01/25/2016
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released the following statement on the lawsuit filed against Hope Academy Charter School. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster filed the suit seeking $3.7 million from the now-defunct charter school on behalf of the state's department of education.
“Hope Academy was designed to give students a second chance at making a positive change in their lives, but the fraud and manipulation uncovered by my audit showed that students weren’t served, and taxpayers were deceived. My audit identified a series of fraudulent and manipulative practices, and today’s announcement is a positive step toward accountability and transparency. Taxpayers, parents, and above all, students deserve better. Public officials cannot evade review, and the audit process and subsequent lawsuit are necessary steps to ensure officials are held responsible.”
In an audit released in December 2015, Auditor Galloway identified fraudulent and manipulative practices by the Kansas City-based Hope Academy Charter School administration, including a pattern of over-reporting student attendance. These inflated attendance records were reported to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which led to millions of dollars in overpayments to the school over its last two years in operation.
The complete audit report on the Hope Academy Charter School is online here.
