(The Center Square) – Chicago charter school leaders and families are protesting shorter renewal terms and a Chicago Board of Education resolution that could subject charter schools to unionization efforts.
Educators and administrators rallied with families outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters in downtown Chicago.
Catalyst Schools parent and board member Mitze Moore called on board members to be bold.
“Be strong and vote for investment and stability, CPS Board of Ed. Vote for families, not against them!” Moore exclaimed.
North Lawndale College Prep CEO Jemia Cunningham-Elder said the old board could have voted on school renewal agreements, and the new board is moving slowly.
“That’s now hurting schools. That’s hurting kids. Their onboarding into this role is now hurting our ability to move forward and run our schools and give stability to our students and families,” Cunningham-Elder told The Center Square.
The Chicago Board of Education has delayed votes to renew agreements with charter schools.
The charter groups are asking the board for the maximum-allowed, 10-year renewal terms.
Charles Myers, school culture and student activities coordinator at Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School, said charter schools need longer renewal terms.
“When we have to get a small renewal such as two years, our staff has to take away from the effort and the work that we all can put into our students to learn,” Myers told The Center Square.
Myers said students benefit when schools are given 10-year terms.
“When you don’t give students stability, it makes them hesitant and makes them, honestly, anxious, as they’re trying to work [and] learn in an environment that’s already tough enough for them,” Myers added.
Myers said charter schools are one of the best things that ever happened to him.
Although the Chicago Board of Education postponed a vote Thursday on the future of 22 charter school campuses that serve more than 10,000 students, the board resolution announced Thursday would affect school use of funds, closure terms and union neutrality terms set forth by state law and the Chicago Teachers Union’s deal with Chicago Public Schools.
The resolution states that “charter schools shall be neutral regarding the unionization of any of its employees.”
In addition, the resolution states that “charter school operators must provide any bona fide labor organization access at reasonable times to areas in which the Charter School’s employees work.”
Charter schools are part of the Chicago Public Schools system.
According to charter advocates, 118 charter schools educate more than 55,000 students in the city. One out of every four CPS high school students attends a charter school, and one out of every 10 CPS elementary school students attends a charter school.
