MISSOURI – The Missouri state auditor has rejected a request to investigate the state of charter schools.

Earlier this month, FOX 2 reported that the local teachers union requested an audit.

“Over 50 percent of the charter schools that have opened in the St. Louis area have closed within 10 years. So there’s some money that’s flowing through that, and maybe it was all done legally. We hope it was,” Local 420 teachers union spokesman Byron Clemens said.

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick denied the initial request, responding:

“While we would like to thoroughly review the performance of every school in the state, we prioritize audits where concerns have been identified and brought to our attention or where there is another compelling audit interest. During my time as state auditor, we have received only one complaint involving a charter school. After a thorough investigation of that complaint, it was determined that the concerns had already been resolved and that expending our limited resources to audit that particular school would not be the best use of our time for taxpayers. I encourage anyone with specific concerns about improper activity at any charter school to contact our whistleblower hotline. We will investigate all reports we receive and if we find that the claims are credible and an audit would be beneficial to taxpayers, we will take action as quickly as possible.”

“He’s supposed to do an audit. He’s not looking for irregularities. He’s supposed to look at the numbers, and there’s a public interest in that. We really want to know what happened to the money,” Clemens said.

The teachers union does not allege any wrongdoing, but it points to two charter schools that recently closed: La Salle Charter School and Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls. By law, charter schools have 12 months to pay off all financial obligations and then return the remaining state and federal funds.

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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says La Salle returned $450,000 to the state in May. About $271,000 of that amount went to Saint Louis Public Schools, with the rest split among 14 other charter schools.

Hawthorn brought in nearly $3.3 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, according to a 2023 audit, including $1.2 million in state revenue. Hawthorn has not returned any funds, but that is not necessarily a sign of any wrongdoing.

Missouri Charter Public Schools Association Executive Director Noah Devine sent FOX 2 the following statement, which includes:

“With respect to Hawthorne Leadership School for Girls and La Salle Charter School, it is our understanding that both schools are still in the process of complying with their closure obligations under state law.

“We have made it clear that we (charter schools) welcome transparency and accountability, and as holders of public money and leaders in public (charter) education, we cannot emphasize that enough. We would like to note that this letter was not properly addressed to the state auditor, and no credible allegations or legitimate questions were raised. If it were, we know that the state would hold us accountable and we would be under the same level of scrutiny as SLPS.

“We remain steadfast and focused on our mission: educating and supporting all children. We ask that all community stakeholders and leaders agree to do the same. We are disappointed that few adults in St. Louis seem engaged in an us-versus-them discourse, rather than focusing efforts on spending every dollar wisely to best meet the needs of students and families.”

FOX 2 reached out to Washington University, Hawthorn’s sponsor, but has not received a response.

There are also regulations that detail how closing schools deal with materials and other assets. DESE says, “A draw for materials, supplies, etc. is made. DESE has no part in this process. The sponsor of the statute is tasked with monitoring this process and the school’s policy regarding distribution.”

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