen mothers.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the decision to close Kairos Academy, immediately, came despite a shake-up of school leadership and impassioned testimony by current and former students.
"I'm here for these girls and their children," said Amy Trombetti, recently named Kairos' interim director. "I think that we can steer the ship in a different direction."
Two charter board members said the additions of Trombetti and new Kairos governing board members could improve the school's finances and academic performance.
But others questioned why the change came only after the school faced forced closure and not during the two years prior that Kairos has been in probationary status.
Kairos plans to appeal the decision to the Utah Board of Education. But the school's public funding will be cut off in the meantime and the state school board is not obligated to consider Kairos' request.
The school opened in West Valley City, Utah, in 2014 and has been on probation since March 2015. The school has struggled with low enrollment — roughly 90 students attended last year.
Academically, Kairos has failed to meet traditional education metrics, with a graduation rate below 10 percent and few students scoring proficiently on standardized tests.
