Update: WALA likely to close in June

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Worthington Area Language Academy

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WORTHINGTON — The Worthington Area Language Academy is fighting its sponsor’s decision to discontinue support for the school.

Volunteers of America of Minnesota, which sponsors the K-8 dual immersion charter school, sent a letter last Wednesday to inform WALA administration it would not renew its contract with the school — a decision that would effectively close the academy at the end of this academic year.

Reasons cited by the organization included: student performance in the bottom 5 percent of Minnesota Schools; deficiencies in the quality and quantity of dual immersion (Spanish-English) teaching materials; lack of financial expertise among school board members; high turnover rates and poor attendance by school board members; and safety and sanitary concerns in the facility, including not having background checks on file for a number of staff members and lack of heat in the building for several days in early winter.

“It wasn’t really any one thing, it was just a bunch of little stuff,” explained Lucas Garcia Silva, chairman of the WALA school board. “They were really on the fence about not wanting to renew us. They were encouraged that we have shown improvement; we’re doing much better in terms of test scores than we have before.”

Justin Testerman, director of education programs for VOA of Minnesota, confirmed student performance had improved on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments given each spring, just not enough. WALA was one of eight districts in southwest Minnesota that failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress last year under the state’s No Child Left Behind requirements.

“Hispanic students in Worthington school district have performed better than Hispanic students at WALA, so that took away the main reason for the school,” Testerman explained.

Under state statute, the school may request an informal public hearing to discuss VOA’s decision, which WALA has done. That meeting will likely occur in the next two weeks and will allow some time for public comment.

“We feel like we have substantial and weighty reasons for not renewing their contract,” Testerman said. “This is not something that we take lightly. … We recognize that there’s a real need for this kind of school in Worthington; we’re really disappointed it did not turn out the way that we had all hoped.

“We understand the impact that this decision has on a number of people, but we have to do what’s in the best interest of the students.”

Area leaders, including Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, Mario Martinez, vice president of UFCW Union and Worthington City Councilman Ron Wood have rallied in support of the school.

“We need to make sure that we support all of our education institutions,” Wood said. “This is serving an educational niche here in the community.”

VOA will take final action before June 2.

In a summary of a November 2009 VOA site visit, Katie Piehl, director of the Charter School Authorizing Program for Volunteers of America-Minnesota, reviewed the school’s student learning program, financial health and organizational structure.

“It was evident from our discussions with staff that significant program improvements have been made since the previous academic year and that staff are working hard to adjust to the new facility, increased enrollment and scheduling changes,” wrote Piehl, adding that new practices “show that school leadership is working to build a high quality teaching staff.”

Finances were described as stable.

VOA’s major concern at that time was high turnover rates and poor attendance by school board members, and Piehl wrote the school board’s failure to develop a plan for improvement in that area “would be cause for serious concern” in VOA’s contract renewal decision.

According to the Minnesota Department of Education’s website, there are currently 152 charter schools in operation statewide; WALA is the only one in southwest Minnesota.

Charter schools are free public schools that are required to employ licensed teachers, require students to take state and national tests to assure academic accountability and require sponsors or authorizers to ensure the school’s success.

VOA of Minnesota, part of the nonprofit organization that administers human services programs nationwide, authorizes 14 schools in the state, including WALA, which opened in Bigelow in 2005 and was relocated to Worthington in 2009.

If the school closes, the facility will revert back to property owner Mark Ossenfort.

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