Eagle Academy Public Charter School is closing its doors

WASHINGTON — Eagle Academy Public Charter School will not reopen its doors this fall semester. 

The Eagle Board sent a letter to parents on Tuesday announcing the decision. In the letter, the board was completely transparent, admitting that the closure is being blamed on financial issues allegedly caused by previous leadership. 

In the letter, the board says the mishandling of funds created such an unmanageable financial situation for new leadership coming in that they struggled for months trying to bounce back. The school board and Public Charter School Board (PCSB) worked together to find ways to keep Eagle afloat and its doors from closing. 

The solution originally was a merger between Friendship Public Charter School and Eagle. The PCSB staff made the recommendation to approve the merger to its members. Unfortunately, during Monday night's board meeting, the PCSB members voted against the merger.

According to the letter, the vote was not unanimous. Several members wanted the merger to take place "because it centers the needs of the children," but others voted against the merger, citing citywide enrollment declines, the swift timeline of the merger, and a desire for PCSB to change their policy on asset acquisition.

Without the merger, Eagle Academy will not be able to stay open for the entire year. PCSB members toyed with the idea of closing the school in the middle of year but ultimately decided to remove Eagle's charter and close.