A Kansas City charter school for students who struggle academically is once again slated to close at the end of the school year unless it finds another sponsor.
The Missouri Charter Public School Commission revoked Genesis School’s charter in early 2023, citing low test scores that lagged behind Kansas City Public Schools. It’s rare for the commission to revoke a charter mid-contract, and after a drawn-out appeals process, the school reopened.
Commissioners raised the same concerns at Monday’s meeting when they opted not to renew the school’s charter for another five years. Five members voted to not renew, Alicia Kotarba abstained and Antoine Lee voted no.
Kevin Foster, executive director at Genesis, said it’s frustrating for families to have to find another school for their children for the second time in three years.
“Having gone through this renewal process and received their input and compared us against the schools that they feel would best serve their needs, they're going to get a lesser outcome,” Foster said.
Commission staff said they recommended not to renew the school’s contract because students performed poorly on benchmark tests and the school failed to meet its contract goals.
Staff noted that in 2020 and 2023, the academic sections of the school's annual report were rated “falls far below.” The draft results for 2024 are rated “does not meet academic standards,” according to the commission.
Robbyn Wahby, executive director of the charter commission, said members want the schools to succeed, and it’s disruptive when a school closes.
“But, on occasion, it is better that we close a school than it offer a substandard, poor education for children, especially children who've been failed by other public schools,” Wahby said.
Commission staff said despite progress and growth, the school still underperforms. According to the commission, only twice since 2010 have 20% of Genesis’ students been proficient in English Language Arts. They said only once had 20% of their students been proficient in math.
The commission also said the school’s renewal application lacked an “aggressive plan” to significantly improve academic outcomes for students. Wahby said test scores are important, but members also look at other metrics — including how the school leadership and community support students.
“When we are making a decision to go beyond test scores, we are looking for a sign that a school can perform well over the next five years,” Wahby said.
Just months ago, staff at Genesis celebrated the school’s latest annual test scores. The Annual Performance Report evaluates student attendance, career readiness and test scores at public and charter schools.
The state uses it to review and accredit school districts, but not charters, who go through the renewal process with their sponsors.
Genesis received full points under the report for how much students improved in English Language Arts and math. It was just one of 32 districts and charters in the state to do so, according to Genesis.
Overall, the school said English language arts scores increased by 10 points and math performance increased by 21 points. Among Kansas City’s 20 charter schools, Genesis said it ranks at the top for student growth and is 10th in overall academic performance.
“It's hard to explain to a parent why, at a school that their child is achieving that kind of growth, that there's some body of evidence over time that tells them that they shouldn't be able to come back to our school next year,” Foster said.
Foster said student improvement is the most important metric for Genesis, which strives to serve students who are behind academically. In its renewal application, the school said all of its students qualify for free and reduced lunch and 76% receive social services.
Genesis said 56% of students transferring into the school scored in the bottom 20th percentile in reading upon entry, 67% qualified for reading support plans, and 15% of students qualified for special education services.
The school also said it wants to prioritize enrolling students who struggle with reading in its renewal application.
Genesis School said in a statement following Monday’s meeting that it is “dedicated to exploring all options to continue to serve the academic and social needs of the Genesis school community.”
Genesis will have to find a new sponsor to continue operating. Foster said the school has also retained legal counsel.
Universities have a long history of sponsoring charters in Kansas City, but in recent years, many have either dropped their relationships or the state has removed them. An increasing number of charters in Kansas City are now sponsored by the public school district or the state-created commission.
At Monday’s meeting, the commission approved renewing the charters of DeLaSalle Education Center in Kansas City and Gateway Science Center in St. Louis.
