Commission head's letter misconstrues suit
In his April 2 letter, Charter School Commission Chairman Greg Richmond erroneously implied that the only reason for Woodland District's lawsuit was because it "wants Prairie Crossing's money." Ironically, he went on to provide evidence which proves his implication false - that the lawsuit "would be no financial windfall" for Woodland.
The Illinois charter schools law requires special emphasis on increasing learning opportunities for educationally at-risk students who live in poverty or struggle with the English language. The League of Women Voters reports that charters originated as teaching test beds for hard-to-educate children, including those requiring increased support, from impoverished communities, or with special needs.
Mr. Richmond's letter failed to mention that his own commission repeatedly found Prairie Crossing deficient in enrolling such students, with only 0.5 percent at-risk students. He offered no explanation as to why his commission failed to enforce its own rules.
Even Laura Fay, a former member of the Prairie Crossing Charter School Board itself has stated "I'm not sad about Judge Allen's decision. The school has been given chances to improve for three renewals over fifteen years, but has chosen not to." This leaves Districts 50 and 79 schools with nearly all of the at-risk, lowest performing, least motivated, and most expensive to teach students.
A duty they wholeheartedly embrace, by the way.
Meanwhile the charter school, ostensibly initiated to focus on these children, and which takes state aid formulated on a 30 percent at-risk student body, actually serves few if any of them.
Therein lies the true underlying cause of the lawsuit. Indeed, Judge Allen based his decision on the charter school's documented history of failure to enroll low-income/at-risk students. He found Mr. Richmond's commission's decision to renew authorization of the charter school "clearly erroneous" and not supported under the Illinois charter schools law.
Carrie Kauck
Grayslake