Arizona Charter Board votes to continue to close Primavera

PHOENIX — The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, for a third time, voted to continue the process to shut down online giant Primavera because of poor academics.

RELATED: State Schools Chief Tom Horne throws a lifeline to embattled Primavera Online charter school, which is in danger of being shut down for poor grades

The board made its decision following a one-hour private executive session during a special virtual meeting on Tuesday.

The school faces a shutdown following a 12News investigation from earlier this year. 

The I-Team found the school had abysmal academic results, yet owner Damian Creamer paid himself at least $24 million since the 2017 school year.

A few days after the I-Team investigation, the Charter Board in March voted to take steps to revoke Primavera’s charter or license to operate.

The board found Primavera failed to meet academic expectations. It took no action regarding how much Creamer paid himself.

Creamer has blamed administrative errors and said his students should have been measured under different standards as an alternative school.

Primavera appealed to the board in June, but the result was the same.

Primavera was scheduled to have a hearing before an administrative law judge last month.

That hearing, however, was cancelled.

Primavera then offered a settlement to the Charter Board.

Details of that plan were not disclosed on Tuesday, when the board voted 10-0 to reject it and continue with “the revocation process.”

Primavera now can appeal to a judge before the Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings. 

A judge will then issue findings and a recommendation to the board, which will make a final decision on whether Primavera should stay open.

Charter Board Executive Director Ashley Berg, in a statement, said: 

“The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools has rules in place to ensure Arizona public charter schools provide a quality education to students. The Board applies these rules, and the consequences for not following them, fairly and consistently to all Arizona public charter schools under its portfolio.” 

Efforts to reach Creamer and his attorney were unsuccessful.

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