North Minneapolis' JJ Legacy charter school closing due to financial concerns
MINNEAPOLIS — A north Minneapolis charter school is closing, with the authorizer saying it had "no other choice" due to financial issues.
The board of the JJ Legacy School's recent vote to close "is in the best interests of the children and families at the school," a spokesperson for authorizer Osprey Wilds said.
Administrators so the school's debt totals $710,000.
"Given the significant debt from previous years and cash flow restrictions for the remaining school year, the Board was left with no other choice," Director of Charter School Authorizing Erin Anderson said. "Osprey Wilds is glad that the children and families of JJ Legacy, as well as staff, are able to transition to other schools and an orderly closure of the school can now occur."
"A lot of students do come from an unstable place. It has been our job as a school to create that stable space for them. And to see that gone, I think that's what's crushing people," said Kandice Childs, a second-grade teacher at the school. Childs' son graduated from the school and her daughter is currently enrolled.
"For me, the lesson I learned, the journey is the blessing," she said.
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The Minnesota Department of Education confirmed the school's plans to close.
According to its website, the school was founded as Bright Water Montessori Preschool in 2004, with a public elementary charter school opening in 2007. The school was refounded in 2020 as Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School.