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Chicago charter schools
targeted for closure fight back
By Amelia Hamilton / December 22, 2015
As the Chicago Board of Education moves to close charter schools, those
charter schools are fighting back.
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 In November, the Chicago Board of Education voted 6-0 to close Amandla Charter
High School, Shabazz-Sizemore Academy Elementary School and Brozeville
Lighthouse Charter Elementary School. Those schools have filed appeals with the
Illinois State Charter School Commission.
The Board of Education said these schools are being closed due to poor academic
performance. “The Chicago Board of Education closed these four low-performing
charter schools because they did not provide our students with the high-quality
education they deserve,” CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in a statement.
“Allowing low-performing charter schools to remain open would be a disservice to
their students who all deserve a quality school that will prepare them for a
successful future.”
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 The schools disagree. “Amandla’s performance does not warrant
revocation of its charter,” the Englewood-based school said in its
state appeal, adding the school “is integral to and supported by its
community.” The Sizemore academy cited “contrived data” and
Lighthouse said “CPS should have evaluated our school, in its
totality, and not just looked at data points from the past two
school years.”
A public hearing is required within 45 days, after which the
commission is expected to make a decision within approximately one
month.
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