Closure Of St. Louis Charter Schools Costs $250K | News

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The closing of six charter schools in St. Louis cost $250,000.

The Missouri State Board of Education heard a report Tuesday about the shutdown of six schools run by Virginia-based Imagine Schools Inc. The schools had about 3,500 students when they were ordered to close at the end of the last schol year because of academic and fiscal management problems.

The state says the business community chipped in $100,000 to help with the transition, and the state paid nearly $150,000.

State officials said Imagine’s record-keeping delayed a transition team assembled to coordinate the closure and increased costs.

About 89 percent of the former Imagine students moved to St. Louis Public Schools. The district opened three schools specifically for the displaced students and hired many ex-Imagine teachers.