A third Imagine charter school could open in Fort Wayne in August if the East Allen County Schools board allows the owner of the former Village Woods Middle School to transfer ownership of the 48-year-old facility that currently houses a financially struggling community center.

Local businessman Don Willis, founder and chairman of Imagine's MASTer Academy at 2000 N. Wells St. and Imagine Schools on Broadway at 2320 Broadway, plans a $4 million renovation of the 94,500-square-foot building closed by EACS in 2002 after construction of the Prince Chapman Academy. But Willis said Prince Chapman and Village Elementary - both cited for poor student performance by State Superintendent Tony Bennett - are failing residents of southeast Fort Wayne.

Competition from a new charter school at 2700 E. Maple Grove Ave. could offer parents a choice, Willis said - and, perhaps, motivate EACS to make improvements.

Willis first tried to acquire the Village Woods facility in 2006, before the EACS board voted to give the property to Ralph and Brenda White. Their White's School for the Performing Arts has offered a variety of programs since then, including martial-arts training, educational programs, child care and other activities. But the center has accumulated at least $600,000 in debts, Willis said, and in July was sued by a man claiming to have been denied more than $1,000 in winnings at a legal gambling facility run by the Whites that has since closed.

If Willis acquires the property from the Whites, he would assume their liabilities and allow some of their programs to operate in the building along with the Imagine school, which would initially have a capacity of about 400 students in grades K-5 before expanding into a K-8 school with an enrollment of up to 900.

None of that can happen without the consent of the EACS board, which could consider Willis' plan as early as next week. Terms of the board's 2006 agreement with White require him to offer the school to EACS for $1 before trying to sell or transfer it to anyone else.

White last month notified EACS in writing that he had received a “viable offer” for the property and that “if I do not receive a former written response within 30 days, I will consider that EACS does not want to exercise its right of first refusal (and) will be responsible for all the liens, maintenance costs of the building and environmental liabilities.” The letter did not mention Willis by name, however, and Willis said he and White have not reached a formal agreement.

A rally in support of Willis' proposal is scheduled at the Maple Grove facility Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Several community leaders are expected to speak, including Urban League President Jonathan Ray.

EACS Chief Financial Officer Kirby Stahly said the district will respond to White's request within the 30-day period, and said he couldn't predict whether White will be allowed to transfer the property to Willis or anyone else.

He acknowledged that the choice between assuming a large liability or allowing the old Village school to be used by a well-funded competitor poses a “dilemma” for EACS.

Ralph White was unavailable for comment.

Although Imagine and other charters technically are public schools and charge no tuition, they are exempt from many regulations governing traditional public schools. Willis holds the charter for the Imagine schools, which operate under the umbrella of Imagine Schools Inc., a for-profit Virginia company that has 73 schools in 12 states.

The MASTer Academy opened in the former YWCA campus on Wells Street in 2007, followed a year later by the Broadway school. Imagine has already been approved for a third charter school, but opening was delayed because a suitable location was not found. This proposal could change that.

Willis also operates the private Keystone Schools in Fort Wayne.

A report early this year by the University of Indianapolis' Center of Excellence and Leadership of Learning indicated charter-school students had performed better than their public-school counterparts over a two year period. A previous study by the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, however, showed “no practical difference” in test scores.