Education

Column: Native charter school principal resigns

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

"Under fire recently for his heated run-in with a Mills College professor and her grad students, foul-mouthed educator Ben Chavis has resigned as principal of American Indian Public Charter School. Chavis, who won national accolades for his school's test scores and local scorn for his controversial teaching methods, said he moved to Tucson, Arizona to spend more time with his grandkids. "I had a great experience there," he said of American Indian. "I never had so much fun fighting liberals in my life."

Full Disclosure learned of Chavis' resignation after receiving a packet of documents sent by American Indian Public Charter School to the Oakland Unified School District as part of the district's inquiry into Chavis' behavior. Included in the documents were the minutes from American Indian's March 15 board of trustees meeting, which included this bombshell: "Dr. Chavis has noted that he will work part time next year, 2007-2008 ... This will also be his last year as the director of American Indian Public Charter School." The board meeting occurred just hours after the Mills College incident.

Chavis said his resignation had been in the works for years, and had nothing to do with the Mills run-in. "Everybody has known about it for two years," he said."

Get the Story:
Full Disclosure: Bye Bye, Ben (The East Bay Express 7/25)

Relevant Links:
American Indian Public Charter School - http://www.aipcs.org