Overview
- CPS will start moving about 540 students from ASPIRA Business & Finance and ASPIRA Early College high schools to other campuses for the remainder of the school year.
- CPS called the action unprecedented for the district and said it is not revoking ASPIRA’s charter, and a separate alternative campus operated with Youth Connections remains open.
- The district says it already advanced roughly $2.5 million to ASPIRA and reached a state-imposed limit, while the network did not provide secured outside funding or a credible plan to complete the year.
- ASPIRA asked CPS for retroactive funding at the legal maximum for prior years, which the district said it cannot provide, and CPS says the network has not submitted required audits and monthly cash-flow reports.
- Students, parents, and the Chicago Teachers Union sought assurances on credit transfers, IEPs, college applications, and staff placement as CPS pledges individualized help with new school options.