Charter School Group To Close After CEO's Firing: Report

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The pro-charter school group that abruptly fired its CEO last week could close completely after dismissing its top executive, Politico reported.

Families for Excellent Schools fired its CEO and co-founder last week after investigating a report that the he had behaved inappropriately toward a non-employee, the company said.

Politico later reported that the CEO, Jeremiah Kittredge, was accused of sexual harassment, and that the company was on the verge of closing partly or completely after losing their top executive.

On Monday, Politico reported that the powerful pro-charter group would close at least a portion of its 40-person office in the wake of its CEO's dismissal, according "multiple sources with knowledge of the situation."

The nonprofit did not provide a comment in response to an email from Patch.

Politico reported last week that the report in question stemmed from an incident at a November education conference in Washington, D.C. A woman attending the conference wrote on Facebook that a man, who sources identified as Kittredge, harassed her in an elevator.

"Just three weeks ago, at the single ed reform conference I attend each year, another attendee, a guy much younger than me, sticks his head in my chest, tells me my boobs are supple (seriously? Who uses that word?) and then rides up an elevator with me late at night commenting on how big my boobs are," the woman wrote on Facebook, according to Politico.

The Facebook post was reported to Families for Excellent Schools, who retained a law firm to investigate the claim.

The investigation and "additional factors" led to Kittredge's firing, FES said last week.

An attorney for Kittredge did not immediately respond to an email from Patch seeking comment.

According to Kittredge's bio, he worked as a public school teacher and union organizer before going on to co-found Families for Excellent Schools in 2011.

The organization, which is headquartered in the Financial District, advocates for school choice and charter schools in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Kittredge has frequently sparred with Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, accusing the city of "dire conditions" in the city's Renewal schools and demanding more public space for charter schools.

In September, the group paid a $425,000 fine in Massachusetts after it was faulted for refusing to disclose its donors. The fine was the largest in the state's campaign history, according to the Boston Globe.

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