ST. LOUIS • After being put on notice multiple times about poor finances and lackluster academics, Jamaa Learning Center will close its doors in June and cease to operate as a charter school.
The University of Missouri-Columbia will notify parents Thursday that it intends to end its sponsorship of the school, effectively closing it at the conclusion of the school year. Without a sponsor, a charter school cannot get state funding. The school, at 3108 North Grand Boulevard, has struggled since it opened its doors in 2011.
Jamaa is one of ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ 29 charter schools, which are tuition-free and public, but operate independently of the city school system.
Multiple charter schools have closed in the last several years. The state effectively closed six schools run by the for-profit Imagine Schools Inc. in 2012 due to years of substandard academics. In 2013, Shearwater, a school to help high school dropouts earn diplomas, voluntarily ceased to operate. And last spring, Construction Careers Academy closed.
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Jamaa enrolls about 150 children in kindergarten through eighth grade. It recently had taken out a $20,000 loan to create a large enough cash reserve to stay off of the state’s “financially distressed†list. An October balance sheet shows that its liabilities are more than double the cash on hand, adding to Mizzou’s concerns about its viability.
“There were concerns about the loans being taken to cover operating expenses,†said Earl Simms, ºüÀêÊÓƵ director of Mizzou’s Office of Charter School Operations.
Poor test scores have been a concern for years. At some grade levels, fewer than 10 percent of children scored proficient in math or English on the 2015 Missouri Assessment Program.
“When you have financial stress, that translates into not keeping teachers,†said Wayne Crull, president of the board that oversees Jamaa. “You end up hiring at the last minute and you don’t always get the best.â€
Mizzou’s decision is no surprise to school officials. In June, the university’s charter school office notified the school that it had “substantive concerns related to fiscal viability and academic infrastructure of the school,†and that it planned to let its sponsorship lapse in 2016.
A letter to parents states that services will continue as normal for the duration of the school year. The letter also lists contact information for dozens of district and charter schools so parents can begin the search for a new school for 2016-17.
The Missouri Charter Public School Association issued a statement indicating it would work with the school and Mizzou to develop a closure plan for Jamaa.
“Regarding the closing of Jamaa Learning Center the process should now begin to make sure that the school ends the year responsibly, keeping the best interests of the students foremost in mind,†the statement says.
About 11,000 children are enrolled in charter schools in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.