CSE educators call for administrators to 'do the right' thing and keep school open

For more information, contact:
Blythe Inners                                                           
President, Federation of Charter School Employees       
Community School of Excellence                                 
651-528-6014   

Chris Williams
651-292-4816 (work)
651-247-5539 (cell)

ST. PAUL, Minn. June 13, 2016 –  Supporters of the Community School of Excellence are scheduled to meet Monday evening with representatives of the Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools, which is in negotiations with the school's leadership to become the school's new authorizer.

If the school fails to secure a new authorizer by July 1, it will be forced to close.

The president of the unionized educators of the Community School of Excellence, Blythe Inners, released the following statement ahead of the meeting:

"It has been a difficult few days, but the professional educators of the Community School of Excellence remain committed to keeping our school open," Inners said. "We work hard every day to help our students reach their potential as learners and as people who are proud of their heritage and open to the world."

"We understand the future of the school is now at risk and we urge the CSE leadership to take the necessary steps to save our school," Inners said. "With one voice, we ask the administration to do the right thing and honor the terms of its authorization agreement with the Minnesota Guild and the new stipulation that a labor agreement be in place by June 25. The administrator's decision last week to break that agreement by restructuring the school threatens all the work we've done together to make CSE what it is today."

The meeting with the Minnesota Guild is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the main office of the Hmong American Partnership, 1075 Arcade St., St. Paul. 

The faculty and staff at the Community School of Excellence, a charter school, voted about two years ago to organize into a local union affiliated with Education Minnesota. Negotiations for the first contract are scheduled to resume on Thursday, although the school has fired four of the five members of the union's negotiating team.