The public can weigh in on three new charters, 11 renewals and one potential revocation on Wednesday night during a marathon session of hearings at Chicago Public Schools headquarters on 42 W. Madison Street.
One school, the Near West Side campus of Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men High School, could lose its charter and be forced to close. Parents and families will have a chance to weigh in during a public comment section.
Urban Prep operates three campuses in Bronzeville, Englewood, and University Village. Only the latter, which reported 176 students this fall, is on the list to potentially shutter.
The first hearing, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., will be about new charters with proposals to open in the fall of 2019:
- Intrinsic Charter School for a traditional citywide high school;
- Project Simeon 2000 for a school that would serve at-risk students in middle grades in Englewood, where the district is planning a new $85 million high school to open in 2022;
- Chicago Education Partnership to open a traditional K-8 school in Austin.
From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the district will hear public comment on renewal applications from 11 private operators as well as the proposal to revoke Urban Prep’s University Village campus. The charter and contracts under consideration for renewal are:
- Noble Network of Charter Schools (whose founder Michael Milkie just resigned amid allegations of improper conduct with alumni)
- Namaste Charter School
- Kwame Nkrumah Academy Charter School
- Horizon Science Academy Southwest Chicago Charter School (Chicago Lawn Charter School)
- Great Lakes Academy Charter School
- Foundations College Preparatory Charter School
- Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) Charter School
- Hope Institute Learning Academy
- Excel Academy of Southshore
- Excel Academy Southwest
- Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts)
Those interested in submitting comment may register in person before the meetings, send a fax to 773-553-1559, or email iandipublichearings@cps.edu.