A D-49 school’s ‘dysfunction’ threatens its charter renewal application

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. (KRDO) -- District 49’s school board is considering ending a local school’s charter accreditation, leaving it and its students in limbo.

Liberty Tree Academy went through upheaval in the Fall when the Colorado Department of Education issued a notice of concern for nepotism and favoritism between the school’s board and its administrators. This was followed by an internal investigation and the ousting of the former principal and other staff members.

“There have been issues in the school for a long time pertaining to nepotism and favoritism,” said Chris Rodarte, a former staff member at Liberty Tree Academy. “A lot of body shaming and just deep concerns involving a hostile work environment.”

Some Liberty Tree Academy parents pointed to the self-perpetuating board as the problem, asking for an elected board instead. But another group of parents wanted to keep the self-perpetuating board, as that was the model the school’s founders picked when it opened five years ago.

“A lot of parents are wanting the current board to go, wanting to set up their own model of a parent-elected board,” Rodarte said. “There's another group of parents who would like things to remain the same. They would like the self-perpetuating board to remain intact because it provides cohesion.”

This disorder comes at a time when Liberty Tree Academy needs its charter accreditation renewed by the District 49 school board.

In the district administration’s charter renewal recommendation, it said the school is in good standing both academically and financially. However, it recommends the district’s board of education deny the school’s charter renewal because of the “significant distress that has spiraled downward into dysfunction.”

The district has received requests to “reconstitute the LTA Board, impose decisions over personnel matters, reconfigure the board structure and organizational bylaws, and litigate defamation claims,” according to the administration's recommendation draft.

However, the D49 administration also recommended the board approve the charter if Liberty Tree Academy’s renewal application includes specific criteria, including a proposed governance board model that has the support of at least 51% of the school’s families.

“We have to work together,” said Ivy Liu, a District 49 board member during a meeting Thursday. “You all love your kids. You all love your school on both sides. Work it out. Put your egos aside, because otherwise, the kids lose.”

One Liberty Tree Academy parent told 13 Investigates that the two groups are so far apart that an agreement on a board model is unlikely.

“You guys are adults, act like adults,” said District 49 Board President John Graham during Thursday’s meeting. “You have a wonderful school. You have wonderful teachers and your kids love those teachers and they love the school. Don’t put your kids in the middle of adult arguments.”

The board will vote on Liberty Tree Academy’s charter renewal at its next meeting on January 25. If the board denies the charter renewal, the school can submit a “request to reconsider.” If that fails, it could also receive its charter accreditation through the state-wide Charter School Institute.

“The issues that the board needs to work on are being worked on,” said Linda Stahnke, the interim president at Liberty Tree Academy. “I think we'll come to some terms with the district and hopefully be able to stay authorized through the district.”