The Philadelphia School District gets high marks for voting to close the troubled Germantown Settlement Charter School.
But it gets a failing grade for not having a plan in place to move the students after the state cleared the way for the school to be shut down.
The state Charter School Board voted 6-0 last week to end the calamity unfolding at the Germantown school. But instead of immediately shuttering the school, the Philadelphia School District said it might remain open until the school year ends in June.
In most cases, transferring students in the middle of the school year would be unsettling. But leaving the students in a school deemed unfit to remain in business is far worse.
It's not as though the myriad problems at Germantown Settlement just cropped up. This disgrace has been festering for some time.
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted in April to deny the school a new five-year charter. The commission then voted in October to close the school.
The list of problems includes: an exodus of teachers; test scores among the lowest in the state; unpaid bills; and massive deficits.
A 2006-07 IRS filing shows a budget of $4.4 million, but only $21,369 was spent on books and instructional materials. Nearly $180,000 was spent on legal fees and more than $40,000 on meals, entertainment, and travel.
More troubling, about $31 million in taxpayer money received over nine years has allegedly been diverted to prop up other nonprofits controlled by Emanuel V. Freeman, who oversees the school and has denied any wrongdoing.
Thankfully, federal prosecutors are said to be investigating.
Given all the smoke, the School Reform Commission should have moved quicker to fix this problem. The commission voted 10 months ago not to renew the charter, setting the stage for the closing. That left plenty of time to have a plan in place to transfer the 440 middle school students after the state signed off on the closing last week.
Instead, this is essentially a lost school year for many of these students. Now, at least, the district must work with parents to ensure the kids get into schools next fall.
Meanwhile, the district should draft a plan now for students at Renaissance Charter School in Mount Airy, another troubled charter the commission has voted to close because of academic and fiscal problems. The state board is expected to seal its fate next month.
Charter schools remain a viable alternative to the city's troubled public schools. But when they fail, the district must move quickly to ensure funds are properly spent and students get a good education.