It appears the MDE will likely do nothing.
On August 9, three days after receiving an email from Grand Traverse Academy attorney Kerry Morgan (informing me that “litigation is legally precluded because the SSM and GTA contract contains a mandatory arbitration clause. Thus, a lawsuit is not a legal option.”), I sent an email to Mark Eitrem, Supervisor of the MDE's Charter School office.
I asked Eitrem for a comment on the Board's decision...and waited.Although I realize now I should have been much more direct, Eitrem's answer (non-answer, really) still stunned me.
He punted the question to the MDE's mouthpiece, Martin Ackley.
Seven minutes after Eitrem forwarded my email, which had been languishing in his inbox for over three weeks, Ackley responded.
Or did he really?
Ackley couldn't run from my question fast enough, stating in his email that the Grand Traverse Academy Board's decision to effectively surrender millions of taxpayer dollars to Steven Ingersoll was a "local school district contractual and legal issue" and the Michigan Department of Education opted "respectfully" to "decline comment".
Your girl Miss Fortune has already circled back around, pointedly asking the slugs in Lansing this question: how can the Grand Traverse Academy Board of Directors make what appears to be a unilateral decision not to pursue recovery of an estimated $1.67 million dollars using an arbitration clause and unlikely recovery as their excuses?
And although the Board knew at least two years ago that Ingersoll was under federal investigation, it undertook no legal action and instead kept Steven Ingersoll and his management company on the public payroll for another year — until days before he was federally indicted on multiple fraud counts.
So what exactly does the Michigan Department of Education do anyway, other than watch money sail out of Lansing like the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria?