CHICAGO (INCS)—Earlier this week, the Illinois State Charter School Commission upheld the decision to close a low-performing charter public school and voted to approve a campus expansion of an existing high-quality charter public school. The Commission also denied an appeal by another charter school seeking an additional campus and overturned a decision to close an all-boys high school.
The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) has always supported a merit-based authorization process in an effort to create better education outcomes for children, according to Andrew Broy, INCS president. “Having a strong, independent alternative authorizer like the Commission is a marker of a strong charter public school environment. The focus should always be on quality.”
INCS played a leading role in establishing the Illinois State Charter School Commission in 2011, which was created by a strong, bipartisan vote. The Commission has been judicious in using its authority—overturning a district’s decision only seven times in its eight years of existence prior to this week’s vote. The whole purpose of the Commission is to serve as “a third party, independent, fact-based review process to ensure that only high-quality applications are approved, either on renewal or initially,” said Broy.
As an advocate for school quality above all else, INCS will continue to support the establishment of high-performing charter public schools and the closure of charter public schools that do not meet rigorous academic standards. Quality matters, and our children deserve nothing less.