Challenge to charters: State-run schools in Elgin, Grayslake vow to fight legislation that would cede control to local districts

Two bills that would transfer oversight of state-run charter schools to local school boards and emphasize accountability are making their way through the Illinois Senate, causing concern for two suburban charter schools that fought hard to exist.

And now, leaders and parents from those schools are opposing the measures.

After lengthy battles, decades apart, with local school districts, Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake and the Elgin Math and Science Academy in Elgin were established, each with a unique mission. Both K-8 schools were authorized on appeals to the Illinois State Charter School Commission after being denied by local school boards.

The commission was abolished in 2020, and its duties were transferred to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), which now serves as the state authorizer and handles charter appeals.

Senate Bill 4040, sponsored by state Sen. Cristina Castro of Elgin, would cede control of any state-authorized charter school back to the local school boards for oversight and eliminate the ISBE appeals process for approving or renewing charters.

A separate Senate Bill 3391, sponsored by state Sen. Celina Villanueva of Chicago, would require charter school operators to execute renewal agreements within 90 days of approval and establish stronger financial safeguards to protect students, staff and public resources if a charter school closes.

Lawmakers say both measures aim to promote greater accountability and equity.

The vast majority of charter schools in Illinois are locally authorized — meaning they apply directly for approval with their local school board. The other nine are state-run charter schools with 10 campuses in total.

“The state actually doesn’t want to be in the business of running charter schools,” Castro said. “Their business is to set policy for all the school districts across the state ... not managing students or nine charter schools. That’s what school districts are for ... and that's what elected boards (are for).”

‘Essential’ protections?

Castro said some of her constituents have expressed frustration that charter schools are funded by taxpayer money but aren’t held to the same standards of accountability and transparency as public schools.

Yet, ceding total control to local school districts could sound the death knell for charters, according to the Illinois Network of Charter Schools lobbying group.

Charter schools currently educate 60,000 students statewide, with 96% identifying as students of color and 85% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, according to the group.

“These schools exist to expand access to high-quality public education in communities that have too often been denied it, and they are doing so successfully in communities across Illinois,” said Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools.

SB 4040 would eliminate two protections for families and schools that have been part of Illinois’ charter school law for nearly 30 years: a statewide authorizer and an independent appeal process, Broy said.

“Those protections are essential because they help ensure charter decisions are transparent, accountable, and centered on students and families — not politics, geography, enrollment, or local resistance to public school choice,” he added.

Fighting for EMSA

Denied by Elgin Area School District U-46, the Elgin Math and Science Academy ultimately was approved through the state appeals process and opened in 2018. Its charter was renewed for five years in 2023.

SB 4040 would require all existing state-authorized charter schools to return to the districts that previously denied them by the 2027 school year.

“We believe that it’s critical that charter schools have an option to appeal the local school district’s decision, and that there’s a statewide authorizer,” said Kathryn Martinez, EMSA executive director. “Without these options, EMSA would not have opened eight years ago, and we wouldn’t be the thriving environment that we are today.”

EMSA serves more than 500 students and operates on an $8 million budget. The school emphasizes an Experiential Learning education model, strong community engagement and high academic performance. Its students are outperforming peers in U-46 in English language arts proficiency and in math and ELA growth, Martinez said.

Currently, the school has a waitlist of more than 200 students seeking admission, which is determined by lottery.

Parents Nidia and Omar Vieyra of Elgin waited two years to get their daughter, Sophia, into EMSA. The 7-year-old started second grade there this school year and the family hopes 5-year-old Elena can attend next year.

Nidia Vieyra said Sophia enjoys the hands-on learning.

“She seems very excited about her days and learning outside, exploring,” she said. “It’s refreshing to know that there’s this program where children are given the opportunity to go beyond the regular classroom.”

Vieyra and fellow EMSA parent Maria Cardenas of Elgin submitted witness slips opposing the proposed legislation to the Senate Executive Committee that recently passed both charter bills.

Cardenas has two boys — Cristobal, 6, and Camillo, 7 — in kindergarten and second grade, respectively. She said if EMSA must rely on U-46, “our school will not be a priority.”

“I am very pleased with the way the school already is established and the way our kids are academically being taught,” she said. “And I enjoy that it’s in a campus that’s in the middle of a forest, and they get to go outdoors and explore.”

Parent Lynn Reuter of Elgin, who has a third grader and a first grader at EMSA, criticized Castro for not hearing parents out.

“She hasn’t offered town halls to have conversation about this,” Reuter said. “This isn't necessarily a story about our school versus the school district. I think both can coexist.”

Reuter also questioned the need for increased oversight when EMSA is outperforming U-46 in state testing.

Questions and concerns

Much like EMSA, Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake was denied by both Woodland District 50 and Fremont Elementary District 79 before an appeal to the state authorized the charter in 1999. Since then, the state has renewed its charter every five years.

Today, the school serves 432 students on a $6.5 million budget. The campus is situated on the ancestral lands of the Council of the Three Fires — the Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Odawa nations. Its core curricula emphasizes sustainability and environmental education.

Executive Director Geoff Deigan said the proposed legislation hasn’t been thought through well.

“We serve District 50 and District 79 ... we still to this day have no idea what that bill means for us. Does that mean we would have two authorizers?” he said.

Deigan said there is a strong accountability plan already in place for state-authorized charter schools.

“Our five-year renewal is based on organizational, academic and financial performances that are measured ... and evaluated every year,” he said. “But if we were to give that back to the local school district, is there a guarantee that that accountability plan stays the same? Is there a guarantee that the practices that we have put in place over the last 28 years to abide by that accountability system is ... the same?”