Charter school at focus of state audit

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The state auditor is opening an investigation into a northeast Albuquerque charter school over hundreds of thousands of dollars of questionable transactions. “We are on high alert when we have education entities and corresponding foundations, and when those education entities use the foundation to avoid oversight or transparency, that in itself is a red flag,” says state auditor, Brian Colon.

Colon is concerned about payments from the Great Academy Charter School to the Great Academy Foundation. The Public Education Commission alerted the auditor’s office regarding potential financial mismanagement. There are employees of the school that are also on the board of the foundation.

Great Academy is licensed through the state and gets about $2 million a year in public money. Some of the accusations concern travel expenses. “There are other red flags – exorbitant travel. In a three-year period of time, you have 10 employees or contractors with the Great Academy or foundation that expended over $100,000 in tax payer money,” says Colon. “That is a lot of travel.”

The state actually pulled the Great Academy’s charter after this school year. The school is fighting that decision in the district court. The Great Academy released a statement saying they will cooperate with the audit and expects to be exonerated of these accusations and the state will find no wrongdoing.