The fate of two Universal charter schools became murkier Tuesday, as a state board voted to uphold the Philadelphia school district’s decision to end its charter agreement with Daroff, and Universal Companies said it would no longer manage the school or Bluford charter after July 31.
“Additionally, a change or amendment to the schools’ charter agreements would require approval by the Board of Education,” said the spokesperson, Janice Hatfield. Like many of the city’s 85 charter schools — which are publicly funded — Bluford and Daroff are managed by a private company to which they pay fees. As part of its “Renaissance” charter initiative intended to speed the turnaround of struggling schools, the district handed Bluford and Daroff over to Universal Companies to run a decade ago.for the two schools, citing deficiencies in organization and finance.