KIPP Charter Network Fires Co-Founder Mike Feinberg Over Alleged Misconduct

KIPP, the charter school network, has fired its co-founder, Mike Feinberg, after what the school said was an investigation into allegations of misconduct. Feinberg started the charter when he was a teacher in Houston in the 1990s and grew it into a national force. He had worked with the organization for more than 20 years.

In a letter posted online, the superintendent of KIPP Houston and the CEO of the network’s foundation explained why Feinberg was terminated on Thursday. The letter says that last spring the organization received an allegation that Feinberg had sexually abused a student in the late 1990s. KIPP hired outside investigators, who the schools say found the allegation credible. The letter also says Feinberg denies any wrongdoing.

The schools’ outside counsel also reportedly found other allegations that Feinberg sexually harassed two women who were KIPP alumnae and were employed by the charter. One of those allegations led to a financial settlement. KIPP said it decided to fire Feinberg because the investigation found credible evidence that it described as incompatible with the mission and values of KIPP.

The charter network operates 28 schools in Houston that serve more than 14,000 students, along with charters in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and elsewhere across the country. KIPP charter schools receive public tax dollars, and the organization has also received major donations from figures including Bill Gates and Michael Dell.

Feinberg released a statement on Friday through his attorney, Chris Tritico, saying he was “disappointed” by the allegations and found the board’s action “disheartening.” “I do not condone, nor have I ever condoned, or engaged in, misconduct of kind,” Feinberg said in the statement, adding that he remains committed to the people KIPP serves.

In an interview with News 88.7, Tritico said Feinberg was not given due process during the investigation. “Mike Feinberg and the contributions that he’s made to education really deserved better than what this board gave him here,” Tritico said. “He certainly deserved a better investigation and a meaningful opportunity to defend himself and he was denied that.” Hearing all sides before a judgment is made is a lesson in truth and fairness (Proverbs 18:17).

Feinberg joins a growing list of well-known men who have lost their jobs over sexual harassment allegations in the #MeToo movement, which gained momentum after women came forward last fall to accuse movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse. “It’s certainly not a good time in our country to be accused of something like this and there’s a duck and cover feeling going on in boards everywhere,” Tritico said.

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