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Charter school sponsor cuts ties
Backer puts school on probation and trustees pull plug on founder.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
SPRINGFIELD — The board of trustees for the Urban Youth Academy has severed ties with the school's founder over concerns about his criminal record and a state audit questioning the school's financial stability.
The charter school's sponsor, Educational Resource Consultants of Ohio, or ERCO, of Cincinnati, has put the school on probation, forcing the move.
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"There were fiscal issues in their last audit and we were uncomfortable with what came out about (founder) Michael Ward," said Phyllis Brown, an ERCO attorney. "We think the school would be better served with a new group running the school."
A story that appeared in an August edition of the News-Sun said state auditor Mary Taylor doubted UYA's ability to stay open after an audit of its 2005-06 finances.
Taylor found UYA had a capital deficiency of $142,840 with net assets of only $11,346.
Of UYA's total spending, $131,807 — or 12 percent — went to Ward's consulting company, Urban Management and Development, which was paid to oversee the daily operations of the school.
Ward, 47, said even though his company and the school he founded in 2004 have parted ways, he is volunteering to run its farming and job-training programs.
"Sometimes this is how things work out," Ward said. "Even though I threw everything I had into it, this is the community's school. I don't want the school to suffer. ERCO made its decision off the newspaper article. This was never about Mike Ward making a lot of money. I haven't taken a salary for four years. This was always about the kids."
Ward was 27 and a Springfield police officer when he tried to sell cocaine to an undercover agent in December 1986, according to press accounts at that time.
Ward was immediately fired from the force and sent to prison for drug trafficking and permitting drug abuse.
He has since had his criminal record expunged, but said it's not something he's trying to hide.
Ward said he cannot be an employee by the school because of his criminal record. Brown said she did not know if Ward was still involved with the school and did not want to comment as to his future with UYA.
Comments
By Jeanette
October 4, 2007 8:55 PM | Link to this
I don’t agree with the recent rhetoric aimed at Urban Youth. Though it is unfortunate that the school done poorly on a recent audit. City schools have been doing poorly for some years. There failures have only been brought to light recently with failing school reports and failed levies. I had a child which attended Urban Youth in middle school. They helped him realize his potential. ERCO and the board of trustees failed to do their jobs by not intervening before things got out of hand.
By Dianna
October 4, 2007 6:01 PM | Link to this
It is too bad that we live in a society that makes a person who has made a mistake pay for it over and over again. God forbid that the people making this decision should ever find themselves in trouble. He who is without sin let him cast the first stone!!! God is watching and I am sure He is not pleased.
By Dianna
October 4, 2007 6:00 PM | Link to this
It is too bad that we live in a society that makes a person who has made a mistake pay for it over and over again. God forbid that the people making this decision should ever find themselves in trouble. He who is without sin let him cast the first stone!!! God is watching and I am sure He is not pleased.
By Dianna
October 4, 2007 6:00 PM | Link to this
It is too bad that we live in a society that makes a person who has made a mistake pay for it over and over again. God forbid that the people making this decision should ever find themselves in trouble. He who is without sin let him cast the first stone!!! God is watching and I am sure He is not pleased.
By Joseph
October 3, 2007 10:55 PM | Link to this
I tihnk they made accounting mistakes. While intentions may have been good, I have always said why “FLIP HOUSES” when you can start a charter school. They are cash cows when ran and managed corrrectly, Research case studies online about them. One flaw I saw was the lack of seasoned professionals in the managing company. Why bring his past in to it some people just can’t run successful businesses and thats all there is to it.Bad businessman Yes Fraud No!
By taxpayer
October 3, 2007 6:40 PM | Link to this
Do all the taxpayers realize that our money is paying for these schools? For every child that lives in the city and attends charter schools the city schools lose approx $5000 per child? Same with home schooled children. Hmmm….Do they have to complete the same state proficiency tests? Are they held to the same standards? No!
By everyone entitled
October 3, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this
It is pathetic to make issues white/black. Base issues upon fact and not rhetoric. That is a sign of ignorance and insecurity. Always finding outside reasons to blame others instead of focusing on the issue. “citys plantation politcs” give me a break. Give examples based on fact. For example condemning people for judging someone past and then judging the persons present yourself. Wow. Talk about using terms to fit a shallow mind. Black/White/Green/Purple it comes down to family & responsibility
By Mary Ann
October 3, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this
The charter school,Life Skills of Springfield,has shown gradual continued success. We have graduated 259 students that did not “fit” into the traditional Springfield City or surrounding county schools. Life Skills of Springfield has moved from Academic Emergency to Academic Watch. Our graduates have to be working and pass the OGT tests to graduate. This is a win win for our community no matter how you cut it. One cannot judge all charter schools by the alleged mistakes of another.
By Mary Ann
October 3, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this
The charter school,Life Skills of Springfield,has shown gradual continued success. We have graduated 259 students that did not “fit” into the traditional Springfield City or surrounding county schools. Life Skills of Springfield has moved from Academic Emergency to Academic Watch. Our graduates have to be working and pass the OGT tests to graduate. This is a win win for our community no matter how you cut it. One cannot judge all charter schools by the alleged mistakes of another.
By Resident
October 3, 2007 11:35 AM | Link to this
Charter Schools are a bust. All they are is a place for students to go and have an easy way out of learning. This is because they can’t make it in the normal school setting. We need to quit babying these kids and hold them all to a higher standard like the rest of them. By the way grow up its not about race or community giving up on these kids. They and their families gave up on them, but I guess there’s always welfare to fall back on. Thank God
By Tax Payer
October 3, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this
Charter schools are nothing but, “Profit First, Education Second”!
By FatherOfFour
October 3, 2007 9:23 AM | Link to this
Whether we like it or not, all of us have to live with the consequences of our choices. This is why God told Adam and Eve that they must never eat the forbidden fruit. Any person in recovery will tell you that one needs to accept what cannot be changed—and that includes the past. It is not judgmental nor is it double jeopardy for there to be present limitations as a result of past actions. God, who forgives us of the penalty of sin, does not wipe away the earthly consequences.
By Arthur Muhammad
October 3, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this
Black Youth will become a casualty in this crusade against the Urban Youth Accademy if we do nothing to promote the vision that Mike Ward has for this school. Springfield has an unenviable history of being a racist plantation where Black People are concerned. We can no longer let this city’s plantation politics govern our community. White organizations are some how protected from media exposure and public scrutiny for the mistakes they make.
By Arthur Muhammad
October 3, 2007 8:54 AM | Link to this
Let him without sin cast the first stone. I am sadden and appalled by the boards decision to abandon Mike Ward in a time of trouble. This self-righteous act on the part of the board who act as though they had no knowledge about Mikes past is absurd to say the least. This man with the help of God has rehabilitated himself from a mistake he made over twenty years ago with very little help from anyone and I think that he ought to be commended for that. Who are you to judge him for his past?
By Scott
October 3, 2007 8:43 AM | Link to this
I don’t think charter schools have lived up to what everyone thought they would do.
That being said I am not a public school apologist. I think we should expand the ability for students to attend private religious schools that do have the infrastructure and history of doing a good job at educating students.
That way you still promote competition among schools, but only take the student portion of funding away from the public schools, not the entire state portion too.
By bobby
October 3, 2007 7:59 AM | Link to this
I can say double jeopardy and spell “giving, abandoned, bunch”. Anyone that is convicted of violating the community’s trust as a police officer should never be permitted to be involved with minors.
By commonsensgal
October 3, 2007 6:21 AM | Link to this
Let me first say that my comments are directed at charter schools in general, not just the UYA. The problems with UYA are typical of the problems with charter schools in general. I don’t think that most tax payers in Ohio understand that these schools can just pop up and that there is almost no accountability financially or academically. The audit of UYA was very unusual, most of these charter schools are unregulated and they just suck tax dollars without accountability.
By Lee
October 3, 2007 12:37 AM | Link to this
Mike has done an awesome job in givng hope to a bounch of young men and women who were abadoned by many in our community. He should be commended for trying to reach out to this segment of our population.
In addition, he also paid his debt to society by serving his court appointed time for his crime. Yet, he continues to pay this debt again and again. Can somebody say double jeopardy.