The local Imagine Schools board recently was accused of incorrect and possibly illegal operations by a Fort Wayne newspaper. Members met Wednesday night to refute those claims, save one, which they say is now corrected.

A series earlier this month in The Journal Gazette said the boards do not have enough involvement in the schools and make decisions in secret, spend too much on leasing land; and do not involve taxpayers in the decision of transportation funds, among other accusations.

“It was a bunch of nonsense,” Guy Platter, regional director of Imagine Schools, said after the more than two-hour meeting, which included talks about the two local schools, Imagine MASTer Academy and Imagine Schools on Broadway, and the third proposed school, Imagine Bridge Academy.

Platter countered the claims, saying the school does not use local taxpayer dollars so there would be no property taxes to vote on for transportation. Second, the school spends much less on land compared to other schools and districts.

As far as the boards not being involved, board member Don Willis said the board is very involved in the schools, especially in academic performance. He said members will train with Ball State University, the entity that issues Imagine's charters, sometime in January to improve their skills.

Willis and Platter both said the board made a mistake last year in not ratifying an agreement to let two Texas-based groups - possibly soon-to-be Imagine schools - use Fort Wayne's nonprofit status. A consent form had been sent to all board members to sign to agree to this proposal - which is permitted by the school's bylaws - and then it must be ratified at a board meeting. The ratification did not happen until Wednesday night.

“We did make a procedural mistake,” Platter said. “It was just an oversight on our part.” Platter said the board is now on the up-and-up, and Willis said the proposal with Texas had been approved by Ball State all along.