A Northeast Washington school will plead its case Thursday evening as the D.C. Public Charter School Board decides whether to close the campus because of poor academic performance.
Opened in 1998, Integrated Design Electronics Academy Public Charter School (“IDEA”) is one of the oldest charters in the District, and charter officials say it also has a "10-year history of low performance in student achievement in both reading and math."
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Fewer than 40 percent of students are proficient in math or reading, and just more than half of students graduate. On a new rankings system, IDEA fell in the bottom rung, Tier 3, with a score of 29.3 out of 100 for its middle school and 30.9 for its high school.
But Norman Johnson, IDEA's executive director, says his charter was approved to serve students who may have issues with the law or truancy, making the ratings unfair.
"I don't think any school is completely producing the results it should," Johnson told The Washington Examiner in December, when the charter board began the closing process. "We want to do better and we're working on a plan."
Every school recommended for closure is entitled to a public hearing, and IDEA's is Thursday. They'll have 30 minutes to testify to the board, followed by a one-hour question-and-answer session. Afterward, 30 minutes will be allotted for public comment.
Twenty-three percent of charter school campuses that have opened in the District have closed, topping the national average of 15 percent, according to the Center for Education Reform.
The largest share of D.C. closures, at 43 percent, has been for financial troubles. Mismanagement shuttered 27 percent, while 30 percent closed because of academic concerns.
