The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board voted Monday to hold a public hearing on SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy, a Canton-based charter school. The hearing will assess whether to revoke the school’s charter, citing faulty financial reporting and poor fiscal management, according to a board statement.
The board’s executive director will appoint a hearing officer to schedule the public hearing. The process does not currently have a set timeline, but state law requires notifying relevant parties at least 30 days in advance. SR1 CPSA would be the first school in the state to reach this stage of revocation proceedings.
No representatives from SR1 CPSA attended the board meeting. The hearing will serve as a formal review process, allowing the school to respond and participate before any final decision is made, the board said.
The process to revoke SR1 CPSA’s charter began in December after the board flagged financial concerns. The school had only one day’s cash on hand and submitted a late financial audit, which does not meet the board’s standards. The board recommends schools maintain 30 to 60 days of cash reserves.
SR1 CPSA has struggled with enrollment, receiving less funding from the Mississippi Department of Education due to not meeting target headcounts. The school delayed its opening from 2022-23 to 2023-24 amid challenges in securing space and recruiting students.
The charter was approved in December 2020 after multiple failed application attempts by CEO Gregory Tamu Green. The school has faced ongoing questions about its financial stability, with concerns raised during recent meetings. Neither Green nor his wife, Dorlisa Hutton, the school’s COO, responded to requests for comment.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
