Parents and founding board urge SPCSA to complete audit so Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy Nevada can open

Members of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy Nevada’s founding team, board and families pressed the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) on June 25 to reverse a staff decision and finish an enrollment audit the school says would allow it to open in August.

Rudy Pamantuan, who identified himself as a PTAAN board member, told the authority the school submitted a roster of 103 fully documented students on June 14 — “72 hours before the audit” — and asked that SPCSA staff “complete the audit using the June 14 roster of 103 verified students.” He said families had made preparations and that “115 students [are] now placed in limbo because of a quietly shifting deadline.”

Why it matters: board members and parents said the delay could prevent children from starting a specialized K–12 artificial intelligence pathway the school plans to offer. Speakers said PTAAN’s student body includes a high share of students of color and Title I families and that the school met financial and statutory preopening requirements in its filings.

Multiple speakers provided similar accounts. Annette Dawson Owens, treasurer of the PTAAN governing board, said the school had executed a principal contract on June 6 (for Dr. Derek Love) and uploaded an FY25 budget that was accepted without flags. “These items, hiring date, and already approved budget are not legitimate grounds to withhold an audit,” Owens said. She cited written staff guidance the school received on April 18 and May 7 that, she said, allowed schools to continue enrolling students and to submit a final roster up to 72 hours before the audit.

Caller Kara Hendricks, who identified herself as speaking on behalf of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy, told the authority she believed “some miscommunication” led to the audit being canceled and asked the SPCSA to conduct the audit so “PTA can open in August as scheduled.”

Shubham Handy, identified as the school founder, repeated the timeline offered by other speakers: an initial submission on June 2, a June 14 submission of 103 verified files, and an audit scheduled for June 16 that he said did not take place. “Changing the finish line after we crossed it is process turned into prejudice,” Handy said, asking the authority to “direct staff to complete the enrollment audit using the June 14 roster.”

Parent Nubia Ramos described the issue in personal terms: “PTAN is a free public school focused on AI innovation. For the first time, my kids weren’t just another number… Now because of paperwork delay, all that is at risk.” Ramos asked the board to “pull PTAN from agenda item 5 d, let the audit be completed, and let our children walk through the doors.”

SPCSA response and procedural limits: Chair Holmes Sutton and Executive Director Melissa Makadan both told speakers the board could not take action on the matter at the June meeting because the item was not agendized for action. “Items not agendized cannot come before the public meeting for action,” Holmes Sutton said during the public-comment portion. Makadan confirmed staff would work with the parties to determine next steps, but emphasized open-meeting-law constraints and that a future agenda item would be required for board action.

What remains unresolved: PTAAN supporters maintain the school met the statutory minimum and the staff guidance they were given; SPCSA staff placed PTAAN on the “not opening” list for agenda item 5 d and canceled the scheduled audit, citing an earlier deadline. The authority did not vote or issue a final determination at the June meeting. Several speakers asked the SPCSA to agendize the matter in a future meeting so the audit may proceed.

Next steps: Members of the public and PTAAN representatives said they expect SPCSA staff to schedule a future agenda item for formal discussion and to complete the enrollment audit. SPCSA staff indicated it would coordinate with the school and follow open-meeting requirements before any formal action.