This Philadelphia charter’s closure announcement was a surprise to the district

Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter, the Center City school that has operated for nearly a quarter of a century, will close at the end of the school year, its founder and chief administrative officer said.

Veronica Joyner on Tuesday confirmed the closure of the 900-student school, which she said was due to her impending retirement — and she was tired of dealing with the Philadelphia School District’s Charter Schools Office.

The longtime administrator, who is 73, said she was offended that the office was going to propose only a one-year renewal for her school after its contract expired in June, rather than the typical five-year term granted to most charters.

”I was insulted — after 25 years of having top grades,” Joyner said in an interview.

At the same time, Joyner said she chose to close the school, which educates students in grades 1 through 12, rather than have someone else take over because she didn’t think someone else could run it “on the level I run it on” — estimating she works “probably 12 hours plus, seven days a week.”

”I don’t feel that anybody would be able to take on that kind of responsibility, and that I would be assured these children are learning,” she said. “It might take five people to do the one job I do.”

The news caught district leaders off guard.

Both school board president Reginald Streater and acting charter schools chief Peng Chao said they had just received word about the planned closure, and it was very much a surprise — they had been planning for the school’s continued operation.

“We just learned about it this afternoon, and so we will gather as much information as possible,” Chao said. “We look forward to working with school leadership to support students.”

In August, the school board discussed Math Sciences and Civics’ fate, deciding offering a one-year charter would be best. The district’s charter school framework spells out that schools can be nonrenewed if they fail to meet standards in more than one of three domains — academics, operations and financial standards. Joyner’s charter failed in two domains, academics and operations.

In a letter to parents Monday announcing the closure, Joyner said the charter’s building would be sold.

That building is owned by People United for Better Schools, a nonprofit of which Joyner is the president. The charter, which is publicly funded, pays rent to the nonprofit.

Joyner said Tuesday that proceeds from the building sale would go back into Parents United, which would continue to operate “assisting parents.”

”None of the board members get any money, I don’t get any money, unless I start being the head of that after resigning” from the charter, Joyner said. She said that she hadn’t been paid by the nonprofit over the years, and “if we were looking for profits, I would be taking a salary” and increase the charter’s rent payments.

In her role as the charter’s CEO, Joyner was paid $229,000 in 2021, according to tax filings.

Both Streater and Chao said they worry about whether the news will destabilize the school for the remainder of the year.

“It’s certainly a concern when schools make decisions like this, in terms of staff members leaving and even families seeking other options ahead of the school year,” said Chao. “There might be disruption to the operations.”

Streater stressed that the district will work with affected families to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.

“We’re going to promote the beauty of our sector — there are high-quality options in the charter sector, and high-quality options in the district,” said Streater. “I am sure that the district will engage with parents to the fullest extent possible.”

Parents were left scrambling — and, in some cases, furious.

Rayanna Tomlin, whose daughter is in fifth grade, found about the closure by accident, when a friend’s child overheard teachers talking about it. Tomlin reached out to Joyner, who confirmed the news.

Tomlin, who also works in education, said she had loved Math Sciences and Civics.

“I’ve referred a lot of people to this school over the years. There was never a safety concern, I’ve never had a problem with her teachers. The curriculum is OK,” said Tomlin.

Once Tomlin discovered the closure, she scrambled to look for new schools for her daughter for next year, and discovered when she requested her daughter’s PSSA scores that her daughter scored “below basic” in her third grade year and had no scores for her fourth grade year, despite attending class every day.

Tomlin has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Education against Joyner for “conduct unbecoming an educator.”

“I was never informed of her ever scoring below basic,” said Tomlin. “She has received all As since first grade at the school and has never been absent. No one at the school can explain why she has no recorded PSSA scores for last year and why she scored below basic the year before but had honor roll. I am utterly disgusted by everything that is going on at the time with the school. I and my child deserve more, and this is an injustice to children and families.”

The school has been accused by some parents of using exclusionary practices, including a family represented by the Education Law Center who said their daughter was illegally expelled after an argument with a fellow student.

A Common Pleas Court judge sided with the charter in February, ruling that it hadn’t expelled her because it offered her the option to attend virtually.

In a 2019 case also brought by the law center, a mother alleged her 6-year-old was barred from enrolling after the charter learned she required services for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Joyner called it a misunderstanding; the law center noted the charter had “glaringly low” rates of special education students.

Last year, Joyner barred another student from attending this year’s prom and graduation after he was shot 10 times; she worried that his assailants may return and his presence would be a danger.

Still, Joyner touted the school’s successes Tuesday, pointing to high graduation rates and occupations of some of the school’s graduates.

She said she would support families in finding new schools for their children. ”I would never leave these parents stranded,” she said.