Imagine Schools on Broadway plans to appeal charter revocation

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Days after learning their charter would be revoked, Imagine Schools' Board decided unanimously to appeal the decision made by Ball State. Leading Imagine on Broadway to hold a parent rally to inform parents and students of the actions they are taking.

Ball State said it wouldn't renew the charters of Imagine Schools on Broadway, Imagine MASTER Academy and Timothy L. Johnson of Fort Wayne. The decision comes after low grades on the iSTEP exam.

"If you just look at the numbers of our academic performance, they're not impressive, and that's something we've been very transparent about, but over the years we've turned that around," said Rachelle Spearman, the principal at Imagine on Broadway.

This is the fifth year in Imagine on Broadway's five year charter with Ball State. Spearman said they've seen substantial growth in just the past year alone and that the decision came as a shock because they were led to believe this year's numbers would be considered.  The basis of their appeal will be to have their fifth year data looked at more deeply, data that has seen improvement of nearly 10 percentage points in scores.

At the rally Monday night, parents' emotions were running high. There were tears throughout the room with parents worrying about the future of their children, and many parents said they have already written letters to Ball State.

"I was absolutely livid and disappointed that these kids are going to fall through cracks and end up back in public schools that are already overworked and understaffed," said Brandy Rosenquist, a parent at Imagine on Broadway.

Leaders at Imagine on Broadway say they are also looking for other potential authorizers to support their charter.