Charter school fires McPhail; Conservator named to bring school into legal
compliance
The Detroit News (Michigan)
October 9, 2018 Tuesday, 1 Edition
Copyright 2018 The Detroit News All Rights Reserved

Section: BUSINESS; Pg. B2
Length: 439 words
Byline: By, Jennifer Chambers, The Detroit News

Body
Sharon McPhail was terminated from a Detroit charter school on Monday, the same day the school's authorizer
appointed a conservator to bring the school into compliance with state law.
The Bay Mills Community College Charter School Office announced it appointed Nancy Berkompas as
conservator for the Detroit Community Schools.
McPhail, an attorney and former general counsel for the city of Detroit, is the former superintendent of the charter
school. A spokesman said McPhail was terminated Monday. McPhail was still listed as the school's chief
administrative officer on its website Monday.
She was not immediately available for comment.
"Sharon McPhail's employment with DCS was terminated as of today. Her employment did not meet accreditation
for superintendent. The school has not been able to secure financing. It was putting operations of the school into
jeopardy," said Tom Shields, a spokesman for the Bay Mills Community College Charter School Office.
In 2016, the Michigan Department of Education ruled the charter school was employing a chief administrative
officer who was not properly certified. MDE fined the school and ordered it to comply with state law, according to
Shields.
The fines reached more than $200,000 as the school appealed the ruling. The school's appeals have now been
exhausted, according to Mickey Parish, president of Bay Mills Community College.
Last month, Bay Mills suspended the school's board. It will remain suspended until the conservator's work has
been concluded, officials said.
"As a charter school authorizer, it is our responsibility to make sure our schools are operating in accordance with
state laws," Parish said."The school's refusal to bring its operation in compliance has now put the school in
financial jeopardy. Our action today protects the students, their families and teachers and allows the school to
continue operating without disruption."
Berkompas, a former teacher and school superintendent, is a governance specialist for the Bay Mills charter
school office.
Officials said Berkompas' work will focus on bringing the school into compliance with state law by retaining a chief
administrator with proper state certification, obtaining the proper financing that will allow the school to continuePage 2 of 2
Charter school fires McPhail; Conservator named to bring school into legal compliance
operations and addressing the penalties assessed by the state. The board will be reinstated once these issues
have been fully addressed, Parish said.
The charter school, founded in 1997, serves more than 650 students in grades K-12 and is in the Brightmoor
neighborhood. Bay Mills Community College oversees 46 charter schools serving more than 22,000 students.
jchambers@detroitnews.com

Graphic

McPhail

Classification
Language: ENGLISH

Publication-Type: Newspaper

Journal Code: det

Subject: CHARTER SCHOOLS (93%); APPOINTMENTS (90%); PUBLIC SCHOOLS (90%); COMMUNITY
COLLEGES (90%); SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS (90%); EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION EMPLOYEES (89%);
EXECUTIVES (89%); EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION (89%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (78%);
TEACHING & TEACHERS (78%); ACCREDITATION (78%); EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS (78%); PRIMARY &
SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (78%); FINES & PENALTIES (77%); UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION
(77%); LAWYERS (74%); SCHOOL INSPECTIONS & ACCREDITATION (73%); SCHOOL BOARDS (72%);
CORPORATE COUNSEL (72%); APPEALS (67%)

Industry: CHARTER SCHOOLS (93%); PUBLIC SCHOOLS (90%); COMMUNITY COLLEGES (90%);
EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (78%); LAWYERS (74%); CORPORATE COUNSEL (72%)

Geographic: DETROIT, MI, USA (93%); MICHIGAN, USA (79%)

Load-Date: October 9, 2018

End of Document

Erin Einhorn