The Chicago Board of Education has again postponed voting on the renewal contracts for 21 charter schools, leading to uncertainty for families and staff as the end of the school year approaches.
During a recent meeting, the board voted 15-5 to remove the charter renewals from the agenda without discussion.
All ten appointees of Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with elected members Therese Boyle, Che ‘Rhymefest’ Smith, Yesenia Lopez, Jitu Brown, and Ebony DeBerry, participated in the vote to delay.
Since February, the board has consistently deferred votes on charter renewals by eliminating the item from meeting agendas prior to the meetings.
There is currently no clarification on whether the charter school renewals, typically scheduled for January, will be addressed in the upcoming meeting in late May.
The school district has not proposed any closures for the schools up for renewal this year, adding another layer of unpredictability.
Neither the school board office nor board president Sean Harden, who initiated the move to delay the vote, provided comments on the situation upon request.
According to insights from two board members, the decision to pull the renewals stemmed from ongoing discussions about the lengths of the proposed renewals.
There has been a suggestion for revisions to the pre-existing proposals, which include renewal lengths ranging from two to four years.
During public comment, several charter students and educators voiced their preference for the longest renewal term allowed—ten years.
Additionally, the board opted to withdraw a resolution that would have enforced stricter guidelines for charter schools, which did not require a vote.
This proposed resolution indicated a potential shift in the board’s approach to overseeing charter schools, which have seen significant growth over the last two decades but are now facing issues such as declining enrollment and financial instability.
The proposed resolution faced opposition from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, which advocates for charter institutions.
Conversely, it received support from leaders within the Chicago Teachers Union, who called for stronger language regarding the resolution.
Previously, two months ago, the board made a decision to preserve five out of seven Acero charter schools that were facing closure, committing instead to convert them into district-run schools.
Among other stipulations, the pulled resolution would have required charter operators to provide the board with an 18-month notice prior to closing any school.
In addition, the operators would have been held financially responsible for costs associated with any closures, and they would have been expected to allocate most of their publicly-funded revenues towards services benefiting students.
The resolution also included a provision promoting neutrality from operators in the event that their schools pursued unionization.
Presently, teachers at schools managed by ten charter operators are represented by the Chicago Teachers Union.
Jennifer Conant, the chair of the Chicago Teachers Union charter division, endorsed initiatives reflected in the resolution.
Conant argued that the district should implement shorter renewal terms to hold charters accountable when they fail to meet standards.
She emphasized the necessity for more frequent check-ins on charter schools to ensure they receive the support needed to maintain operations.
Citing the case of ASPIRA-Haugan, which received a seven-year renewal in 2018—the longest allowed by the school board—Conant noted a sharp decline in enrollment.
The network announced earlier this year that it would be closing the middle school.
“The renewal process should be about accountability and support,” Conant stated.
Charter operators and staff have actively advocated for longer renewal periods, believing that extended contracts can foster stability for families and staff.
Over the past years, the district has been more inclined under Mayors Lori Lightfoot and Brandon Johnson to grant shorter renewals of two or three years.
The district maintains that shorter renewals incentivize charter operators to improve academic performance and address other highlighted concerns.
This year, the district has proposed two-year renewals for approximately half of the 21 schools.
Before these items were withdrawn from the agenda, four schools were set to receive three-year renewals, while six—four operated by Perspectives—were slated for four-year extensions.
The district outlined various concerns regarding the schools up for renewal, highlighting specific issues such as academic performance, the effective serving of students with disabilities, and compliance with accurate teacher licensure information.
These schools were encouraged to address these issues during their renewal terms to ensure better outcomes.
In a notable instance, the district recommended a two-year renewal for two Urban Prep campuses located on the South Side.
The campuses faced closure in the fall of 2022 amid allegations of financial mismanagement and failure to adequately support students with disabilities, as well as sexual misconduct accusations against the school’s founder, Tim King, who has denied the claims.
Urban Prep appealed the board’s closure decision to the state, which sided with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
Following an unsuccessful lawsuit by Urban Prep, an appeals court ultimately upheld CPS’s authority to close the schools, which were projected to shut down the previous June in favor of becoming district-run.
The district opted to extend their contracts for one additional year to provide stability for both students and staff, with plans to transition to a new contract extending through 2027.
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