The board chair of an Ammon public charter school has resigned in the face of a state investigation into the school’s finances.
Ken Glodo on Saturday submitted his resignation as both board chair and a board member of Monticello Montessori Charter School’s governing board, effective immediately, according to an email obtained by Idaho EdNews through a public records request to the school.
Glodo gave no reason for the decision, which accompanies a months-long investigation into the school’s finances by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission. Glodo’s resignation also abruptly follows the Monticello board’s decision not to renew the contract of the school’s executive director, Erica Kemery — a decision Glodo solely opposed.
Since March, the commission has investigated a range of issues at the school, including over $11,500 in unexplained payments and purchases. Idaho law requires school districts and charter schools to post their monthly expense reports online, along with descriptions of purchases that aren’t “self-describing.” Most of Monticello’s 2020 expense reports either lack purchase descriptions or are missing from the school’s website, an EdNews inquiry found.
The commission has planned to visit the school June 21-22 in order to gain “full and complete access to financial records and reports,” commission director Jenn Thompson told the school in a letter dated May 25.
Neither Kemery nor Glodo have answered questions from EdNews about the investigation — or a range of unexplained credit card purchases. They haven’t responded to EdNews’ questions about credit card purchases, including $1,564.45 for a one-night Airbnb stay in November 2019.
Monticello is located in Ammon, serves some 200 students and employs 11 certified staffers.