Charter school relicensed amid rifts
Truck purchase called violation; board oversight called ineffective
Truck purchase called violation; board oversight called ineffective
A charter school in Carson City got its state sponsorship renewed for another six years Friday despite complaints that the online school bought a $28,000 pickup truck from the principal’s daughter-in-law.
Tom McCormack, the charter school consultant for the Nevada Department of Education, called the purchase “illegal and unethical” because of the conflict of interest as well as the Silver State Charter School’s failure to follow state purchasing guidelines for giving public notice and competitive bidding.
McCormack also charged the school’s governing board with failing to exercise its authority over the school, which serves about 500 students in grades 7-12.
Eugene Paslov, a former state superintendent and former board member of Silver State Charter School, said the “board is not as independent as it should be.”
Paslov praised the teachers who work at Silver State but said they were afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation. “They virtually have no protection from arbitrary school leadership,” Paslov said. “They have been threatened with firing for talking with board members. It is really a disturbing situation.”
Charter schools are considered to be part of the educational reform movement because they break from the model of a public school managed by a local school district. In theory, they are supposed to have more latitude to innovate.
Charter schools, like public schools, receive public funding, but are managed by private organizations as long they can maintain their “charter” with their sponsor, which could be a school district or the state Board o