Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Charter Transitions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Charter staff and unions tell CPS board district must ensure stable transitions as several networks face closures
Summary
Union leaders and educators urged the Chicago Board of Education to require concrete transition plans and staff-retention protections after multiple charter operators — including EPIC and the Espira network — signaled financial instability and midyear staffing risks.
Caroline Rutherford, CTU charter division vice chair, told the board on Dec. 3 that the district has not followed a Nov. 4 directive to prepare a transition plan for EPIC families and staff and accused officials of replacing transition planning with a high-school–fair format. “CPS officials seem to be willfully ignoring the board's directives and actively dismantling the school as we speak,” Rutherford said, asking the board to investigate and to ensure receiving schools and staff retention opportunities are identified.
Multiple speakers from the Espira charter network described sudden layoffs and reports that the network might not make payroll. Teachers and union representatives said CPS advanced funds to cover payroll but that Espira leadership had not produced transparent financial plans. “We have been told we might not get paid,” said Todd Ferry, an Espira teacher, urging the board to “fully investigate the Espira Charter Network, determine the real cause of this deficit, and help us navigate it.”
CTU financial secretary Dr. Diane Castro framed the issue in budget terms. She said the mayor’s proposed cuts to TIF funding put the district at risk of midyear disruptions and warned, “Voting no on this budget would kill approximately 8,000 jobs in our schools.” Castro and other union speakers urged board members to press city council members and the mayor for stable funding.
District staff and board members responded that CPS had advanced funds where necessary but that additional follow-up would occur through the board office. The public record shows repeated requests from union leaders and charter staff for the board to require written assurances that staff and students at transitioning schools be prioritized for employment and enrollment at receiving schools.
What’s next: The board will consider related contracts and portfolio decisions at its Dec. 18 meeting; several speakers asked the board to include staff-retention language in January resolutions addressing transitions.
Sources: Public comment at the Dec. 3, 2025 Chicago Board of Education agenda review committee meeting; statements by Caroline Rutherford, Dr. Diane Castro, Heath Davis, Todd Ferry and others.
