Struggling School on Verge of Closing: Dakota Academy Has Lost Its Sponsor, Faces Management Problems and Money Woes

By Bao Ong, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Jun. 3–BURNSVILLE — Parents are trying to keep open a first-year Burnsville charter school founded by a Hennepin County district judge and his wife that’s on the verge of shutting down.

It may be too late as the problems at Dakota Academy Charter School continue to mount:

Its sponsor, Crossroads College, a private Christian school based in Rochester, Minn., put the charter on probation before it even opened and now plans to dissolve their relationship June 30.

Five academic directors left or were fired this year.

Enrollment has decreased.

Parents and staff raised concerns about a former director carrying a gun to school.

Employees were not paid on time, and at least one teacher feels she was unjustly fired.

The school’s financial health remains unclear.

Dakota Academy will close after June 30 if no new sponsor steps up. State law dictates that charter schools — which are independently governed public schools — must have sponsorship to operate. The school board sought sponsorship from the Audubon Center of the North Woods but was denied.

Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump and his wife, Faith Crump, started the sixth-through-12th-grade school, which focuses on individualized learning in small classroom settings. For parents, the small charter school provides a personal setting more difficult to find in traditional public schools, many said.

Until recently, Harry Crump was the chairman of the school board. Faith Crump served as executive director until stepping down last month.

The Crumps and new director Alice Woog could not be reached for comment.

While Crossroads College representatives and parents believe the school is a good fit for children, they also say the school failed to communicate about its operation and financial status as complaints from parents increased.

The sponsors said they would continue their partnership only if the Crumps and the entire school board resigned. Parents say their only hope to keep the school open is to find new leaders for the school by June 30.

‘Kids Are The Losers’ / Parent Dara Donelson sends her 12- and 15-year-old sons to Dakota Academy because of its small size and individualized curriculum. The school has about 90 students.

She said her ninth-grader, Jacob Ethington, is thriving with the project-based learning method because it allows him to learn at his own pace about subjects that interest him.

Donelson, a former administrative assistant at Dakota Academy, is worried about which schools to send her sons to in the fall.

“We’re heart-broken,” Donelson said. “The bottom line is our kids are the losers here.”

Wendy Homa, another parent, said she tries to remain optimistic the current leadership will step down and the school can stay open.

But Homa also said, “I don’t see where we’re going, except down.”

The Minnesota Department of Education got involved when parents expressed their concerns but have been told there is not much the department can do.

“Our number one concern regarding Dakota Academy is the well-being of the students,” state Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said in a statement. “With that in mind, we encourage the school’s sponsor and board to work together to come up with a resolution to the current situation, which best serves students.”

Leadership struggles in the early years of charter schools are not uncommon.

Laura Porter-Jones stepped down as director of Paideia Academy in Apple Valley earlier this school year. She took a leave of absence and never returned.

The school board and Porter-Jones did not comment about the resignation, but evaluations of the director showed a disagreement about her performance. A new director was hired about four months later.

Eugene Piccolo, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools, said 14 charter schools opened in Minnesota this school year and 16 more will join the growing lists of charter schools in the fall.

Dakota Academy leaders have said Crossroads College failed to provide support for the school. State laws regarding sponsorships is not always clear, but charter schools are ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operations, Piccolo said.

Management Problems / Kathe Nicolet, the fifth and most recent academic director at Dakota Academy, said the school’s mismanagement likely contributed to her being laid off.

Faith Crump hired Nicolet in January at $2,500 a month with no initial job description, Nicolet said. In addition to her role as academic director, Nicolet said, she filled in for sick teachers, ran the free and reduced-price lunch program and handled student discipline.

Two months later, Nicolet said, Faith Crump told her she had to be let go because the school was $70,000 in debt.

The previous academic director, Carm Tenhoff, sued the school for $2,840.77 in wages not paid, according to court documents.

“I think it’s a crime that those people are in any way connected with the school,” Nicolet said.

Parents and staff also complained about Faith Crump and the school board’s failure to properly manage the school.

Police officers were used as intimidation and would escort from the campus employees who were let go or fired, parents said. A police officer attended at least one school board meeting, parents said.

Since August 2006, the Burnsville Police Department has responded to at least 15 calls at Dakota Academy for issues ranging from disorderly conduct to terroristic threats.

Parents and staff members said Faith Crump brought a gun into the school one day, apparently accidentally. At a May board meeting, Crump said she had the proper permits and keeps the gun locked up and that shooting was her hobby.

Crossroads College knew about some of the complaints before it notified the school in December 2006 of its intent to terminate sponsorship, Crossroads officials said.

Last week, students gathered to take an end-of-the-year group photo.

The students were told to smile for a picture to commemorate the inaugural year, said Homa, the parent of two students at Dakota Academy.

But Homa said she wondered, “Will there even be a next year?”

Bao Ong can be reached at bong@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5435.

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