The future is uncertain for Carmen Northwest, a charter school campus serving middle and high school students on Milwaukee’s northwest side since 2013.
Milwaukee School Board members were scheduled at a committee meeting Nov. 13 to vote on whether Milwaukee Public Schools should extend a contract that gives the school its right to exist as a public school and receive public funds.
After some school board members were critical of performance at the school and some criticized the foundational model of independently run charter schools, the committee voted to defer judgment on the contract extension, leaving onlookers in suspense until the full board is set to vote on the contract Nov. 20.
“We can’t ignore the ongoing academic concerns,” Milwaukee School Board President Missy Zombor said. “Year after year, the data shows that Carmen Northwest continues to have substantial room for improvement in academic proficiency.”