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The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is reconstituting the governing board of Education Explosion Inc. following an audit that accused the charter school’s CEO of misusing more than $2 million in public funds for personal expenses, The Center Square reports.
BESE, which oversees Type 2 public charter schools, states that it has a responsibility to ensure compliance with charter contracts, state laws and sound fiscal management practices.
The decision comes on the heels of a Louisiana Legislative Auditor investigation accusing Education Explosion CEO Chakesha Scott of financial misconduct.
The audit shows Scott allegedly diverted more than $1.5 million in charter school funds to an account she controlled under the name Friends of Impact Charter School. An additional $171,659 was funneled to a third party through FICS, while more than $221,000 in payments from students and parents were also redirected to unauthorized accounts.
Auditors found that at least $130,494 was spent on luxury family trips to destinations including Egypt and Disneyland Paris, and more than $166,000 in school funds were used to lease or purchase a 2017 Acura MDX and a 2021 Land Rover Velar.
“Our review confirmed numerous violations of Louisiana charter law, BESE policy, open meeting laws, and general accounting practices,” state officials said in a statement, adding that reconstituting the board was done in lieu of revoking its charter and the agency will “closely monitor” the operations of the school to ensure compliance with state law.
