TRAFFIC

Hidden Springs Charter School is $180,000 short to pay teachers their last paychecks

The board at Hidden Springs had counted on winning a lawsuit to make payroll - but that didn't happen.

BY BETHANN STEWART - bstewart@idahostatesman.com

Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman

Published: 07/10/09

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ADDITIONAL DETAILS

ELSEWHERE

Hidden Spring Charter School's Web site

Financially troubled Hidden Springs Charter School is about $180,000 short of being able to pay about 20 teachers their last paychecks at the end of July.

"We're working on it," School Board President Joe Saucerman said Thursday.

This is the latest issue for the charter school that asked in January for the Boise School District to take it over when it couldn't pay its bills.

The district will assume ownership starting this fall.

School officials are talking to Bank of America, which holds the loan on the school building, to try to come up with the payroll money, Saucerman said.

The State Department of Education worked with the school to explore any state or federal funding that might be available but didn't find any, according to spokeswoman Melissa McGrath.

"We are continuing to work with school officials as they explore other sources of revenue," she said.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Among its financial problems, Hidden Springs had a 7 percent drop in enrollment for the 2007-08 school year, so its state funding was reduced by a corresponding 7 percent, or $250,000.

A state law allows public schools to use a previous year's attendance figures to offset declines in enrollment. In its lawsuit, Hidden Springs said the law also applies to charter schools. State schools chief Tom Luna disagreed.

In June, a judge agreed with Luna, and the school got nothing.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TEACHERS?

The teachers lost their jobs and had to apply to the Boise School District. No one at the district was available Thursday to say how many teachers had been hired.

Bethann Stewart: 377-6393

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