Chicago Board of Education gives green light to turnarounds, consolidations, closures proposed by school district.
Teachers, parents, students, and community residents vow to continue fighting to prevent changes the Chicago Board of Education approved last week for eight schools, including closures.
“I will not let them do this to our kids. I am so tired of the school board mistreating Black kids thinking they can toss them around like jelly beans,” said Rochelle Whitman, 43, whose daughter’s elementary school is scheduled to be consolidated. “I know if these schools were located in white communities the board never would have approved these changes.”
Ron Huberman, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said race had nothing to do with the changes but rather a need to improve test scores and maximize resources.
“Our primary obligation is to assess the performance of schools and provide the best possible educational opportunity for students in every school,” Huberman said. “At the same time, we must ensure that we are using our limited operational funds in a smart, cost-effective way. We cannot afford to operate schools where the student population has declined to a level in which keeping a school open is no longer fiscally prudent.”
After much debate the school board approved at its Feb. 24 meeting that Helen J. McCorkle Elementary School, 4421 S. State St., be consolidated with Ludwig Van Beethoven Elementary School, 25 W. 47th St., due to low enrollment at McCorkle.
Additionally, the school board approved the closure of Bartholome De Las Casas Occupational High School, 8401 S. Saginaw Ave., for facilities-related reasons, and phasing out George Schneider Elementary School, 2957 N. Hoyne Ave., due to low enrollment.
Five schools will be turned around due to low academic performances: George W. Curtis Elementary School, 32 E. 115th St., Charles Deneen Elementary School, 7257 S. State St., Myra Bradwell Elementary School, 7736 S. Burnham Ave., Wendell Phillips High School, 244 E. Pershing Road, and John Marshall High School, 3250 W. Adams St.
Curtis Elementary and Marshal High School are the two worse, performing schools, (academically) in the entire district, CPS officials pointed out.
“To just sit by idle while these schools continue to under perform would be irresponsible on our part,” Huberman explained. “The state was threatening to close Marshall if we did not do it first.”
There has been a chorus of parents, teachers, and other who disapprove of the change, including 500 protesters who packed the meeting to voice their opposition.
But there is some support for the changes.
“I am glad that the school will not be closed but turned around because the students are not responding to the current teaching staff,” said Brenda Pittman, 49, whose son attends Curtis Elementary. “The school board had to do something to jump start learning at Curtis and if that means bring in a new staff, I am all for it.”
And short of Huberman reconsidering the changes CPS proposed, which he did twice before the school board meeting, the only other recourse at this point may be legal action, said Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart.
“We are consulting with our legal team to review all possible legal remedies available to us,” she said. “I can say this fight to save public education and protect our teachers and students is far from over.”
Last week the CTU unsuccessfully sought to stop the school board from voting on the proposal by filing an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. But a Cook County circuit court judge denied the motion, in part, because the board had not voted.
Huberman did alter changes for some schools after hearing testimony at a series of community meetings and re-evaluating the schools.
Community activists said Huberman showed favoritism when he removed some schools from the “hit list” and not all schools.
“Why are those schools spared changes? If Mr. Huberman decided to spare those schools he should have given all the schools the same opportunity to improve,” said local school council member Maurice Brewer, 36. “My daughter attends Deneen Elementary and despite protest and public pleas from parents our school was not spared.”
Despite efforts by school administrators, parents and the community to improve the overall academic performance at Deneen, Huberman said steadily falling test scores overshadowed these efforts and warranted an immediate change.
“Nothing is more important than the safety and academic progress of our students. The ISAT performance gap at Deneen has widened over the past three years,” he said.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
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