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Schools

Greek charter school given 1-year renewal

The School Board okays the provisional charter for Athenian Academy, which has struggled in the past.

By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published July 13, 2005

The Pinellas School Board on Tuesday approved a one-year provisional charter renewal for Athenian Academy.

The decision came after a 7-0 board vote in March to end sponsorship of the Dunedin school, which has struggled with finances and staff member turnover since it was created five years ago.

One of five charter schools in the county, Athenian Academy offers a curriculum under which some subjects are taught in Greek. Like other charters, it operates primarily on public money but is governed by a private board.

Academy principal Lemonia Poumakis learned of the board's decision around 2:30 p.m. She was at the school, where she has been every day since May, getting things ready for the academic year that begins Aug. 3.

"I hope it's a very happy and a very good year," Poumakis said. "I'm planning on it."

In February, when Athenian Academy asked the School Board for a 15-year extension of its charter, school district officials cited problems that included a failure to submit an audit for the 2003-04 fiscal year and the submission of inadequate accounting records.

Those reports showed the school was operating with less than $400 in the bank, while its financial obligations totaled more than $17,000.

The board's vote to end its sponsorship also stemmed from reports from parents and staff members of confrontations with the principal and her husband, George Poumakis.

The board had originally approved a five-year contract for the school beginning with the 2000-01 school year. The school has had five directors since then, but has nevertheless attracted supporters. Many of them turned out at the March board meeting to speak in favor of the school and its staff members.

In April, Pinellas school superintendent Clayton Wilcox asked the board to reconsider its previous decision and allow him to negotiate a charter renewal after academy personnel provided financial records the district had requested. The board approved the recommendation 6-1.

Tuesday's vote approved Wilcox' recommendation for a one-year provisional contract for the school. It also was 6-1, with School Board member Mary Russell voting no. She did not speak regarding the motion.

"We hope the unique curriculum at the school can continue to be a viable option for parents, but the future of the school is in the hands of the reconstituted board of directors and the staff of the school," Wilcox wrote in his recommendation for the renewal."... We intend to monitor the school and provide updates to you as necessary on the progress of the school under the guidelines of the new charter."

Wilcox recommended a one-year charter to "ensure rapid compliance and to allow the school to prove that it can efficiently implement the operational changes that have been agreed upon."

The provisional charter can be renewed in March 2006 for up to five years if the academy "is operated successfully according to law and the provision of the charter," according to Wilcox's recommendation.

Poumakis said she sees no reason to doubt the school will live up to its end of the bargain.

"I have no concerns," she said. "We have good and dedicated teachers who work very hard at what they do."

[Last modified July 13, 2005, 00:10:12]