A note to my readers >>>>>
On the
evening of Wednesday, 25 June 2025, I received the following communication via
email from concerned citizen King Freeman regarding academic and administrative
failure at KIPP Academy in Minneapolis.
King’s concerns resonated with me because of students who came to me
desperately seeking help after having attended KIPP Academy.
KIPP (Knowledge
is Power Program) was founded in 1994 in Houston, Texas (with a school based on
the model soon established in Brooklyn, New York) by former Teach for America instructors, Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg. The KIPP
model garnered national attention, including a prominent report aired on the
venerable CBS television show, 60 Minutes. At present, there are 270 KIPP charter
schools in twenty (20) states, with a total enrollment of 160,000 PreK-12
students. The KIPP national organization
continues to claim great success in imparting college preparatory instruction
to underserved populations.
But the
Minneapolis KIPP Academy has struggled throughout the school’s establishment in
Minneapolis during the 2008-2009 academic year, never remotely living up to the
national reputation.
The
national organization has now dropped the KIPP Academy in Minneapolis from the
national network of approved KIPP schools.
A spring
2025 communication from the school’s administration provided an upbeat account
of the revocation; rebranding is now
underway.
Below I
reprint Freeman’s initial communication and another that he sent to me the same
evening whereby he sought redress for the problems at KIPP from VOA (Volunteers
of America), this charter school’s authorizer.
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Dear Dr.
Davison,
I’m
reaching out because your words at MPS board meetings and your decades of
unwavering advocacy for students have always carried truth where others
hesitate. I’ve admired your clarity, your courage, and your refusal to
compromise on what public education should be.
Now I’m
asking for your help.
---
Over the
past few months, I’ve contacted every major news outlet, every KIPP board
member, VOA (the charter authorizer), and local papers. The only response I
received was a hollow one from VOA. No press coverage. No investigation. No
accountability.
Here’s
what’s happening:
Unlicensed
teachers in classrooms easily verifiable through PELSB.
Over 23
staff resigned or were terminated, many after reporting retaliation,
harassment, or misconduct.
The CEO,
Shana Ford, awarded herself a raise to over $201,000/year—while enrollment
dropped below 200 students and student proficiency fell to 3.7% in math and
10.4% in reading.
Federal
racial discrimination claims have been validated by the courts and allowed to
proceed (Williams v. KIPP MN).
The Chief
Academic Officer Isreal was publicly named in a fraud case.
And
perhaps most damning: The national KIPP Foundation has now pulled its name from
this organization. Starting 26-27
This is
not an education nonprofit. It is an unregulated, failing institution operating
on public dollars and actively harming the students it claims to serve.
---
Why I’m
Asking You
Your
life’s work has modeled what true advocacy looks like. You’ve never shied away
from calling out dysfunction, even when it’s uncomfortable or politically
inconvenient.
Our
children cannot afford more silence. I’ve attached the original email I’ve been
sending (below) so you can see the facts for yourself.
Thank you
for your time and for continuing to speak up when it counts most.
In
solidarity,
King
Freeman
Concerned
Citizen
Sent
with Proton
Mail secure email.
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Forwarded Message -------
From: King Freeman <Kingfreeman56@proton.me>
Date: On Friday, March 21st, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Subject: Concern
To:
To Whom
It May Concern,
As a
concerned citizen, I am reaching out because I can no longer ignore what’s
happening at KIPP Minnesota. Through simple online searches using only public
tools like the Minnesota Report Card, PELSB license lookup, ProPublica’s 990
archive, and public court documents I’ve found enough evidence to raise serious
concerns about KIPP MN’s leadership, hiring practices, academic integrity, and
its charter authorizer, Volunteers of America (VOA).
If I can
find this, so can you. The difference is I’m calling it out.
1) Unlicensed Teachers in Classrooms
- The PELSB public license
lookup confirms that some individuals assigned to teach at KIPP MN
are not licensed in the subject areas they are teaching.
- This is a basic requirement under
Minnesota law. If I can verify this, there is no excuse for the board or
VOA to miss it.
2) 23 Staff Resignations or Firings And a
Culture of Retaliation
- At least 23 staff have either
resigned or been terminated, some after reporting serious workplace
concerns.
- Reports include allegations
of sexual harassment and retaliation for speaking up.
- Former employees have described a
pattern of silencing, gaslighting, and a hostile working environment.
- Ask those who left you’ll likely
hear story after story of what this leadership has enabled.
3) Shana Ford’s Hiring of Abdul Wright Raises
Serious Ethical Questions
- In the 2021–2022 KIPP MN VOA
Annual Report, Abdul Wright is listed as a
staff member at KIPP Legacy (page 20).
- Shana Ford, the current CEO of KIPP
Minnesota, previously worked with
Wright at Best Academy.
- Knowing that Wright had
a history of serious allegations, Shana Ford made the decision
to bring him into KIPP MN.
- While KIPP is not directly named
in Hennepin County Case No. 27-CV-25-4686, this lawsuit includes
disturbing allegations involving Abdul Wright.
- The issue here is not that KIPP is
being accused in this case, but that its leader, with full professional
knowledge of Wright’s past, still chose to bring him into a school
setting with children. That is a serious lapse in ethical leadership.
4) Federal
Court Finds Racial Discrimination Claims
at KIPP MN Are Valid
- In Williams v. KIPP Minn.,
Civil 23-2200, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that race
discrimination and defamation claims could proceed.
- The plaintiff, a Black
paraprofessional, was terminated after a student allegation, with no
investigation and no opportunity to respond.
- A white staff member accused of
physical misconduct was not disciplined or even investigated.
- The judge found it plausible that
race was the “but-for” cause of Williams’ termination.
- This isn't an opinion this is a
federal ruling that validates a pattern of discriminatory practice.
5. Academic
Collapse and Enrollment Decline While CEO Pay Increases
Minnesota
Report Card data shows:
- Math proficiency dropped from
4.8% (2021) to 3.7% (2024)
- Reading proficiency dropped
from 13.4% (2022) to 10.4% (2024)
Enrollment
numbers:
- 635 in 2020
- 443 in 2022
- 271 in 2024
- 231 projected for 2025
Meanwhile, IRS
990 filings show:
- Shana Ford earned $189,030 in
2022 and $201,832 in 2023
- That’s a $12,800
raise during a time of declining performance and negative net assets
(-2.4 million)
The
national nonprofit average raise is 3–6%. Hers was over 8%, during
organizational failure.
6. Chief
Academic Officer Named in a Public Fraud Case
- Isreal Moses, KIPP MN’s current CAO,
was publicly named in a Hennepin County case involving fraudulent
emergency housing payouts totaling over $160,000.
- He was one of the landlords accused
of accepting emergency assistance funds for properties that didn’t exist
or weren’t under their ownership.
- Yet he is now responsible for
academic oversight at KIPP.
7. VOA’s
Failure as an Authorizer
- Volunteers of America (VOA) is
responsible for ensuring accountability and compliance in the schools it
authorizes.
- So where is the accountability?
- Why are unlicensed teachers in
classrooms?
- Why are leaders with fraud-related
histories and connections to misconduct hired into senior roles?
- Why are discrimination and
retaliation claims piling up, but no external investigations are
launched?
- Why is a school
with plummeting test scores and enrollment still allowed to
operate without intervention?
8. Board
Responsibility and a Pattern of Negligence
As a board, you are expected to act in the best interests of students,
families, and the public. And yet, I’ve
noticed a common thread through this decline: Nicole Danielson. As a board member Leader, her continued
presence and influence raise serious questions.
Accountability should apply to everyone especially those who have
held power during this downward spiral. This
isn’t a conspiracy theory or hidden information. These are facts, easily
found in public reports, court rulings, and government databases. I’m a citizen, not a paid auditor and if I
can find this, so can you.
The board
and VOA have no excuse. You are either turning a blind eye, or you are
complicit.
Sincerely,
King
Concerned Citizen
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