Quest Charter Academy in Peoria likely to close after appeal denied at state level

Quest Charter Academy is likely in its final month after the Illinois State Board of Education voted to reject an appeal to have its license renewed by the governing body after Peoria Public Schools District 150 dropped its support earlier this year.

The board voted 6-0, with one abstention, to deny an appeal filed by Quest in February that would have allowed the school to be overseen by ISBE and remain in service.

Quest's appeal said that the district had not considered progress made toward academic and disciplinary goals set in place by the two parties when its charter agreement was renewed in 2022 for another two years and denied allegations that it had not complied with state statutes on staffing requirements.

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A hearing officer assigned by ISBE to hear the case in March concluded that the district had not provided enough evidence to support not renewing the agreement, saying that it was "arbitrary and capricious" that Peoria Public Schools would not renew its agreement with the school.

However, the district responded by saying that the hearing officer ignored both the data and state laws regarding the revocation or renewal of charters. It pointed out that Quest had met only three of the 11 criteria set forth in the charter agreement and that the hearing officer had "inexplicably" decided to rule in favor of the school after saying that it wasn't in line with staffing requirements.

In addition, the district said that Quest did not provide "unique" opportunities for students that couldn't be found in other schools.

State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders leaned more toward the district in his recommendation, saying that data was mixed on if the COVID-19 pandemic impacted student performance more than deficiencies in curriculum. He also said there was no question that Quest didn't meet staffing requirements and that the school's declining enrollment could lead to problems if the charter agreement was renewed.

On both sides, representatives from Peoria Public Schools and Quest appeared before the board Wednesday to state their respective cases, with District 150 board vice president Anni Reinking saying that when the Board of Education voted in January to not renew Quest's license, it was done based on facts, data and the relevant law.

"Quest failed to meet eight out of 11 performance goals (and) also violated the charter school law on certified staffing requirements," Reinking said. "Both of these failures directly impact our students."

Board president Mike Murphy agreed with Reinking, saying that the school was no longer a viable option for students in the Peoria area.

"The decision was not based on emotion, although the board was and is keenly aware of the emotional impact our decision has had on the students and parents at Quest who have had a positive experience there," Murphy said. "Rather, the board considered all of the data that our trusted administrators compiled, analyzed and presented to us, not only for the re-chartering period, but the prior 10 years as well.

Over the past 14 years, the data showed that Quest repeatedly failed to meet the academic performance goals set forth in the charter agreement and has not met their statutory requirements for certified staff since the 2017-18 school year."

Vernon Johnson, a parent who sends his children to Quest, defended the institution, saying that the school had solid academics and while it had problems, the benefits of the school outweighed the downsides.

"District 150 did not meet the needs of my 11-year-old daughter," Johnson said. "So, I chose to enroll her in Quest. My son attended Maude Sanders in District 150, and I repeatedly received calls. I asked my son, 'What's going on?' He said, 'No one likes me.' Understanding my child's feelings, I chose to home-school him. Maude Sanders did not meet his educational, social or emotional needs.

Today, considering the documented information, along with my personal experiences, I request that the Illinois State Board of Education provide the funds to keep Quest open and provide the extracurricular activities other schools receive, i.e. driver's education, athletics, etc."

Another parent, Jennifer Clark, said the district didn't have a solid plan for re-integrating students back into District 150 and that each school in the district should be judged in the same way that Quest has been.

"I believe that any standard that they want to hold Quest to, they should at least be meeting in more than five buildings before they can say that Quest should not remain open," Clark said. "They have no room to tell these students that their school isn't good enough when the district schools don't measure up, either."

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Quest's last day is slated for June 6, with graduation for outgoing seniors set for May 30. First opened in 2010 as a middle school for 5th-7th graders, it expanded by one grade per year until it opened a combined junior-senior high school in 2015. Peoria Public Schools operated the school since 2014.

The district's plan for students at Quest intending to enroll in Peoria schools for the 2024-25 school year is for them to attend a better-performing school. Eligible middle schools are Reservoir Gifted Academy, Mark Bills, Rolling Acres and Liberty Leadership. High school students can attend Richwoods. Students can also opt to return to their home schools.

Letters have also been sent to Quest staff members gauging their interest in working for Peoria Public Schools next school year.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Quest Charter Academy in Peoria set to close after appeal denied