CHICAGO — Three South Side charter schools will be saved despite Chicago Public Schools' efforts to close them.
CPS planned to close Amandla Charter High School in Englewood, Betty Shabazz-Barabara A. Sizemore Academy in Greater Grand Crossing and Bronzeville Lighthouse Charter in Bronzeville, but the State Charter School Commission voted to save the charters at a Tuesday night meeting.
Under state law, the commission can reverse CPS' decisions on the schools. CPS will no longer receive state funds meant for the schools, with the money going from the state board directly to the charters, and the district will no longer oversee the schools.
State-authorized charter schools receive more money than CPS' neighborhood or charter schools, according to CPS, and the funding is deducted from the general aid CPS gets from the state.
Forrest Claypool, the CEO of CPS, said the General Assembly needs to "rein in this unaccountable commission" and give control back to districts.
“By putting politics ahead of the interests of our children, the state is ensuring charters will not be held accountable, no matter how poorly they serve our students," Claypool said in a statement. “Charter schools that are failing to teach children basic math and reading skills should be closed, and the dollars reinvested in schools capable of preparing students for future life success.”
Bronzeville Lighthouse Academy, 8 W. Root St., struggled in the past, but it's seen an increase in retention among students and teachers, supporters told DNAinfo.
At Sizemore, 7822 S. Dobson Ave., supporters said the Afrocentric school might struggle with test results but it's helped instill confidence in students who come from violence-plagued areas, according to the New York Times.
The schools "failed to meet performance standards or make significant gains for students," according to CPS.
Sizemore and Amandla, 6800 S. Stewart Ave., were put on "turnaround plans" to improve their performance after being warned about underperforming in 2014, but Amandla only met five of 15 goals and Sizemore met only five of 10 goals. Bronzeville Lighthouse was not put on a plan because its charter contract was not being renewed rather than revoked.
Though Sizemore and Amandla didn't fulfill their plans, they've made strides, supporters told DNAinfo. And keeping the charter schools open means students won't have to go to neighborhood schools where they have to deal with safety and the influence of gangs, said Danielle Robinson, a teacher at Sizemore.
Raise Your Hand, a public education advocacy group, has spoken out against charter school expansion in the past, but on Tuesday the group said CPS had decided on closing the three South Side charters using "faulty metrics."
"The process is flawed," said Wendy Katten, a spokeswoman for the group. CPS "moved too quickly, created a policy with a lot of issues."
The commission is "undoing damage" done by CPS, which used "narrow" metrics to close schools quickly, Katten said. She doesn't know enough about the schools to know if they should be closed, Katten said, but she doesn't think CPS reviewed them correctly.
"I think they need to re-examine their policy and how they close schools more than anything," Katten said.
RYH has been firmly against charter expansion, but also against cps closing charters using faulty metrics.
— Raise Your Hand (@ILRaiseYourHand) March 1, 2016
New Schools for Chicago, a charter advocacy group, praised the commission for its criticism of how CPS tried to close the schools, but it also thinks the state shouldn't have saved them.
"Our first priority must be ensuring children are receiving a high-quality education and this requires action when schools are not performing," said Daniel Anello, the CEO of New Schools, in an emailed statement. "While it is never easy to close a school, the truth is, the children attending these schools deserve better and it is incumbent upon the district and Commission to reach a reasonable compromise to avoid further disruption for these families.”
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