'They were heartless' | Students search for new school, adults new jobs after Eagle Academy closes for good

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Just days before the start of school, hundreds of D.C. families are scrambling to find a new school for their children after their charter school closed its doors. The D.C. Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) said years of financial mismanagement and low enrollment at Eagle Academy forced them to make this decision.

The public charter school board requires schools to have at least 45 days of cash on hand to be viable, anything less than 30 days they say is a cause for concern. Still, the board failed to act when a January audit found Eagle Academy was operating with 23 days of cash on hand. By June, the school only had six days of cash on hand. By the time the public charter school board and Eagle Academy’s board tried to stop the bleeding - it was too late.

Parents and children have been left to find a new school, and school staff left to find new jobs. The sudden closure of Eagle Academy Public Charter School’s two D.C. campuses is devastating news just days before the new school year.

“When I say I’m pissed off, I am very pissed off,” said parent Tamia Smith, "I already got everything together I already went uniform shopping for Eagle Academy.”

“I’m overwhelmed,” added another mom Arja Birdsong. “They have taken no accountability. It’s always someone else’s fault. It’s the board’s fault, it was the past leadership’s fault, but we sat on the meetings twice and they assured us everything was going to go over without a hitch.”

“I’m angry and sad for my child,” said grandmother Littyce Boone. “The Councilmember of Ward 8 got arrested on Sunday and then on Monday you turn around and shut down a school in Ward 8 - with no representation?!”

Boone, who is a former District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) teacher and whose father is the namesake of Boone Elementary School on Minnesota Avenue, SE, brought her 5-year-old granddaughter to Eagle Wednesday.

“I’m sad because I want to see my friends,” said Shaunyce Boone-Ruffin.

By the time that DC PCSB cited Eagle Academy on for fiscal mismanagement and put them on a financial corrective plan in their July meeting, it was too late. The public charter school board, charged with providing oversight, failed to act at the first red flag in January. The Eagle Academy board failed to act when they discovered their now former CEO, Joe Michael Smith, was also serving as the school’s Chief Financial Officer. WUSA9 learned while the school was in the red, Smith was making a salary over $250,000.

Aaron Litney, the trustee chair for Eagle Academy’s board referenced that during the July DC PCSB hearing.

“Where the board failed and I failed was that was identified as something that needed to change and we pursued a transition plan for our former CEO, but we did not follow through on that.”

The Eagle board later replaced Smith with an interim CFO and named an interim CEO in June.

WUSA9 called Smith and left a message. He did not return our call. “It feels just like someone died like we’re at a funeral,” said Eagle’s Donnell Wainwright Dean of Student Culture and Climate. “We have until Friday to get our things and leave the building.”

“To see Ms. Pickney’s dream just die,” said school nurse Debbie Cozier, “she had a pool in there to make sure all African American children had an opportunity to learn how to swim. Now it’s nothing. We’re walking away with nothing."

Cozier said they did not receive severance packages.

Cassandra Pickney founded Eagle Academy 20 years ago. The school operates two campuses, one on Wheeler Road, SE in Congress Heights and the second on Half St, SW in Capitol Riverview. Both schools serve children in grades PK3-3. Pickney died in 2016 and her partner, Joe Smith, took over.

“It’s like Eagle is paying for Joe’s mistakes,” said Wainwright. “He was a dictator. He would come into my class and never speak. He had his favorites.”

“At first you could talk to Joe,” added Cozier who has been with Eagle for 19 years, “maybe that was because Ms. Pickney was a buffer but after she died things changed.”

Despite the financial troubles, teachers and students were told there was still hope. Friendship Public Charter School agreed to take over the failing school, but on Monday the Public Charter School Board denied their request — sealing Eagle’s fate just days before the school year.

“They were heartless, just heartless,” said Wainwright, who has been with the school for eight years. “[The DC PCSB] say it’s about the community, about the children. But it’s not. If that were so we would be open.”

Deputy Mayor of Education Paul Kihn said there will be school fairs at Eagle for the rest of the week, and parents are invited to attend and find a new school for their child. He said DCPS will seek to find an open seat for each Eagle student. In a written statement to WUSA9, DM Kihn goes on to say if a child shows up to his or her in-boundary public school Monday, they will have a seat.

The Congress Heights location on Wheeler Road, SE is a Department of General Services (DGS) property that was leased to Eagle. Now that the charter school is no longer active and has relinquished its charter, DGS will now determine what happens to the building next.

The Deputy Mayor’s entire statement:

Following Eagle Academy PCS's vote to relinquish its charter, our number one priority is to support families. The District is taking immediate action to identify open seats in our system and help affected families quickly find the school best suited to serve their children. Affected families are invited to enrollment fairs at both Eagle Academy locations through the end of the week, at which the District will work with them to ensure placements for their children, including at their by-right neighborhood school. If families show up to their by-right school on Monday morning, they will get a seat. Other schools with open seats will also be present at this week’s fairs.

Our dual-sector system strengthens what the District offers to families, but stability and reliability are critical. Going forward, the District is committed to working with the Public Charter School Board to ensure no family faces changes to their charter enrollment as they prepare to begin the new school year. Most importantly and immediately, we will work with partners across our education system to support the families of Eagle Academy PCS to transition schools and begin the 2024-2025 school year.