Epic Charter Schools Avoids Contract Termination After Approval On Settlement Proposal

Epic Charter Schools is no longer at risk for contract termination after the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board gave the final approval on a settlement proposal.

The chairman of the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board is calling this a step forward and a sign for all other virtual public charter schools for the future.

The biggest changes under the new settlement will make Epic's finances and operations more transparent, after an audit last year led to accusations of mismanagement of state funding.

The agreement includes making spending information from the Epic Learning Fund more visible to the public starting July 1.

Changes are also planned for Epic Youth Services, the private company previously in charge of operations.

Now, all personnel will report to the superintendent and board and Epic Youth Services will no longer be financially managing the school.

A compliance auditor will report back monthly to the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board on Epic's board meetings and financial document reviews.

“We’re a stronger organization than we were seven months ago,” said Shelly Hickman, assistant superintendent at Epic Charter Schools. “We’ve made lots of systemic improvements to strengthen our organization and we really look forward to the future.”

Epic's new contract with the state runs through June 2024.