D.C. Superior Court Denies KIMA's Motion to Delay Charter Revocation
Contact: Audrey Williams 202-328-2748
[email protected]
[email protected]
Washington, D.C. — Last night, the D.C. Superior Court denied Kamit Institute for Magnificent Achievers Public Charter School’s (KIMA’s) motion to stay the D.C. Public Charter School Board’s (PCSB’s) revocation of its charter. After reviewing extensive briefing on the matter and conducting two hearings, D.C. Superior Court Senior Judge Mary Ellen Abrecht concluded that KIMA’s arguments on the merits of its appeal were very unlikely to succeed. Judge Abrecht concluded that the harms of granting a stay far outweigh the harms of denying it, determining that the harm to students, parents, teachers, and staff would be less if the school closes before its academic year is scheduled to commence on August 30, than if the school closes in the middle of the school year following the litigation.
As background, the PCSB voted unanimously on August 11, 2010 to revoke the charter of KIMA. The school then filed an appeal with the D.C. Superior Court, asking the court to overturn the PCSB’s revocation decision. KIMA also requested that the PCSB’s revocation decision be stayed pending the appeal. With the Court’s ruling yesterday, the PCSB’s revocation decision is effective immediately and KIMA’s charter is revoked. KIMA may still choose to proceed with its appeal of the PCSB’s decision to revoke its charter. A hearing is set for Friday, September 3 to establish a schedule for the appeals process.
PCSB staff has begun the process of working with KIMA to close the school and inform parents of the charter revocation. The PCSB will assist KIMA with enrolling students in other schools as quickly as possible. KIMA was chartered in 2000 by the D.C. Board of Education and served nearly 200 students in grades 6-12.
The D.C. Public Charter School Board currently oversees 52 public charter schools on 96 campuses, serving approximately 28,000 students living in every ward of the city. Public charter schools now serve 38% of all public school students in Washington, DC.
The D.C. Public Charter School Board currently oversees 52 public charter schools on 96 campuses, serving approximately 28,000 students living in every ward of the city. Public charter schools now serve 38% of all public school students in Washington, DC.