By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Governor Rod Blagojevich has directed the Illinois State Board of Education to authorize a charter school in Venice. Venice has been without a high school this fall, after residents voted to shut it down due to financial problems.
Some in the Venice community had hoped to have a charter school in place by now but have, instead, sent some 60 students to schools in East St. Louis and other districts.
Spokeswoman for the governor, Rebecca Rausch, says the state board has dragged its feet, "The community has tried desperately to work with the state board of education. They've offered a number of proposals to open a charter school in that area which would grant them greater flexibility to operate. And, to date, the state board has not acted on any of those proposals."
A spokesperson for the Illinois Board of Education says the new state superintendent is working "intensely" to review the charter school application for Venice.