Imagine if you were in a contractual relationship with a service provider, and the provider told you that you couldn’t end the contract. A recent case in Florida illustrates why NACSA recommends that the contractual relationships between charter school boards and their service providers clearly address important issues like how and when either party might act to end a relationship, what services will be provided and at what price, ownership of property and employment of staff, and how the provider will be held accountable for its performance. It is hard to imagine it going more badly than in this case, where the charter school’s board of directors announced its decision to end its contract with its service provider and the contractor then sent an email to the school’s parents claiming that the board couldn’t sever the relationship and directing parents to ignore any further communication from the school’s governing board. The provider has now sued the board to block the contract termination.
No Exit?