Charter school board votes to close amid financial crisis
Jaralyn Roberts comforts her daughter Jayla after families learn JJ Legacy School will close. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
By Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter
In an emergency meeting held Friday evening, JJ Legacy School board members voted to close the charter school effective Jan. 12. The decision came after officials discovered financial problems caused in part by inaccurate enrollment reporting.
Staff, community and board members say they were blindsided by the news. Families have one week to relocate their children to different schools.
The sudden shutdown comes months after the school had found a new home after an eviction over disputes with rent and repair. JJ Legacy previously operated at a building owned by Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church.
Charter school authorizer Erin Anderson said she was examining general education rankings for charter schools in December when she noticed a discrepancy between the school’s state funding and its actual enrollment.
“I was looking at the document… and discovered that this school is being paid for 183 students,” Anderson said. “How many kids are actually at the school as of the December board meeting was 57.”
Charter school authorizer Erin Anderson explained the financial outlook to JJ Legacy parents and staff in an emergency meeting Friday night. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
The Department of Education (DOE) funds schools based on enrollment and students served. Because of this, the school has far surpassed the amount of money it was allowed to receive, forcing the DOE to cease funding JJ Legacy for the rest of the year.
“There is a significant debt that has to be paid off, and with no more money coming in, there's no way to pay it off,” Anderson said.
The school had been without an accountant for more than a year.
The school lacks cash reserves to operate for the second half of the year and is $710,000 in debt. DEO payments will end on Jan. 15. JJ Legacy will have to re-apply for a charter school license if it ever wants to open its doors again.
School leadership has dealt with several setbacks, including the landlord dispute, moving to a new building and the founders dealing with a terminal illness in their family.
“They're going through something we can’t even imagine,” said second-grade teacher Kandice Childs. “Their dream is something that few are strong enough to actually do. To know that I was a part of that is a blessing for me.”
The air in the room was heavy with teachers and parents dealing with the shock of the news.
Some took a break in the hallway to embrace some students in attendance.
“I’m sorry, I'm sorry, I’m sorry,” is all one teacher could manage.
“You are amazing,” staff member Tracey Fluegel said, wiping a student's tears away. “There is nothing we could have done differently, or else we would have. How are we going to tell them?”
The staff will break the news to the rest of the student body next week.
Leadership from Excell Academy, a charter school in Brooklyn Center, was present to share that they will be creating openings to welcome some JJ Legacy staff and students.
As the meeting closed, staff came forward to thank students and parents for the time they spent with JJ Legacy.
“My (students) taught me more about myself than I taught them,” said Antonio Walker, a student success coach. “It's been a very beautiful thing.”
“It is hard. But the run was great, and the journey was a blessing for me,” Childs said. “I’ve gotten to know the staff like family. We’ve been through a lot. Thank you again for everything.”
JJ Legacy was founded in 2020 and named for Minnesota civil rights icon Josie Johnson. The school’s mission was to provide an equitable Montessori education in North Minneapolis, centering on cultural and racial identity.
“This was not all in vain, I don't believe that. Because when I look into the eyes of the children, I know what impact we’ve had,” Fluegel said.