Community Corner

Cotati-Rohnert Park District Considering Closing Credo High

Says Waldorf-inspired school has taken out high-interest loans without permission and not paid teachers

The Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District is considering issuing a notice of violation to Credo High for failure to pay wages and benefits, not having a legitimate budget and failing to meet contractual obligations.

The district will hold a special meeting Monday, June 24 to discuss the fate of the Waldorf-inspired school that opened in 2011 and boasts a strong liberal arts curriculum where all students study language, music and art.

The charter school currently has a debt of $274,000, in part because it has struggled with enrollment, according to a letter Superintendent Robert Haley sent Credo on Friday.

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In May, Credo had 80 students and 130 enrolled for the fall, according to Principal Chip Romer. The district says the number is actually closer to 110.

Reached Friday afternoon, Romer declined to comment on the impending meeting, but has previously acknowledged that enrollment has been a challenge for the school. In a May interview, Romer told Patch that Credo has put significant resources in student recruitment through open houses and concerts aimed at raising the profile of the school. 

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Regardless of the increase in students, the district says the charter school’s financial situation is dire, with an ending fund of less than $12,000. Although at the moment, the recommendation is to issue a notice of violation of the school charter, it's the first step toward having the school shuttered.

The district is also upset that Credo applied for a high-interest loan without prior authorization. The loan was for $250,000 and came from the California Department of Education.

The school borrowed another $115,000 from a company called Charter School Capital and $50,000 from a parent of a child at the school. These loans, too, were made without prior approval of the district, a violation of the memorandum of understanding between the two parties, according to Haley.

If the school is indeed shuttered, it will be Credo High and not the district that will be held liable for the borrowed funds. But if there is no school to speak off, it will be California taxpayers who subsidize at least one of the defaulted loans.

The school has also not been able to present an adopted 2013-14 budget, although it did show a recovery plan to the district. But Haley described the plan as being based on “many ambitious and unfounded assumptions,” and unidentified conditional sources of funding such as donations and grants. 

He concluded that the low student enrollment, combined with a high debt load, do not support a viable operational high school. Meanwhile, some parents have complained to the district that the school still does not have proper accreditation and as a result hinders students' ability to obtain college credit.

Monday's special meeting will be held at 4:30pm at the school district office at 7165 Burton Avenue.

Should Credo High be closed? Share your views in the comments below.


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