Two years after opening, Spark Charter School in Sunnyvale is facing the prospect of closing after the Santa Clara County Board of Education denied its renewal petition on Jan. 17.
The school serves 253 students, according to Spark Principal Chris Mahoney, who told the Sunnyvale Sun in an email it now will ask the state Board of Education on May 9 to renew its charter.
Spark’s charter, approved by the county in 2014, is set to expire on June 30.
About 60 people spoke at the county board’s two hour-plus meeting.
The two main reasons cited for rejecting the renewal were the school’s academic performance and financial stability. A county education staff report states that although Spark’s California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress test results in English and math were higher during its first year than the Sunnyvale School District’s overall scores, the results dipped the second year and math scores fell below the district’s average.
In both years, Spark’s test scores were above the state average.
The staff report also says Spark’s English Learner Program is inadequate and the school isn’t financially stable because it has either understated or overstated its average daily attendance.
Plus, the report notes, the school was “surviving fiscally by selling its future receivables, obtaining personal loans from board members and juggling invoice payments on a monthly basis.”
The county education office found that Spark had only $3,870 in a savings account, amounting to just a .2 percent reserve, and if there was an unanticipated expense the school wouldn’t be able to meet its financial obligations.
Mahoney said during the meeting that because the school is small a few students’ bad test scores can affect the overall results dramatically.
He and other staff and school parents asked the county for additional time to provide more than two years’ worth of data. Spark staff also pointed out the number of students had grown 35 percent from the 2016/2017 school year to the 2017-2018 school year, yet the school was still receiving money from the state for its old numbers.
“Spark’s financial issues, instability and miscalculations put the school at great risk,” Sunnyvale School District Superintendent Ben Picard said.
A Spark board member said she had in fact loaned the school a no-interest $35,000 loan.
Many teachers, parents and students came clad in green to support the school.
“If you’re familiar with statistics you’ll know you need three data points, one or two tests can skew results,” said John McManas. “The county should give another year. Please don’t give in to the district’s terror.”
Board Member Anna Song pointed that of the last 40 to 60 charter petitions that went before the Santa Clara County Board of Education, Spark’s was the first that had been recommended for denial. The board voted 4-1 against renewing Spark’s charter, with Joseph Di Salvo casting the dissenting vote and Darcie Green absent.
“I feel very strongly it’s a high quality school but at what cost? That’s why all my questions have been fiscal,” said board member Grace Mah. “To put so much hope on what the budget will be is very risky in my opinion. I feel really sad because the school is doing great things, but I feel financially it’s not sustainable.”
The school’s launch was a rocky one, having been rejected by the Sunnyvale School District in 2014. A few weeks after opening, a lunchtime aide was arrested for allegedly molesting an 8-year old student. The school then had to close and reopen after the county education office validated it had complied with state law regarding background checks and TB clearances for employees.
The school ran into trouble again when the Sunnyvale School District rejected its request for more space, saying the school had fallen short of enrollment projections.
