Charter leaders fired, they spent thousands on cars, spas, concerts
Amid accusations its co-leaders used school credit cards for more than $94,000 in personal purchases, the Family Foundations Academy charter school has fired the pair, re-shuffled its board, and handed the reins to the leaders of Eastside Charter School in hopes of convincing the state that it should stay open.
The new leaders say the school's academics and finances are fundamentally sound, and argue that 825 students shouldn't have to see their school closed because of two leaders' bad decisions.
"Our motivation is the good of the kids here," said Charlie McDowell, who is now chair of both schools' boards. "They have a successful school and it's just not right for the school not continue because of this."
Family Foundations was supposed to have its charter renewed at last month's State Board of Education meeting, but Department of Education officials abruptly postponed the vote, saying they had been made aware of an audit alleging serious financial mismanagement.
The audit, commissioned by the school in spring of 2014 and conducted by Philadelphia-based Auphsite Consulting, looked at charges on school-owned credit cards held by Sean Moore, its chief operating officer, and Tennell Brewington, founder and chief academic officer, made from July 2012 through Februrary 2014.
The audit said the pair used American Express corporate cards attached to bank accounts that were created to house money for construction projects and money brought in from sources other than the state.
Those cards were used in addition to state-issued "p-cards," which state workers are supposed to use for work purposes, and they "quickly became the instrument of choice for incurring nonschool related expenditures by Mr. Moore and Dr. Brewington," the audit said.
Charter schools are public schools that receive public funds, so the two should have used p-cards for any school-related purposes.
The audit could not account for $2,403.89 in p-card purchases. The big money, however was in the American Express Cards, which Moore used for a total of $73,956.02 and Brewington used for a total of $20,673.85.
Credit card records in the audit show purchases for car payments, furniture, flowers, fine watches, expensive meals and concert tickets, among many Charter leaders fired, they spent thousands on cars, spas, concerts: