Scrutiny Begins as Turmoil Rages

The chairman of the D.C. Public Charter School Board said yesterday that he is monitoring a one-year-old Northwest Washington charter school whose administration has been embroiled in conflicts with parents, teachers and members of the school's governing board.

Turmoil at Washington Latin School intensified this week after three teaching staff members sent parents e-mails about their intention to quit because of dissatisfaction with the headmaster and the administration.

The e-mails come after the departure of four Washington Latin governing board members; the headmaster's announcement in September that he plans to resign in June; and the school's dispute with the public charter board over its refusal to grant the school permission to lease an expensive downtown property so that it could move out of its cramped space in a church.

Anger "has fanned to potentially explosive levels," said Thomas A. Nida, chairman of the Public Charter School Board, who in recent weeks has met with the school's board, parents and teachers. "Emotions are running high."

Nida said Washington Latin, which offers a classical curriculum focusing on Latin and the humanities, is not in imminent danger of losing its charter because it is a high-achieving school. But, he said, the public charter board could act if an audit due today shows financial problems and if the school remains out of compliance by having five board members instead of seven.

This week, sixth-grade teachers Malika de Silva and Erin Sloan and teaching intern Alden Bird said in e-mails to parents that they were leaving the school because of differences with Headmaster T.R. Ahlstrom and the administration.

"I have zero confidence in the Headmaster and his administration's leadership," de Silva said in her e-mail.

Sloan wrote that "the atmosphere here at Latin has grown to be one that I believe is toxic to my health and family life."

Sloan declined to comment yesterday, citing a confidentiality agreement that teachers were required to sign. De Silva and Bird did not respond to e-mail requests for interviews. Neither Ahlstrom nor Bill Myrthil, chairman of the Washington Latin board, returned messages left at their offices.

Four members of the school's board, including former D.C. Council member Kevin P. Chavous, resigned this year because they had conflicts with Ahlstrom. After the public charter board declined to grant the school's request to lease the downtown property, a move that would have tripled Washington Latin's rent to $90,000 a month, Ahlstrom notified parents that he would resign in June. But parents and teachers said he has since indicated that he plans to stay.