Chicago Public Faculties is poised to take over two campuses of a constitution college as soon as lauded for steering Black boys to varsity however extra just lately mired in monetary and different troubles.
The district is recommending that its college board revoke the charters for City Prep’s Englewood and Bronzeville campuses throughout its Wednesday assembly — a transfer that comes on the heels of district claims of monetary mismanagement and a district inspector normal investigation that alleges sexual misconduct by the college’s founder.
Nonetheless, citing City Prep’s distinctive programming, district CEO Pedro Martinez is recommending that the 2 campuses stay open underneath district administration.
Tim King, who resigned as City Prep’s CEO and board chair in August, has strongly denied the allegations in opposition to him in court docket filings and media stories. King’s lawyer and present college leaders couldn’t be reached Monday, however the college launched an announcement saying the college district was concentrating on it regardless of a observe document of serving Black boys.
Board paperwork, together with a abstract of the inspector normal’s report first launched publicly Monday morning, define a string of points with City Prep’s operations. The report alleged that King groomed and sexually touched an underage scholar who ultimately got here to work on the college — and continued to obtain paychecks and advantages for years after he stopped working there. And it beneficial that the district fireplace King and place a do-not-hire designation in his personnel file.
Board paperwork additionally say the college has been mismanaged financially for years, failed to offer college students with disabilities with federally mandated providers, and did not workers sufficient licensed educators.
In an announcement, Chicago Public Faculties mentioned monetary mismanagement and different missteps on the college violated the regulation, endangered college students, and wasted taxpayer {dollars}.
“The timing for this non-renewal is student-centered — making this choice now, as a substitute of subsequent 12 months — permits households to make knowledgeable selections about their subsequent step,” the district mentioned.
In its personal assertion, City Prep mentioned it has labored in good religion with the district on assembly its situations to reauthorize the charters. It mentioned the district is utilizing the misconduct allegations in opposition to King to “management and undermine City Prep’s operations and new management staff.” It known as on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to intervene.
“If fairness is a precedence in a metropolis the place residents need constructive outcomes for Chicago’s younger, clever, Black males then the longer term existence and independence of City Prep Academies should be preserved,” the assertion mentioned.
If the college board pulls City Prep’s charters, the college may have the choice of interesting to the Illinois State Board of Training.
The 2 all-boy campuses, which have seen enrollment shrink in recent times, collectively serve about 370 Black college students. The state took over operations of a 3rd City Prep campus in 2018 after the college board revoked its constitution amid educational considerations.
City Prep Constitution Academy for Younger Males acquired nationwide recognition for making certain every of its graduates was admitted to varsity; Individuals Journal named King “hero of the 12 months” and featured him on its cowl in 2010.
The inspector normal’s workplace present in a earlier investigation that City Prep used a mortgage from the federal Paycheck Safety Program throughout the pandemic to assist steadiness its books, however overstated the variety of individuals it employed in its utility.
Board paperwork say that the college got here to rely more and more on money advances from the college district and high-interest loans to maintain going financially. The varsity repeatedly defaulted on paying workers salaries, leases, and distributors who offered providers to its college students with disabilities, in response to the paperwork.
The newest district watchdog investigation, first reported in WBEZ earlier this summer time and obtained by Chalkbeat by a Freedom of Info Act request, says King began an inappropriate relationship with an City Prep scholar, who was 16 on the time. The alleged sufferer described the connection to district investigators, who discovered that King supported the coed financially by faculty, took him on “lavish” holidays and ultimately employed him on the college.
King’s lawyer instructed WBEZ earlier this 12 months that the investigation was deeply flawed.
Throughout latest college board conferences, City Prep college students, mother and father, and different supporters have appealed to the board to maintain backing the college. They’ve mentioned it has made a distinction within the lives of low-income Black boys — a scholar group that has lengthy confronted the widest disparities in scholar outcomes in Chicago and different city districts.
Board paperwork describe the response by the constitution’s management to the IG investigation and eventual conclusions this previous summer time as “astonishing.” The varsity failed to tell the district that following King’s resignation, its board appointed him to a legacy board for the constitution, and that he would run the City Prep Basis, the paperwork state.
In a sign of their rising considerations in regards to the college, college board members granted the Englewood campus solely a one-year renewal with quite a few situations final college 12 months. The district now says the college failed to fulfill these situations.
Board paperwork say the district needs to proceed working the college as a campus of certainly one of its present excessive colleges. It is going to attempt to retain as lots of the present directors, academics, and workers members as potential.
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter overlaying Chicago Public Faculties. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
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