A West Side charter school is running a deficit and its students had a surprisingly low performance on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, according to a Chicago Public Schools report released Tuesday.
Paz Charter School, 2401 W. Congress Pkwy., received the worst scores in the first performance study of the city’s charter schools. The school received no high ratings and had five low ratings, the most among charter schools. It also had four middle ratings.
Average math growth for the 1998-99 school year was 0.8 years and average reading growth was 0.9 years, less than at any other charter school, according to the report. Only 14.6 percent of the students met or exceeded the state standard in the ISAT.
The school also has a $685,865 deficit, according to the report.
Part of the problem is the school has been “plagued by a never-ending succession of interim principals” and school organization has suffered, the report said.
The United Neighborhood Organization of Chicago, which holds the charter, has been working with its management company, Advantage Schools, to improve the situation, the report said. UNO officials could not be reached for comment.
Chicago school board President Gery Chico said school officials are taking a closer look at the school but will not levy sanctions.
“I don’t think it’s at the danger level yet,” said Chico, who plans to re-examine the school next year. “I’m going to give them every chance to correct the problems before we do anything. Part of the virtue of being a charter is the freedom to solve your own problems and approach things in different, innovative ways.”
Chico said he was pleased overall with the performance of the city’s charter schools. He said the study allows the public to make informed decisions about where to send their children to school. About 4,200 children attend the city’s charter schools, representing less than 1 percent of the 433,000 total enrollment, he said.
The report does not compare charter schools to nearby non-charter neighbors. But Chico said the findings show non-charter schools can learn from the charters. For example, charter initiatives, such as more public-speaking exercises, should be considered for the non-charter schools, he said.
The report was released one day before the board votes on whether to allow Chicago Charter School Foundation to open a fourth school, this one at St. Edmund Episcopal Church, East 61st Street and South Michigan Avenue.
St. Edmund’s is closing its non-sectarian school in spring, said Greg Richmond, director of the charter schools office for Chicago Public Schools. The new school would open in fall and have about 100 elementary school pupils.
![Four years into cannabis legalization in Illinois, celebrations of the April 20 informal weed holiday known as 420 are getting bigger and more widespread. Named for the time of day a group of friends met to get high, 420 has become a chance for marijuana users to publicly share a previously illegal drug and the counter-cultural atmosphere surrounding it. The main event in downtown Chicago likely will be the second annual 420 Sesh Fest, at Green Rose Dispensary. The party will include live music, a magic show, carnival games, food trucks, pop ups, and product discounts. It also will feature Grammy-nominated […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-l-Illinois-marijuana_175925141.jpg?w=546 "Four years into cannabis legalization in Illinois, celebrations of the April 20 informal weed holiday known as 420 are getting bigger and more widespread. Named for the time of day a group of friends met to get high, 420 has become a chance for marijuana users to publicly share a previously illegal drug and the counter-cultural atmosphere surrounding it. The main event in downtown Chicago likely will be the second annual 420 Sesh Fest, at Green Rose Dispensary. The party will include live music, a magic show, carnival games, food trucks, pop ups, and product discounts. It also will feature Grammy-nominated […]")