Teachers at Chavez Prep Middle School in Columbia Heights went on strike this past week after the charter network announced that it would close its middle school campus. Teachers believe the campus closing is a retaliatory act against unionization effort, which is a clear violation of federal labor laws. However, the charter network states that the school is closing due to decreased enrollment; it plans on merging schools in its network, as well as closing another middle school the following year. The Chavez network denies the teachers allegations, saying that it is projected to lose 5 million dollars across all four of its campuses. Union representatives are skeptical and claim the closing of the campus can be attributed to poor allocation of funds, and the inability to reach an agreement between the teachers and management in negotiating a contract. The National Labor Relations Board is set to review the case.
See "D.C.’s only unionized charter school filed another federal labor complaint — this time as its campus is shutting down", Perry Stein, The Washington Post, April 1, 2019