KIPP co-founder Mike Feinberg fired following allegations of sexual misconduct

In June 2011, Mike Feinberg, then-superintendant and co-founder of KIPP schools, talks the students about reading. Special to the Chronicle: Thomas B. Shea In June 2011, Mike Feinberg, then-superintendant and co-founder of KIPP schools, talks the students about reading. Special to the Chronicle: Thomas B. Shea Photo: Thomas B. Shea, For The Houston Chronicle Photo: Thomas B. Shea, For The Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 66 Caption Close KIPP co-founder Mike Feinberg fired following allegations of sexual misconduct 1 / 66 Back to Gallery

The KIPP charter school network fired co-founder Mike Feinberg on Thursday following three allegations of sexual misconduct, ending its association with a Houston pillar who helped build KIPP into a national powerhouse and become one of the charter school movement's most visible advocates.

KIPP leaders said an independent investigation found "credible evidence" that Feinberg sexually abused an underage female student in the late 1990s and offered two former employees money in exchange for a sexual relationship.

Feinberg denied the allegations, and investigators hired by KIPP couldn't definitively substantiate them.

Nevertheless, KIPP's local and national governing boards decided to remove Feinberg, 24 years after the charter network started in Houston. Prior to his firing, Feinberg supported KIPP schools across the country, helped grow the network nationally and maintained a seat on the KIPP Houston governing board.

"In light of the nature of the allegations and the passage of time, critical facts about these events may never be conclusively determined," KIPP leaders wrote in a letter posted Thursday. "What is clear, however, is that, at a minimum, Mr. Feinberg put himself into situations where his conduct could be seriously misconstrued."

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Feinberg's lawyer, Chris Tritico, said his client was not fully informed of the allegations or given an adequate opportunity to respond.

"Mike Feinberg's contributions to education in the Houston area and the United States are significant, and they will continue for a very long time," Tritico said. "The treatment he received today from the board that he put in place is wrong, and it's not what someone who has made the contributions he's made deserves."

In a statement Friday morning, Feinberg said he was "disappointed by the allegations" and the decision to fire him.

"I do not condone, nor have I ever condoned, or engaged in, misconduct of this kind," Feinberg said in the statement. "These allegations were thoroughly investigated by non-biased third parties who found no wrongdoing, and the action of the KIPP Board is very disheartening."

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A former teacher, Feinberg co-founded KIPP, which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, in 1994 and helped build the organization into a nationally respected leader in education. KIPP today has 209 schools nationally serving about 90,000 students, including 30 campuses in Houston with roughly 14,000 students.

Along the way, Feinberg served as one of KIPP's leading public figures, a high-energy advocate for the charter network. Parents were drawn by its strong academic results in high-poverty neighborhoods. Feinberg earned $231,885 from the Houston network and $220,241 from the national KIPP Foundation, in compensation and benefits, according to 2015-2016 tax filings.

"Mike Feinberg has been deeply involved in the public charter school movement in Texas and nationally since its earliest days," Seth Winick, a spokesman for the Texas Charter Schools Association, said in a statement. "The board of the school and foundation have taken action, and we respect their decision. We are saddened by this news for all involved."

Read the letter KIPP sent to employees about Feinberg's firing.

Allegations and response

Feinberg has been under investigation by KIPP and its legal partners since spring 2017, when a current KIPP student told school officials that Feinberg sexually abused a family member who attended KIPP Academy in the late 1990s. Feinberg served as the school's leader at the time.

KIPP officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the allegations, other than to note the girl was a minor at the time of the alleged abuse.

The letter indicates that KIPP leaders contacted Texas Child Protective Services and began their own investigation using an external law firm.

During the review, investigators spoke with a former employee who alleged that Feinberg offered her financial support for continuing her education in exchange for a sexual relationship in the early 2000s, KIPP leaders said.

Investigators also learned of a similar allegation about the same time involving a second former employee, but the employee declined to cooperate with investigators, KIPP leaders said.

KIPP officials said investigators found the allegation involving a minor had "credibility," though they declined to elaborate on evidence corroborating the determination.

The two harassment allegations were also deemed credible, KIPP leaders said. Investigators said they located a financial settlement involving the former employee who cooperated with the review.

KIPP officials said the settlement did not stem from litigation, while Tritico said he believed the settlement came after the accuser filed a lawsuit. Tritico said Feinberg opposed the settlement and intended to take the case to trial, but "an insurance company settled the case over Mike's objections." Tritico did not know whether the insurance company represented KIPP or another organization.

Tritico said it's too early to know whether Feinberg will take legal action against KIPP. He accused the organization and its legal partners of notifying Feinberg of the allegations "at the 11th hour."

"There wasn't any of the rudiments that you would expect of due process and notice and fairness, quite frankly," Tritico said. "He wasn't ever given the ability or the chance to defend himself with respect to these allegations."

KIPP officials said Feinberg was allowed to remain on the job throughout the investigation, which spanned nearly a year. He was directed not to be alone with students, and top executives in Houston and KIPP's national organization were aware of the investigation, KIPP officials said.

Feinberg continued to attend events where children were present, including the unveiling of a sponsorship agreement at a Houston campus in December.

KIPP leaders have encouraged anyone with knowledge of additional allegations to come forward and contact the Washington, D.C.-based law firm WilmerHale.

A new vision

Feinberg and his roommate, fellow Teach For America alumnus Dave Levin, opened KIPP's first school when they were in their mid-20s, educating about 50 students inside a Houston ISD campus on the city's west side.

"This kind of program is where I want to be as a teacher," Feinberg told the Chronicle in 1994. "If the results are good, then we continue, but if not, then it's back to the drawing board. We're just one example of the things Houston Teach For America teachers are trying."

Levin left the school after one year, choosing to open another KIPP campus in New York City.

Feinberg stayed behind, continuing as the leader of the flagship school. He instituted longer school days, required parental involvement and instilled a no-excuses attitude.

The approach worked, and as word spread of KIPP, Feinberg planned expansion across Houston. Unlike some charter school networks, KIPP grew methodically, gradually growing to about 30 campuses. It now boasts schools in 20-plus states and the District of Columbia.

In an interview Thursday evening, KIPP Houston Superintendent Sehba Ali said the schools will continue their work.

"It's important to note KIPP is bigger than one person," she said. "We have a promise that we've made to our kids to do everything we can to help them get to and through college and to lead successful lives, and we are fully focused on that."