A Mount Auburn charter school postponed opening for a second time Monday because its board has not turned in required paperwork to get state approval to operate.

        The school's original opening of Sept. 16 was postponed until Monday. Spokesman Charles Wallner said the school now expects to open by Sept. 30, the deadline for charter schools to open. Hundreds of parents have been notified by phone calls.

        “We told them what we've always told them — that we're in the process,” Mr. Wallner said. “Some (parents) are angry. Some understand. Some are looking for alternatives.”

        The state, which funds charter schools, withheld the school's September payment of about $300,000.

        The as-yet unnamed school, formerly called Sabis International School, for nine months has been at the center of legal battles between its board and the company that formerly operated it.

        The for-profit company, which provided the curriculum and hired the staff, owns the Mount Auburn building at 244 Southern Ave., where the school was housed for two years.

        The board last year fired the management company, Minnesota-based Sabis Educational Systems Inc., because it said the company was overly concerned with profiting from the school. The board cited, in part, the $98,000 monthly rent charged to the school.

        After firing the management company, the board was left to find new staff, develop or select a new curriculum and secure a location. Enrollment has since dropped from about 650 to fewer than 200 students.

        Now, the board and company are fighting over transition of the Mount Auburn building.

        Since June, the board has not paid rent to Cincinnati Property Management LLC, an affiliate of the management company. Cincinnati Property Management sued to evict the board.

        A judge on Sept. 12 ordered that to have access to the building to hold school, the board must post a $4 million bond to cover payments if the court rules damages are owed to the management company.

        The bond has not been posted.

        Mr. Wallner said the former management company has not provided the board with the school's financial documents, thwarting the board's ability to post the bond. An attorney for the company said the board has been provided with financial documents.

        On Friday, the board filed a motion asking the judge to throw out the order. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

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