Historic Minneapolis charter school loses final bid to avoid closure

One of the oldest charter schools in Minnesota and the nation has lost a final appeal to keep its doors open beyond the end of this school year, 5 INVESTIGATES has learned.

Thursday afternoon, Cedar Riverside Community School was informed that Pillsbury United Communities (PUC), which oversees the charter school, would move forward with plans to terminate its contract.

At the end of March, PUC first notified the school of its plans, citing a range of issues including "failure to meet academic goals" to a "lack of transparency" and "long-term dysfunction."

The school e-mailed the following statement Thursday night:

"We are deeply disappointed with Pillsbury United Communities’ decision to close our school. However, we remain enormously proud of what we’ve built for almost 30 years. Our teachers and staff have been committed to providing an excellent educational experience for our students and families and will continue to do so as they transition into the next chapter of their educational journey."

PUC declined comment Thursday afternoon, but indicated it would provide a statement on Friday.

Cedar-Riverside Community School’s contract ends on June 30.

This is a developing story. Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com as we work to bring you more details.