The embattled head of one of the largest charter school operators in Chicago, the politically influential United Neighborhood Organization, has three relatives on his payroll, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.

Juan Rangel, UNO’s $250,000-a-year chief executive officer, has his 30-year-old nephew working as his deputy chief of staff. Carlos Jaramillo, the son of Rangel’s sister Rosario Jaramillo, is paid $88,000, payroll records show.

Another Rangel nephew — Juan Antonio “John” Rangel, 38, makes more than $71,000 a year as an information technology manager for UNO’s charter school network. He’s the son of Juan Rangel’s brother Antonio Rangel.

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Though privately run, UNO’s 13 charter schools are funded largely by the Chicago Public Schools and the state of Illinois.

Under CPS’ ethics policy, no public school official can hire or appoint a relative or help a relative get a contract that the official manages. That includes nephews and nieces. But until recently, CPS did not place any conflict-of-interest or nepotism restrictions on operators of charter schools, which it must approve to operate in Chicago and get tax-supported funding.

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