Akili Academy’s larger-than-expected enrollment helped bring in an additional $300,000 in per-pupil funds to Crescent City Schools coffers this fall. Harriet Tubman Charter School also helped draw in unexpected money, bringing in a federal School Improvement Grant $500,000 larger than what was budgeted.
Overall, treasurer Doug Harrell told the CCS board at a meeting Wednesday night, the extra funds helped bring the central office’s net operating income “closer to a break-even point,” at $3,427.*
Crescent City’s CEO Kate Mehok reported that the school still faces facility issues, especially at Akili Academy. The lights in the kindergarten rooms do not work at all, and lighting throughout the school is faulty. Mehok said the school’s administration is in constant contact with the Recovery School District, which owns the building, the project coordinator and the general contractor who are all aware of the problems.
“Nobody else seems to think this is an emergency and here we are at week eight, nine? But because we’re not paying utilities we don’t have the leverage,” Mehok said.
Christopher Hines, the organization’s chief operations officer, said Harriet Tubman students will move to the old O. Perry Walker building over Christmas break while the current Tubman building undergoes renovations. Walker has merged with L.B. Landry and is using Landry’s campus now.
The board also accepted the resignation of member Coleman Ridley, whose new job presented a conflict in accordance to the board’s policies. The governance committee announced that it will seek a replacement for Ridley and wil search for at least two additional board members to grow the talent on the board.
Board members Anna Burrell, Carolyn Chandler and Agnieska McPeak did not attend the meeting.
*An earlier version of this story reported incorrectly that the entire organization — not just the central office — had a surplus.