Jul 1, 2025

Article #5 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota< Volume XII, Number One, July 2025

Communication from Concerned Citizen King Freeman Regarding Failure at the Former KIPP Academy: 

Even Though Charter Schools are Typically Even Worse Than the Public Schools, Many Parents Desperately Seek Options to the Minneapolis Public Schools

 

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.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

King Freeman 

Wednesday, 25 June 2025

8:59 PM

 

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.

 

 

---

 

 What’s Happening at KIPP MN Can’t Be Ignored

 

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.

 

------- 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

 

………………………………………………………………………….

 

How sad, and how terribly indicative of the disregard for the Minneapolis Public Schools felt by many community members, that parents desperately seek options in abysmal schools such as the KIPP Academy of Minneapolis.

No comments:

Post a Comment