Michael Feinberg, a Founder of KIPP Schools, Is Fired After Misconduct Claims
KIPP, one of the country’s largest and most successful charter school chains, dismissed its co-founder on Thursday after an investigation found credible a claim
that he had sexually abused a student some two decades ago, according to a letter sent to the school community.
About 95 percent of the students who attend the organization’s schools are African-American or Latino, according to KIPP
officials, who said the students in its schools consistently outperform their counterparts in regular public schools.
Mr. Tritico said an initial investigation last summer by outside counsel for KIPP’s Houston board had found the 1990s allegation to
not be credible, before a second investigation by WilmerHale, a law firm specializing in sexual misconduct, reversed that finding.
The claim regarding Mr. Feinberg and the minor student, who is now in her 30s, had not been previously reported to KIPP or other authorities,
and came by way of a more recent student who was a relative of the alleged victim, according to someone with close knowledge of the case
The co-founder, Michael Feinberg, was accused last spring of sexually abusing a minor female student in Houston in the late 1990s,
according to someone with close knowledge of the case who was not authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be identified.
In the year ended June 2016, the KIPP Foundation reported $77.2 million in revenue, including contributions;
$61.9 million in expenses, including salaries and grants; and $60 million in net assets.