Board Rejects Proposal for Charter School in Chicago Heights

A group seeking to open a charter school in Chicago Heights was turned Thursday.

A unanimous vote by Chicago Heights Elementary School District 170 board members shut down dreams of a school envisioned to serve 500 of the district’s 3,400 students in grades kindergarten through eighth.

But why? wonders LEARN Charter School Network President Greg White.

“No one’s asked any questions,” White said of board members’ response to the proposal, as reported by Daily Southtown.

More than 400 teachers and parents flooded into the auditorium for the school board meeting. White spoke of a first-year enrollment of 135 students—down from the original 250—in addition to offering to postpone the proposal and to pay the district rent.

A 3.3-acre site at 1813 McKinley Ave. was being considered as a possible location for the school.

One opponent said more than 1,500 residents had signed a petition against the school. A representative from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools stated that 1,000 had signed a separate petition in support of the school.

White said LEARN will most likely appeal the board’s decision, once they receive a letter outlining the board’s reasoning.

“We want to give the families in Chicago Heights a choice.”