Charter's board ousts its founder

Vuong Thuy, the founding chief executive of an academically successful North Philadelphia charter school, was toppled by his handpicked board after a monthlong campaign by parents and staff.

The board of the Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School last week voted unanimously to remove Thuy from his leadership position after being besieged by complaints of a rodent infestation, unsanitary bathrooms, and a "toxic" climate in which staff, parents, and students were berated and demeaned.

Parents and staff also expressed concern that charter school money was being drained to represent Thuy in connection with a federal probe and a state ethics investigation.

Stephanie Johnson, who helped mobilize other parents, said she was even more shocked when the school produced a record indicating it had spent $222,000 in the last 12 months to represent Thuy in various investigations.

"This has nothing to do with the children," she said.

The investigations were spawned by a charter school report that the City Controller's Office released last spring. The controller questioned Thuy's ties to a related organization that owns Multi-Cultural's building.

The board placed Thuy on leave. When he returns, he will serve in the new post of director of strategic planning, where he will oversee fund-raising, planning, and grant-writing until his contract ends in June 2012.

James Higgins, who has been assistant CEO for four years and who has handled most day-to-day operations for the last two, was named acting headmaster.

Board president Tae-Ock Kauh outlined the changes in a letter to parents that also praised Thuy for his vision.

"It is a new day for Multi-Cultural Academy, and we can get to go back . . . to our passion, which is the education of our kids," Higgins said.

Thuy on Friday declined to comment on the upheaval at the school he founded in 1998.

Multi-Cultural is based at 3821 N. Broad St. in buildings that once belonged to the former St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Parish. The school has 202 students from ninth through 12th grades.

The charter has a strict behavior code, focuses on preparing students for college, and boasts a record of academic success. The school has exceeded state benchmarks for four consecutive years. In 2009-10, 77 percent of 11th graders scored at grade level or higher in math, and 61.5 percent in reading.

Also last year, Multi-Cultural was among six of 135 charters statewide that the Pennsylvania State Department of Education named "distinguished" for their consistent high scores on state tests.

But staff - including English teacher Seth Carter and programs coordinator Frank Mannino - said they had become increasingly disenchanted over what they described as Thuy's dictatorial leadership style, explosive temper, and demeaning behavior.

Last winter, Thuy stormed out of a meeting with parents who were concerned that a no-cellphone policy left their children unable to call for help after several students were jumped near the school.

Carter said Thuy "flipped out" and then walked out on a group of 30 people: "He never got past the first question."

At a separate schoolwide meeting, Thuy told the students, who are largely African American, that they were barred from bringing cellphones to school because they would use them to sell drugs, several staff members said.

The board changed the policy last month. Cellphones now must be stored in lockers during class.

According to the nonprofit school's most recent tax filing, Thuy was paid $206,342 by Multi-Cultural through June 2009 and an additional $69,550 for serving as executive director of the Indochinese-American Council. Thuy founded the council, which employs his wife and owns Multi-Cultural's building.

The school pays the council $43,000 monthly rent, or more than $500,000 per year.

One-third of the school's $1.5 million in revenue, which comes largely from the School District of Philadelphia, was spent on rent, the tax filing shows.

Multi-Cultural is one of 18 local charter schools being investigated by federal authorities, according to sources with knowledge of that probe.

As a charter school official, Thuy is covered by the state ethics law, which bars conflicts of interest. He is also being investigated by the state Ethics Commission, sources at the school said.

Robin M. Hittie, chief counsel of the commission, said she could not confirm or deny "any alleged investigations."

Teachers, who said they feared losing their jobs if they spoke up or asked questions about Thuy, have signed cards indicating their interest in being represented by a union. An election is scheduled for this month.

The city Health Department responded to complaints of rodents that left feces throughout the building. Staff sources said they had grown alarmed by Thuy's lack of response.

After staff reported the health problems to the district, the office that oversees charter schools ordered Multi-Cultural last week to submit a corrective action plan, Shana Kemp, a district spokeswoman, said.

The school's five-year charter renewal will go before the School Reform Commission during the next school year.

Drew Dorfman, a lawyer the Multi-Cultural board hired to represent Thuy, referred questions about him to the board.

Lawyer Alan Klein, secretary of the Multi-Cultural board, said the board felt compelled to act swiftly after it began hearing the complaints and citations issued by the city for violations of fire, health, and license and inspections codes that Thuy did not address.

"It is a dramatic change for the good of the school," Klein said. "In the past, I think the prior head of the school [Thuy] lost the skills to communicate with the faculty, students, and parents effectively. The new head will do a great job."

Klein, who has been on the volunteer charter board since 2002 and who has known Thuy for 20 years, said he was saddened and shocked. He said Thuy never told the board about the code violations, or the problems with mice and filthy bathrooms.

Parents and teachers said they had a difficult time communicating with the board. It meets only four times a year at 8 a.m., and Thuy tightly controlled access.

Carter said Thuy told staff that if they wanted to talk to the board, they would have to talk to him. He told them he would relay information to the board and then report back.

"He told parents the same thing," Mannino said.

Last month, however, after receiving e-mails, three board members agreed to hold a public meeting for parents and staff.

Afterward, Klein said, the board hired a pest control company to tackle the mice, and brought in a professional cleaning company to sanitize the building.

Carter, Mannino, and others said they had doubted that the board would act to oust Thuy, because the bylaws require a unanimous vote. As the founder, Thuy had selected the board and written the bylaws.

"The euphoria in the building is palpable," one staff member said.

Johnson, who helped mobilize other parents to push for changes, said: "I had no idea we were going to be so happy in such a short amount of time. We got something done in a month."