ASPIRA Charter Network has decided to close Haugan Middle School due to declining enrollment and financial issues
Last week, the board voted unanimously to close the school, which is in Albany Park. Right now, only 89 students are enrolled in grades 6 to 8, and they plan to close by the end of June.
Edgar López, the CEO of ASPIRA, mentioned it was a tough call. He pointed out that the school is facing a million-dollar deficit and criticized the district’s funding model for not being supportive enough for charter schools.
He also noted that a new union contract for teachers has added extra costs that exceed the school’s funding. López said the environment in Chicago isn’t friendly to charter schools, making recruitment really hard.
ASPIRA has been around since 2003 and wants to keep its two high school campuses open. But their current agreement with CPS is up at the end of June, so they’re in a bit of a bind.
Haugan Middle School opened in 2006 with 506 students, but enrollment has been dropping since 2017, losing about 100 students each year. This decline is part of a larger trend affecting many schools in Chicago.
Another charter network, Acero Schools, tried to close several schools last year for similar reasons, which caused a lot of uproar. The mayor’s education board even threatened not to renew their agreement.
For ASPIRA, CPS was informed about the closure decision back in December. They explained that charter school funding is based on student enrollment, so fewer students mean less money.
López has been talking with CPS about the closure and plans to have more discussions soon. The charter operators have the final say on whether to keep their schools open or not.
CPS mentioned that the eighth graders at Haugan have already applied to high schools for next fall, and they’ll help the remaining students find new schools.
Interestingly, Haugan shares a building with North River Elementary, which is run by CPS. So, there’s a chance that some kids could stay in the same building, but things would look different with new staff and a different curriculum.
There are also four other district-run schools nearby if they want to explore other options. As for the teachers, ten will be displaced, but most have the necessary licenses to work in other CPS schools and will get interviews to continue in the district.
Both CPS and ASPIRA are planning to hold info sessions for parents and staff to discuss the changes.
