Failed charter school had $5 million debt

ST. LOUIS -- A downtown St. Louis charter school that stopped operating last month owes more than $5 million to nearly 100 creditors.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported those figures on Thursday. When the Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy ceased operation in April, the city school district took over through the end of the school year.

Four companies have sued the academy alleging more than $4 million in unpaid services, fees and penalties. The newspaper reported that hundreds of delinquent bills amounting to more than $1.6 million are stuffed into an accordion file inside the school's main office.