A months-long impasse between North Chicago School District 187 and the LEARN Charter School Network of Chicago, which operates two schools in North Chicago, may be nearing an end as long as LEARN meets conditions imposed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
After voting to renew LEARN’s charter for both schools for five years, in March of 2025, the District 187 Independent Authority, which operates as a board of education, reversed its position and informed LEARN it must close the two schools by June 30, 2027. LEARN appealed to the ISBE.
The ISBE voted to set aside District 187’s decision not to renew the charters on May 13 in Springfield, establishing a path for the two schools — LEARN 6 and LEARN 10 — to come under state authorization by meeting specific conditions.
Greg White, LEARN’s president and CEO, said last week he was pleased with the vote approving the recommendations of the ISBE hearing officer, and he is starting to work toward satisfying those requirements.
“Now we have some certainty on what we need to do,” White said. “We can now focus on helping the academic achievement of our students and giving them the social and emotional support they need.”
District 187 Superintendent John Price, who is leaving his post June 30 to become the superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204 in Aurora, said in September he was willing to negotiate a renewal with LEARN and remains ready to talk. He said the ISBE decision worries him.
“I am concerned about the precedent this sets for the state,” Price said. “If charter schools are able to walk away from local authority, this tips the scales too far in favor of the charter schools.”
Both LEARN 6, which opened in 2012, and LEARN 10, which started four years later, educate kindergartners through eighth graders. LEARN 6 is located in a leased building at Naval Station Great Lakes. LEARN 10 classes take place in the former District 187’s Yeager Elementary School.
Treated as separate appeals by the ISBE, the order places requirements on LEARN for each school. LEARN 6 has until Sept. 1 to either sign a lease starting July 1, 2027, with the U.S. Navy for its current space or a sublease for the property with District 187 as sublessor, according to the order.
If the Navy requires a lease with District 187 and LEARN 6 as the sublease, Price said the Independent Authority board will make the final decision.
White said LEARN had a lease with the Navy when the school opened in 2012, and he is currently having conversations with naval personnel to renew the current agreement.
If no lease or sublease is signed, LEARN must find a new location for LEARN 6 by Sept. 1 which it can occupy by July 1, 2027. Proof of the building and its amenities for educating students must be included, as well as all necessary approvals from the city of North Chicago, according to the order.
Should one of the required conditions not be met by LEARN, the state may recommend ISBE “rescind its decision to grant LEARN’s appeal, requiring the charter school to close at the end of the 2026-2027 school year,” according to the opinion.
LEARN 10 faces similar conditions. It has until Sept. 1 to sign a lease with District 187 for the Yeager building or find another suitable structure.
“I have a strong preference to stay at Yeager,” White said. “If not, we will look at other possibilities. It will be in North Chicago. We’re committed to North Chicago.”
Any decision by District 187 on the former Yeager building will be made by the board, Price said.
District 187 has the right to appeal the ISBE decision to Lake County District Court. Price said that decision will be made by the school board.
