Parents at Charlotte charter school frustrated with school board after director’s termination
CHARLOTTE,N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Dozens of frustrated parents attended a board meeting at Corvian Community School Tuesday to confront board members about the direction of the school.
It comes after former executive director Stacey Haskell was terminated after the board alleged that she “misused funds.”
Corvian’s termination letter for Haskell can be viewed here.
A CMPD incident report from Dec. 1 shows the school reported $50,000 of embezzled funds stemming from the unauthorized use of a school credit card for clothes, a helicopter ride and a hotel room.
“I just have no patience for people who take money at the expense of children,” said former Corvian parent Alyson Ford.
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Tuesday’s meeting included a series of public comments and a question-and-answer period, in which parents called for the resignation of certain board members, citing a lack of trust.
“For it to be going on for three years, when they complete audits, and the board has to approve budgets and how money is spent, why did it take three years to find it?” said Ford.
Board Chair Ed Franklin also presented a plan to audit the school’s finances and improve transparency between the board and parents.
Among those improvements included the hiring of new firms to handle forensic accounting, bookkeeping and payroll, and auditing.
Ford said she submitted an Open Records Request in August 2021, requesting the schools balance sheets, Paycheck Protection Program expenditures, grant applications, among other information. She said she received the budget and curriculum information she requested, but not the balance sheet or actuals.
“I will give credit where credit is due,” said Ford. “Stacey did a great job getting the funding initially and getting it up and running and getting it in brick and mortar. But they have a lot of things to correct and a long way to go.”
We reached out to Haskell’s attorney for comment and did not get a response.
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