Moscow closes charter school for violations

MOSCOW, Idaho — The Moscow School District is closing the Renaissance Charter School for noncompliance with regulations in several areas.

The school board voted 3-2 to close the school, saying it had financial problems, failed to develop learning plans and couldn’t stop curbing enrollment — cut in half to just 52 students this year.

Moscow Superintendent Candis Donicht said supporters of the Renaissance school could still apply to the charter school commission created by the Legislature to try and keep the school open.

In February, the Moscow board found that the charter school was out of compliance in financial management, didn’t have a full-time director in charge, failed to develop learning plans for students and didn’t fulfill its primary mission of providing an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound curriculum.

That curriculum encompasses classroom lessons with hands-on experimental programs.

Board members Tim Kinkeade and Dawn Fazio voted to allow the charter school to continue operating. Kinkeade said the Moscow board should give the charter school until July to make full compliance before closing it down.