Illinois Ends Funding Of UNO Charter Schools

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 25, 2013 10:05PM

Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration announced Thursday it was cutting off all future funding to the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), the clout-heavy charter school organization that has come under fire for nepotism and contract cronyism.

UNO was awarded a $98 million grant to build three schools and much of that money was doled out to contracts to companies with ties to state Sen. Edward Acevedo, Ald. Ed Burke (14th), former mayoral candidate and Chicago School Board District President Gerry Chico, and UNO senior vice president of operations Miguel D’Escoto. UNO CEO Juan Rangel, who was co-chair of Rahm Emanuel’s successful campaign for mayor, contended there was no wrongdoing.

In a letter to Rangel announcing the state’s decision, however, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity General Counsel Charles Biggam III wrote that issuing contracts to companies owned by D’Escoto family members was a conflict of interest that should have been reported. He said they were violations of the grant agreements, and he is “withholding any further payment of grant funds and prohibiting UNO from incurring additional obligations of grant funds until further notice.”

D’Escoto was suspended from his duties in February but, according to the Sun-Times, one of the companies owned by a D’Escoto family member, Reflection Window, continues to receive business by UNO.

Emanuel said in February that UNO should be held accountable for its contract cronyism, but the ties between him and Rangel go deeper. Rangel is also on the board of the Public Building Commission of Chicago, which Emanuel chairs and, two weeks ago, ordered Chicago Public Schools to send all construction projects that need to be completed for receiving schools by the next school year go through the commission.