Микрошкола для детей с особыми потребностями закрылась за неделю до начала занятий из-за финансовых проблем и исчезновения основателей

Taylor Jordan said that, when she spotted a 200-pound pig and other barnyard animals "running around" inside Nova Roots Academy this summer, it worried her "a little bit." Shortly after Jordan saw the swine -- and chickens, and several ducks -- the new microschool for special needs students in Hot Springs stopped offering summer programming. Less than a month before its inaugural fall classes were set to begin on Aug. 20, the school shut its doors entirely. Donna and Greg Witte, the school's founders, told families in a July 28 email that Nova Roots would "cease operations" as of Aug. 1. Then the couple disappeared, according to Jordan. "(Donna Witte) canceled the last two weeks and then we never heard anything from her after that," Jordan said. "And even personally, I was checking on her and she wasn't responding to me at all." Nova Roots was intended to be an "inclusive microschool for neurodivergent & experiential learners," according to a document Jordan shared with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that she said was from the school. The document says the school emphasized special education services, "nature-based learning" and "functional life skills," among other things. The National Conference of State Legislatures describes microschools as "small private learning institutions." They gained popularity during the covid-19 pandemic, when in-person classes ground to a halt in many public schools and some parents sought other options. In Arkansas, families participating in the Educational Freedom Account program may use state-provided funds to pay for services at microschools, just as other families use the funds to pay for tuition at private schools or for homeschooling expenses. Now, more than 50 families of would-be Nova Roots students have been racing to find other options for the 2026-27 school year. Jordan secured a seat for her seventh-grade daughter at a different provider serving special-needs students in the Hot Springs area, Arkansas Therapy Group. The Nova Roots building at 802 Emory St. now sits nearly empty. Marty Coco, a Hot Springs businessman and investor who owns the property, said he evicted the Wittes around July 15 after they failed to pay rent. As he put up the eviction notice, Coco said, he spotted a "really expensive" chicken coop around the side of the building. The coop was "full of chickens and geese, half of which had died with no food and water," he said. Coco said the Wittes owe him roughly $24,000. The Arkansas Department of Education also contends the Wittes owe them money. The owners of Nova Roots missed a Thursday deadline to pay $5,650 back to the Education Department for two summer classes it did not provide, said department spokeswoman Kaelin Clay. The funds were paid to the microschool from families' Educational Freedom Accounts, which provide most students in the 2026-27 school year with $7,208 to put toward tuition and other educational expenses. Some participating students with disabilities may receive a higher amount. "If the funds are not returned, (the Education Department) will pursue the administrative and recovery actions available under EFA rules and applicable law," Clay said in an email. "The matter may also be referred for further review or investigation if necessary to ensure responsible use of taxpayer dollars." Failing to return the money "may also affect the provider's eligibility to participate in the EFA program in the future," Clay said. Clay said Nova Roots closed before it could begin receiving money from the school choice program for the fall semester, but some families used their Educational Freedom Accounts to pay for the summer classes at the microschool. Clay said state education officials have spoken with Donna Witte by phone since the closure and exchanged several emails with her about the effect it has had on families. Both Jordan and Coco said they have heard nothing from the Wittes, however. Efforts to contact Donna and Greg Witte by phone and email were not successful. 'FOUND OUT ON FACEBOOK' Jordan said she has known Donna Witte for seven years. Donna Witte taught Jordan's daughter in the Hot Springs School District from kindergarten through sixth grade, Jordan said. The teacher became a family friend, and Jordan's parents helped the Wittes purchase Chromebooks and school supplies as they worked to get Nova Roots off the ground, according to Jordan. State licensure records show Donna Witte is certified to teach grades K-6 in elementary school and special education in grades K-12. Both certifications are set to expire at the end of this year. Jordan's family spent $200 in cash on a summer cooking program at the new microschool, she said. Her mother thought it would give Jordan's daughter, a rising seventh grader, a chance to adjust before fall classes were supposed to begin. Whenever Jordan was inside the building, though, she said she observed Donna Witte interacting little with the children, instead spending much of her time on a digital tablet. Jordan said she was "a little bit worried" the school might not deliver what it advertised. But, she added, "We just really thought that she would be able to pull this off." In a July 21 email, Donna Witte told some parents that, "(t)he last couple of weeks have been some of the hardest we've ever faced." She said her husband had "suffered a mild heart attack after the overwhelming stress surrounding our landlord's decision to sell the property, on top of everything else we've been navigating. "Unfortunately, rumors have continued to spread, and rather than fuel speculation, we've temporarily disabled the Nova Facebook page until we meet with our attorney this Friday to determine how to move forward," she wrote. "Please know that if there are any official updates about Nova, they will come directly from us." Coco, the property owner, said the building at 802 Emory St. had not been sold and that he never told the Wittes otherwise, according to a report earlier this month in the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record. A week later, Donna Witte sent the email stating the school would shut down. Jordan said she didn't see an email from Witte about the closure. "I found out on Facebook, like I think most people did," Jordan said. When the Education Department found out about the sudden closure, state officials worked with families who planned to attend Nova Roots and coordinated with Arkansas Therapy Group, which provides speech, occupational and physical therapy in Hot Springs, "to help parents make necessary application and enrollment changes," according to Clay. Jordan said her daughter was one of about 16 students Arkansas Therapy Group was able to open spots for. "They busted their tails trying to get their homeschool system up and running in time for school to start, just for some of these kids to have somewhere to go," she said. Jordan said she never found out what happened to the laptops and other school supplies she says her parents bought for Nova Roots Academy. She said she brought receipts to show to the landlord, but "everything of value is gone." Callie Kimball, another Nova Roots parent, said she's been unable to find an alternative that she feels is adequate for her 10-year-old son, Carter, who is autistic. Many educational options in the area are either full or can't accommodate his needs, Kimball said. "I'm having to essentially bring my son to work with me for about 30 hours a week, and then at night we're having to do school," said Kimball, who said she is a single mother with a full-time job. When Kimball first learned of Nova Roots Academy, it sounded like a "godsend." The school seemed to say to her, "Hey, this is what you've been needing in your life, and it's going to happen right here," Kimball recalled. "And (Donna Witte) had the credentials to back it up." MICROSCHOOLING The Reform Alliance, a school choice advocacy group, identifies 93 microschools operating in Arkansas for the 2026-27 school year. The list includes Nova Roots Academy. Asked about the Education Department's oversight role, Clay said the department surveys Educational Freedom Account families annually about provider quality and conducts other monitoring of microschools and private schools that include tuition changes and financial audits. State education officials also address questions and complaints from parents and service providers, she said. Other education providers have also been required to return funds, Clay said. "In most cases, those are routine administrative corrections, and the funds are returned to the student EFA account from which they were paid." Don Soifer, CEO of the National Microschooling Center in Las Vegas, said he had heard about Nova Roots Academy and its sudden shutdown. "This is so unusual," Soifer said. "I've never seen anything quite like this." Soifer said microschooling typically requires both school leaders and parents to develop strong relationships. Parents who are new to microschooling have often pulled their children out of a more traditional public or private school, and are still learning what microschooling entails. Likewise, many microschool leaders come from public and private schools. "So many families and so many educators that come to microschools haven't actually experienced (them) before," he said. "It can take a while to really get a feel for how that can be optimized." That messiness can lead to greater trust and a deeper joint understanding of the expectations surrounding a given school, though, he said. Families considering a new microschool can reduce their risks of negative experiences by first checking with other parents who have already signed up there, or with community leaders, for their opinions on the school and the people operating it. He also pointed to other "common sense" practices, like conducting background checks. Kimball said she wished she had done more to scrutinize Nova Roots and Donna Witte. "This person took advantage of one of the most vulnerable group of people: special-needs people. ... You took advantage of them, and for what? For a couple of thousand dollars?" she said. Support journalism that covers the topics that matter most to you. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.