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Monday, October 9, 2017

OFF A CLIFF: Sharp Enrollment Drop At Grand Traverse Academy Belies Superintendent's Rosy Projection

“There’s been a lot of confusion about whether we’re going to be opened or closed next year,” Dameron said. “We’re open and ready to go. We’re rockin’ and rollin’. … We’re feeling so good about our financial picture right now and the direction that we’re headed in.”

Unless that direction was down—which it is.

Although Grand Traverse Academy superintendent Susan Dameron told the Record-Eagle in late August that she expected up to 1,200 students at the Traverse City charter school this fall, preliminary count numbers reveal that number was wildly overpromised.

It's 1,104 students, a drop of 6.2 percent from the Michigan Department of Education's Spring 2017 audited figure of 1,177.

And you don't have to be a genius to notice the school's enrollment peaked at 1,231 in Spring 2014, just prior to Steven Ingersoll's April 9, 2014 criminal tax fraud indictment.

A coincidence?

Who knows.

But here's one thing I do know: a 6.2 percent drop in student population means nearly $600,000 in lost state aid revenue, as reflected in the board's September 22 General Appropriations resolution, revised downward from an earlier budget approved on July 13.

11 comments:

  1. I would never trust a word that comes out of Dameron's mouth. She is the one that let the money be laundered in the first place, pretending like she didn't see what Ingersoll and Noss were doing. All you would need to do is look at her assets. Support your public schools get your kids back into a school that has transparency and isn't a personal business, stop the charter cheaters business.

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    1. I'm not a Dameron fan, but I'm wondering how long Dameron has been with the GTA. Kay Mentley surely shares guilt of not giving the whole truth and then of course there's the GTA board of Ingersoll's and Noss's cronies who did not do their fiduciary duty (or at least most of them didn't). And who knows - maybe Dameron is already looking for another job?

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    2. Dameron joined the GTA in August 2014. Yes,Kaye Mentley did her share of lying and covering up, but Dameron's no slouch in the prevarication department either.

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  2. Rockin Rollin? I would that she has a medical card for weed cuz she has to be on something using that old school saying Rockin Rollin? I am a blues Man Soul Motown all the way!!
    So rock and roll your ass down the road

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  3. Why isn't the Record Eagle giving us this information? Don't they have a duty to their town to inform their community of the facts. Come on Record Eagle start investigating the truth not some concocted slanted bull...

    Thank Anita for giving us the real facts!

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  4. In order to work there, Mentley, Dameron, the handpicked board members had to sell their souls to the devil supporting the charter movement that was just a money laundering scheme. Educationally, the teachers go in with their dreams and constant energy but even they too have to understand what is really going on, what a terrible place for children!

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  5. I am thoroughly disgusted with the mishandling of this school. I wonder what else Dameron is lying about. I bet there is a lot more.

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  6. Wish you would look into Holly Academy. All 3 administration cussed at kids last March, wondering what their current count day looks like. They took to bullying the students and many parents found out and pulled their kids.

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    1. Three Administrators cussed at kids! Administrators not disciplining the kids, but rather bullying some students. Glad the parents found out and pulled their kids. If this was in the newspapers and on TV, I missed seeing it. And who knows, maybe it wasn't even in the media.

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    2. If you're interested in bringing a situation at the Holly Academy to light, I would suggest you start your own blog and launch an investigation.

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  7. No kidding Record Eagle!! Thank you Anita for taking the time to provide the public with the facts! Unfortunately, GTA is being led by greedy leaders who lack integrity, honesty and compassion. It’s incredulous to me- if we look at just the three charter schools Ingersoll & Noss financially crippled & destroyed, now let’s total the lives of students this impacted- this number is over 2000 lives that comprise of students and teachers. How disgusting and disappointing! When will these children’s academic lives matter?!? What in the world does it take? Thanks to Anita, all of the investigating has been done, the dirty work has been exposed, and the public is becoming aware (at least my circle of family and friends)- when will the department of education take action and what is stopping them from taking action?

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