Entrepreneur High faces final vote on revoking charter

A troubled Charlotte charter school faces a final vote Thursday on whether the school should be closed permanently.

The vote will likely revoke the charter of Entrepreneur High. A State Board of Education panel recommended Wednesday that the school be closed for good.

The school shut its doors in January as dwindling enrollment led to severe financial problems. Administrators told a state oversight panel that it had only $14 in the bank, and it was projected to finish the year with a deficit of more than $400,000.

Soon after, the State Board of Education voted to begin the process of revoking the school’s charter. But that gave Entrepreneur High the right to appeal, which it took advantage of.

Board Chairman Robert Hillman spent Tuesday afternoon in Raleigh trying to convince a Board of Education panel that the school had a sufficient plan in place to turn things around. Hillman said he had an agreement in place with management company Lighthouse Academies to run the school, provided the state went along with the plan and the school could raise $500,000.

The panel was not swayed. A memo sent to the full board said Entrepreneur High “failed to present any real plan of action” and “admitted to ongoing financial difficulties.”

Hillman, reached Wednesday, said he didn’t agree with the panel’s recommendation. He said the hearing was spent mostly on detailing the school’s past problems rather than discussing its plan going forward.

The final vote will be taken Thursday morning during the State Board of Education’s monthly meeting in Raleigh.

This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Entrepreneur High faces final vote on revoking charter."