Overview

• Chicago Board of Education renews contracts for 49 charter schools run by 12 charter networks, most for three or four years, starting this July.
• Each renewal came with a set of conditions, including monitoring services for students with disabilities and students learning English as a new language, improving facilities, financial compliance, and accuracy of teacher licenses.
• Chicago Teachers Union members have threatened strikes at two of the charter schools in question over issues including special education staffing levels and sanctuary protections for immigrant students and employees.
• Charter schools that meet or exceed financial and academic standards and operate at the highest levels of performance are eligible for a maximum 10-year renewal, but no school received five years.
• Chicago’s charter school community had expressed concerns that the board, appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, would make it more challenging for charters to get renewed.