Parents say teachers may not get final paychecks at Croft School that's closing

Parents of the embattled Croft School urged its board to pay teachers in full before its Boston campuses close at the end of the academic year.

The for-profit private school announced it would shut its doors earlier this year after the board discovered its founder and CEO, Scott Given, allegedly concealed $13 million in debt and misled families about its finances.

A couple dozen parents and children rallied in Boston’s financial district Thursday. They doled out baked goods to passersby. Signs saying “Own your responsibility” and “Pay up!” stuck out in the small crowd.

Parents said Croft teachers at the Jamaica Plain campus should be paid through the summer, but the board informed them it could not complete the payments.

Parents at the South End campus said they’ve raised enough funds to pay their teachers through the end of their contracts.

“They have worked a full year but they’re not slated to get their full compensation,” said Lindsey Palazualos, mother of a first- and fifth-grader at the school’s Jamaica Plain campus.

Families have footed the bill for teacher pay for the last couple months, said Melanie Berry, mother of a Pre-K student.

“We have raised the money to get them through June,” Berry said. “But the remainder of the money for the salaries … we are calling for the board to pay.”

School officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The early childhood and elementary school unraveled in March after its board suspended Given for allegedly misrepresenting the school’s financial health. The board stated Given concealed millions of dollars of debt, kept two conflicting sets of financial records and fabricated a letter of credit.

He also solicited money from families by inviting them to buy bonds with 12.5% interest rates that he described as low-risk investments in the school’s expansion, according to an email obtained by WBUR.

A lawsuit filed by a parent alleges the school was in so much debt that it could not pay parents the interest owed.

Croft parent Denise Rodriguez said she’s in the midst of touring schools and submitting applications to find a spot for her child next fall. But she took a break and attended the rally to insist that her son’s teachers are paid.

“I’ve seen my kid is so happy and flourishing,” Rodriguez said. “It really saddens me that he won’t have that school community to be a part of next year.”