Frayed relations between Toledo Public Schools and two charter schools it sponsors appear improved and the schools’ once-possible defection to the Ohio Department of Education apparently is off.

Phoenix and Polly Fox academies’ boards have approved agreements to keep them affiliated with TPS until 2014. The Toledo Board of Education is expected to vote on the agreement at its Tuesday meeting.

Officials with the state department of education said they haven’t received a formal application withdrawal, but don’t expect the academies to end up sponsored by the state.

Representatives on both sides now say the relationship is a positive one, a sharp change to earlier this year, when the schools cited a “long-standing conflict” with TPS. Things are now “100 percent better,” said Craig Cotner, principal of the academies. He lauded the professionalism of TPS’ chief academic officer, Jim Gault, and its treasurer, Matt Cleland. “I have nothing but the best to say about Mr. Gault and Mr. Cleland,” he said.

The dispute that nearly tore the schools and sponsor apart centered on who should employ the schools’ shared principal. The district said the academies must use a TPS administrator, based on the parties’ contract and TPS’ collective bargaining agreements. The academies said state law requires they hire a principal independent of TPS.

Phoenix Academy is a dropout recovery school with a mostly online curriculum and an average enrollment of about 700.

Polly Fox focuses on pregnant and parenting teens and enrolls about 140 annually.

The district provides oversight for the schools, which have independent governing boards and are both headquartered at 1505 Jefferson Ave. The schools pay the district about $600,000 and reimburse it for teachers and other staff.

In 2010, the academies removed their principal, Ray Russell, because he was a member of TPS’ administrative union, the Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel, and cited a state law that requires the independence of charter school leaders.

The union grieved and won. The move violated their collective bargaining agreement.

TPS demanded mediation with the academies. The dispute deteriorated to the point that TPS threatened litigation, and the academies responded with the application for state sponsorship.

The new agreement, which both academies’ boards approved April 4, provides that the principal is neither employed by TPS nor is a member of the union, Mr. Cotner said. It also provides more flexibility in how the schools select teachers, Mr. Gault said.

The two sides and the representatives of the district met over several months to repair the relationship.

Mr. Gault said that honest dialogue was what led to the change.

“It was always intended for us to work very closely together,” he said.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086.

First Published April 23, 2012, 4:30 a.m.