Grundy Reporter

Illinois State Board of Education, Education Policy Planning Committee of the Whole met May 14.

Here is the agenda provided by the committee:

1. Roll Call

Chair Dr. Donna Leak brought the meeting to order at 2:31 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with seven members attending in person. Chair Leak, Dr. Patricia Nugent, Dr. Chris Benson, Roger Eddy, Laura Gonzalez, Dr. Sherly Chavarria, and Dr. Steven Isoye were physically present. Dr. James Anderson and Dr. Anna Grassellino were absent. State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders was also in attendance.

Members Present

Chair Dr. Donna Leak

Dr. Chris Benson

Dr. Sherly Chavarria

Roger Eddy

Laura Gonzalez

Dr. Steven Isoye

Dr. Patricia Nugent

Members Absent

Dr. James Anderson

Dr. Anna Grassellino

Staff Present

Dr. Tony Sanders, State Superintendent

Jo Ireland, Board Services Coordinator

Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent

Kristin Kennedy, Chief Legal Officer

Dr. Kimako Patterson, Chief of Staff

Krish Mohip, Chief Education Officer – Operations

Tassi Maton, Chief Internal Audit Officer

Irma Snopek, Chief Policy & Communications Officer

Ann Whalen, Chief Advisor to Early Childhood Transition

Jason Helfer, Ph.D., Chief Education Officer – Instruction

Jennifer Saba, Executive Director of Improvement and Innovation

David Turovetz, Director of Charter Schools

Director of School Business Services Michael Gum

Melissa Oller, Chief Operating Officer

Marci Johnson, Director of CTE

Jackie Matthews, Executive Director of Communications

2. Public Participation

Josh Herman, attorney for Quest Charter Academy, spoke on the school’s renewal. He urged the Board to take the hearing officer’s recommendation and grant Quest an appeal. He stated that Quest is working to overcome the statewide shortage of certified teachers and currently has 71.8% certified instructional staff, anticipating 82% by the start of the next school year. He added that Peoria Public Schools’ own schools also have failed to reach their legal threshold of 100%, and that ISBE has regularly renewed charter schools despite being below the legal threshold of 75%. He urged that the Board compare Quest to the schools from which its students matriculate – which he said Quest exceeds – rather than to the district as a whole.

Bryanna Johnson, a teacher at Quest Charter Academy, spoke on the school’s renewal. She explained how Quest helped her through the teacher certification process, providing financial support, mentorship, and feedback. She added that Quest works hard to find knowledgeable individuals and help them reach certification. She shared that some students come to Quest with reading skills far below their grade level, and she has seen them make great strides at Quest. She stated that the local district has only one high school that performs at the same level at Quest, and that school is up to an hour away for some Quest students. She asked the Board to think of the students who would be affected by a premature closure.

Adam Arenas, English as a second language teacher at Quest Charter Academy, translated on behalf of Rosalba Chavez, a parent of a student at Quest Charter Academy, who spoke on the school’s renewal. She said that Quest has given its students an individualized and high-quality education and cared for students as if they were their own. She added that Quest has made families feel valued and has communicated with them in their first language. Ms. Chavez shared her gratitude for the education that her son received at Quest. He will start college this fall to pursue a career as an electrician, and she said that the support of his teachers at Quest was essential.

Garry Moore, a teacher at Quest Charter Academy, spoke on the school’s renewal. He said that Quest is a place where students have a voice, run a radio show and podcast, and learn in depth about music. He thanked Dr. Taunya Jenkins for bringing new direction to the school, which he said serves as a refuge for students. He urged the Board to vote to keep Quest open.

Rayniah Anderson, an eighth-grade student at Quest Charter Academy, spoke on the school’s renewal. She said that Quest provides unparalleled academic support and extracurricular activities, such as cheer. She added that the school helped her through the loss of her father the previous year, surrounding her with love and support. She said that the school is a place of refuge for all students to grow into the best versions of themselves.

Glenn Ross, president of the Quest Charter Academy Board of Directors, spoke on the school’s renewal. He explained that Quest outperforms most schools in Peoria Public Schools, with 95% of Quest students coming from lower-performing schools. He said that Quest students are more likely to graduate and enroll in college than if they had stayed at their previous schools, with the entire graduating class of 2024 intending to enroll in college this fall. He said that the charter’s closure would result in almost all students being bused to schools on the other side of the city. He asked the Board to reverse Peoria School District 150’s decision to non-renew Quest.

Lafelda Jones, librarian at Quest Charter Academy, spoke on the school’s renewal. She asked that the Board look at Quest’s performance statistics with an inquisitive eye, recognizing that numbers often overlook important nuances. She added that the superintendent of Peoria Public Schools had said that students’ progress, rather than proficiency alone, ought to be taken into account. Ms. Jones described steady growth among students who had come to Quest with substandard academic performance, adding that Quest treats students with confidence that they will succeed.

Dr. Taunya Jenkins, CEO of Quest Charter Academy, spoke on the school’s renewal. She stated that Quest is progressing with reasonable progress, despite the pandemic and the fact that students come from the lowest performing schools within the district. She added that some public schools in Peoria have metrics far below Quest’s, and that ISBE had deemed Quest to be a Commendable school. She said that Quest students live in neighborhoods that are burdened by violence, and the work that Quest does truly matters, helping students of color feel supported and find academic success through individualized learning.

Allison Jack, director of policy and advocacy at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools spoke on the topic of Quest Charter Academy renewal. She said that Quest has a greater percentage of low-income students than Peoria Public Schools, and families chose Quest because they believed it was in the best interests of their children. She noted that an independent hearing officer had found the district’s actions to be arbitrary and capricious. She noted that

Quest students must legally be sent to higher-performing schools, noting that many schools in Peoria have lower graduation rates and larger achievement gaps. She urged the Board to grant an appeal.

3. Approval of Minutes: April 16, 2024

Ms. Gonzalez moved that the Education Policy Planning Committee of the Whole approves the April 16, 2024, meeting minutes. Dr. Benson seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.

4. Superintendent’s Consent Agenda – May 15, 2024

Chair Leak noted that each of these items had been previously discussed.

5. Discussion & Approval

A. Approval of Rescission and Non-Renewal Decision for Bronzeville Academy Charter School

Chief of Staff Dr. Kimako Patterson, Director of Charter Schools David Turovetz, and Executive Director of Improvement and Innovation Jennifer Saba discussed this item.

Mr. Eddy asked who the current authorizer of Bronzeville Academy Charter School is. Mr. Turovetz confirmed that ISBE is the authorizer. Mr. Eddy asked if ISBE’s decision-making and reasoning regarding the renewal of a state authorized charter could differ from the reasoning of a local district concerning the renewal of one of their district authorized charters. Mr. Turovetz said yes. Mr. Eddy then asked if a charter authorized by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) could appeal if CPS denied its charter renewal. Mr. Turovetz confirmed this, stating that ISBE would then hire a hearing officer. Mr. Eddy inquired whether an ISBE-authorized charter school could appeal ISBE’s decision to non-renew via a hearing officer, as well. Ms. Saba said no, stating that this would be a final administrative action and could only be appealed in court.

Mr. Eddy stated that a substantial reason for closing Bronzeville is that it did not succeed in securing a new location. He asked if there were additional considerations pertinent to the denial of Bronzeville Academy, such as academic achievement, finances, or staffing. Ms. Saba said that Bronzeville’s charter had been renewed in February, albeit with concerns in each of these categories, and so conditions were added to the renewal. She said that the current recommendation to rescind the renewal is because of the significant uncertainty regarding the location for the coming school year. Mr. Eddy asked how the performance of the students at Bronzeville compared to other charter schools that ISBE has authorized. Mr. Turovetz noted that several state-authorized charter schools are on remediation plans, which Bronzeville’s renewal agreement included.

Mr. Eddy stated that, in the case of a state-authorized charter school, ISBE can determine whether or not academic performance has been satisfactory. However, when the district is the charter authorizer, it determines the conditions – which could be completely different than ISBE would have set – that are then accepted by the charter. Mr. Turovetz said yes. Chair Leak agreed that the authorizer can be a big difference. Mr. Eddy noted that granting an appeal and renewing a state-authorized charter are two distinct processes for ISBE that cannot easily be compared. Chair Leak agreed that this clarity is very important. She added that when ISBE takes over authorization of a charter school, the local school district no longer has any say over how those funds are allocated. Mr. Eddy stated that the law is very clear regarding what actions ISBE may or may not take. Meeting the standard of legal compliance is a necessary condition for ISBE to grant an appeal, in addition to the school being in the best interest of the students.

Dr. Chavarria asked to confirm if the legal standard for ISBE to consider granting an appeal is different from the legal standard for ISBE to consider renewing a state-authorized charter school. Ms. Saba said that it is, adding that the two-prong standard is specific to an appeal rather than a reauthorization. Mr. Eddy said that Peoria could have renewed Quest Charter Academy’s charter even without the school meeting the two-prong standard. Ms. Saba confirmed this.

Ms. Gonzalez asked how student placement in CPS schools would be determined. Mr. Turovetz said that Chicago has a fairly open enrollment process. Students are automatically eligible to enroll in their neighborhood school, and CPS will map Bronzeville students to these schools and identify other schools that could have openings for Bronzeville students. Special needs also will be discussed with parents, and some parents are specifically looking for charter schools, so CPS is engaged in helping them. ISBE will be tracking this process and collaborating with CPS to reach out to parents. Ms. Gonzalez noted the importance of catering to special needs students, English learners, and others. Dr. Chavarria asked if the Board would receive a written plan and regular updates. Mr. Turovetz said yes. Chair Leak asked if there was any possibility that some Bronzeville students would qualify for selective enrollment, given that testing occurred in December. Mr. Turovetz said that selective enrollment is largely complete in CPS; however, the district will consider if there are any openings for Bronzeville students.

Dr. Chavarria asked about the school’s emergency relocation in April, inquiring if the requirements to relocate are different in an emergency than for a permanent relocation. Mr. Turovetz stated that a material modification is not necessary in an emergency in order for the school to temporarily relocate when student safety is at risk, whereas it would be necessary for a permanent relocation.

Chair Leak asked how many students are enrolled at Bronzeville. Mr. Turovetz said that there were 322 students, including 40 eighth graders. Mr. Eddy asked to confirm that, at this point, there was no viable plan to house students that has been submitted to ISBE. Mr. Turovetz said there was not.

6. Upcoming June Board Action

A. Approval for Publication – Part 180 (Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools) Various Updates Director of School Business Services Michael Gum discussed this item. There were no questions.

Mr. Eddy asked who the building reviewers and inspectors are. Mr. Gum said that ISBE issues inspection licenses to individuals who have a certain number of hours of experience once ISBE has reviewed their credentials and experience. Mr. Eddy asked which professions these individuals come from. Mr. Gum said that applicants are normally employees of larger firms that inspect buildings, while architects and engineers are automatically qualified. Mr. Eddy and Chair Leak noted that the application fee had been raised from $25 to $30.

7. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda

Chair Leak requested an update on the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan rollout, as well as an update on the high school assessment process and supports for connecting the elementary Illinois Assessment of Readiness test to the high school assessment.

8. Next Meeting: June 11, 2024

9. Adjourn

Dr. Nugent made a motion to adjourn. Dr. Isoye seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote. Chair Leak adjourned the Education Policy Planning Committee of the Whole meeting at 3:39 p.m.

https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/051424-EPP-Minutes.pdf