Parents and teachers are pushing back against a plan to close seven charter schools in Chicago. 

Last week, the Acero charter network announced it would close seven campuses by the end of the school year — impacting more than 2,000 students and 270 teachers. The charter school network cites declining enrollment, rising personnel and facility costs, and a $40 million deficit. 

But parents and teachers are fighting back, calling for Chicago Public Schools to absorb the closing schools. 

“I know that I still see kids crying, my kids included,” said Vanessa Ortiz. “They don't want their school to close down. They feel like they did something wrong to deserve their school closing, but they’re kids, they don't understand.” 

Ortiz is a mother of five and currently has four children attending Rufino Tamayo Elementary Schools, one of the charters set to close. 

Last Wednesday, Acero’s Board of Directors adopted a resolution that allows for what it calls the “strategic reorganization of school operations,” a move that would lead to the closures of Cruz K-12 and Casas, Cisneros, Fuentes, Paz, Santiago and Tamayo elementary schools.

Under that plan, those schools would begin “winding down operations and close” in June 2025.

The news came as a shock to parents and teachers claiming they received no prior notification that these charter schools were facing challenges. 

Reyna Rodriguez, president of the Santiago Parent Committee and Bilingual Advisory Committee, recalled the moment parents and teachers found out at the same time. 

“I think about my baby, my 9-year-old boy, and my other 224, babies, students,” Rodriguez said. “Yes, because that’s what those kids are to me, my babies and my staff members, including teachers, administrators, office generators, our lunch ladies, everyone.” 

Rodriguez has been involved in the Santiago community for 12 years. Her oldest son attended the school before graduating. He is now a student at Northside College Preparatory High School. She attributes his academic success to Santiago despite having an Individualized Education Program (IEP). 

“It was so hard for him to learn how to read. But this school never gave up on him, never,” said Rodriguez. 

Ortiz’s son is also in an IEP. When he was a baby doctors found a brain tumor and removed it, but claimed he would have trouble learning, however Ortiz says he’s currently beating all odds because of the close and dedicated help he receives from his teachers — something she feels he would not receive at a Chicago Public School. 

The charter network, which currently operates 15 schools, said it does plan to continue operating one North Side campus and will transition students in affected schools to Acero’s remaining campuses or other schools.

However, parents are saying this solution is unacceptable and they fear larger class sizes will have a negative effect on their child’s academic status. 

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates issued a letter demanding CPS absorb these schools into the district to save them. 

“Now it's up to CPS. Obviously, you have the teachers union fighting for it, and as parents, we're trying to mobilize and get together to educate each other. Voting is coming up, so that’s really important getting the right elected officials in office that are going to fight for us as parents,” said Muntaser Keswani. 

His 14-year-old daughter attends Cisneros and his wife has been a teacher at the school for five years. Keswani said Cisneros has seen frequent change in principals and he attributes those issues to Acero leadership. 

CPS said in a statement Acero notified the Office of Innovation and Incubation (I & I) of their planned closure one day before informing their school community. 

“The District has limited authority over charter operations or decisions they made outside of what is written in our current agreements with each operator. I & I will collaborate with the charter school to ensure that the planned closures on June 30, 2025, are carried out in accordance with the policies outlined in the Agreement and Accountability Plan with CPS and the Chicago Board of Education," said CPS spokesperson. 

Lucy Salgado, a mother of two children who attend Tamayo Elementary, is open to the idea of CPS absorbing the charters if it keeps their schools open, but was unaware of the network’s claims of declining enrollment. 

“Tamayo is the number one school with the highest enrollment,” said Salgado. “Tamayo is one of the schools surrounding Gage park that has the highest grades and the highest test scores, including CPS.”

Helena Stangle, chief culture officer of Acero Charter network, said in a partial statement, “If nothing is done, financial burdens will cause us to cease operations entirely and let down 4,000+ students that we could otherwise serve with fidelity. We remain committed to doing everything possible to lessen the impact this has on scholars, families and staff. Work is well underway to ensure that impacted scholars and families can easily transition to their next school, and CPS and CTU have been engaged to begin critical collaborative work around this change.” 

Salgado, along with several other parents and community members, have plans in place to fight back against closures starting with a protest on Friday at 3 p.m. outside Tamayo. Parents say Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) will be in attendance. 

On Tuesday,  Lopez met with 60 parents to discuss their concerns and frustration. He issued a letter to the Acero Schools Board of Directors stating, “this decision will negatively impact hundreds of students in Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, West Englewood, Brighton Park and surrounding communities,’ particularly the special needs students at Tamayo Elementary School, that have thrived at this campus and will not have comparable support at area neighborhood schools.”

Parents and advocates continue to mobilize in hopes of saving these schools and express their frustrations with Acero leadership. 

Matt Masterson contributed to this report.