The Community School of Excellence in St. Paul has put its future in jeopardy by changing programming and laying off teachers just weeks before its deadline to secure a new authorizing agency, the director of that agency said Wednesday.
School leadership said Tuesday they were rethinking how they teach students learning English and seeking better ways to offer other academic programs at the underperforming school, which serves about 1,000 predominantly Hmong students. Those changes would result in the firing of about 19 of 82 staffers, including several union leaders who were working to negotiate the charter school’s first contract. Union officials characterized the staff cuts as retaliation for organizing, something the school denied.
Whatever the motivation for the changes, if not reversed they will derail the process of signing on with charter school authorizer the Minnesota Guild, the organization’s director said Wednesday. The Minnesota Guild was the sole authorizer that stepped forward to take on the school when Concordia University announced in 2014 that it was ending its relationship with the school.
“We were on track to meet the statutory deadline of July 1 to execute a contract,” said Brad Blue, Minnesota Guild director. “That all changed yesterday.”
Blue said the Minnesota Department of Education has approved a “change of authorizer” plan designed and agreed upon by the school and the guild. If the school doesn’t stick to that plan, the department won’t allow them to finalize an agreement. Without a new authorizer, the school can’t continue to operate, and time is running short.
“The next 48 hours are critical,” Blue said. “This will have some clarity and definition in the next 48 hours and it will either be epic or tragic.”
Bao Vang, executive director of the school, did not return a call requesting comment Wednesday night.