By Lotty Blumenthal and Mary Beth Foley

CHICAGO. The January 25, 2006 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education began with the introduction of a student from Kenwood High School sitting in with board members reading an original poem with the recurring words “Never Give In.” Michael Scott, board president, then lauded Jeremy Robinson, a teacher for a year and a half at Harper High who has become a Rhodes Scholar and will study at Oxford University in England. Scott said he hoped he’d return to CPS. He said he intended to. Next, Dana Washington, math dept chair and teacher at Corliss High Schools, was cited for having won a Millikin Foundation Award for teaching of $25,000. CEO Arne Duncan said many wonderful teachers are in CPS. In light of Duncan’s recent announcement about an alleged budget crisis, observers asked if that’s why whenever there’s a cash shortfall, teachers are cut before consultants and chiefs of staff who never see a child.

 

Continuing more than ten months of regular reports to the Board of Education about the Senn High School community’s opposition to the Rickover Naval Academy inside its walls, Craig Mousin (above left) and Chris Person (right) spoke at the January Chicago Board of Educatino meeting. They then met with Pat Herman (center), assistant to Board President Michael Scott, to set up a time for Scott to discuss the problem. Substance photo by George Schmidt. 

 

The formalities continued. Next CPS honored “Donors Choose,” an organization that donates materials, methods, assistance of various kinds in response to written requests from classroom teachers. It was the one year anniversary of the group’s Chicago chapter functioning. Finally, Keller Magnet (Elementary) School was honored with Harlem Globetrotter tickets for having the entire school in perfect attendance the first day after winter break. The principal, who met with the LSC on the day of the games, said that parents, LSC, and staff have a weekly countdown on attendance. If the goal is met, there’s a pizza party the last day each week.

Public participation began at 11:00 a.m. Reverend Lewis Flowers of the West Side Ministers Coalition spoke concerning CPS rejecting an after-school program at Austin High School. Flowers noted that the Austin community was where a senior was shot and killed the previous week at 5:00 p.m. after school. He also spoke of the impending stress on classroom teachers because of threats to their jobs, stress on the principal and entire community. He asked that downtown jobs be cut first. Scott replied that administration is only five percent of the Board’s budget, and said he’d meet with him within ten days about the after-school program. Scott did not explain whether consultants, regional workers, and others in non-classroom jobs are wrongfully not counted as administrators.

Next Amy Lux of Sutherland Elementary School was concerned about discipline implementation. She felt that how discipline infractions were punished varied from teacher to teacher and school to school and more guidelines from the central administration should exist. She based this belief upon differences in teacher opinion about her son’s rule breaking. She was also concerned about the LSC deciding whether or not to hear from the audience during meetings about selection of a new principal.

Next, State Senator Martin Sandoval spoke about overcrowding at schools in Area Five. He said that Governor Blagojevich did not allow enough funds in the budget for school construction and asked CPS administration to join him in asking that the state spend as much on schools in the next budget as on roads. A parent, Nereida Lara, spoke on the subject and invited them to come see the overcrowding at her school, the Sandoval, which was named after the senator’s sister.

Next Sylvestor Hendricks spoke about the impending Local School Council elections. He asked Scott to review recommendations from a Board meeting two years before held at Orr High School, where a list of suggestions for improving LSC teacher and community involvement with LSCs was given. He felt these suggestions were still valid.

Anthony Townsend spoke about how wonderful his son’s school — Legacy Charter — was and how its program should be increased.

Chicago’s First Ward Alderman Manny Flores (above right) told the January 21, 2006 Chicago Board of Education meeting that it needed to solve facilities problems at Pritzker Elementary School and security problems at Wells and Clemente high schools. Board members did not tell Flores that for more than three years, Board policies had caused increased problems at both high schools. In June 2004, despite unanimous opposition at a Board hearing, the Board voted to freeze 9th grade at Austin and Calumet high schools. Warnings from other high schools in the area were unheeded. The resultant security problems spilled into the schools that received the Austin and Calumet students. In June 2005, the Board continued the policy at both high schools, adding to the problems in receiving schools. Substance has copies of the complete transcripts of the hearings on the Austin and Calumet plans, reflecting that the Board was warned of the gang problems that have resulted. Most observers now feel that the plans were intended to enable the Board to transfer programs at Austin and Calumet to privatization organizations under Mayor Daley’s “Renaissance 2010” program. In November 2005, the Austin program became the property of former Illinois School Superintendent Michael Bakalis‘s “American Quality Schools”, a pr ivate entity. Photo above from the January 2006 Chicago Board of Education meeting. Substance photos by George N. Schmidt. 

First Ward Alderman Manny Flores (with speakers 23 and 24, Amy Bilton and Sylvia Ramos) had two topics: capital improvements needed at Pritzker Elementary School and the safety of East Village neighborhood surrounding Wells High School. Alderman Flores noted that increased problems at Wells and Clemente high schools had arisen because of the influx of students from Austin High School following the Board of Education’s 2004 decision to stop taking 9th graders at Austin.

Amy Bilton (above) registered to speak about ‘CAPS beat 1322’ on the subject of the ‘Safety of East Village neighborhood by Wells High School.’ Despite being pushed out of order after Manny Flores spoke, Bilton was able to document the results of the closing of Austin High School’s 9th grade for two years on the Wells High School community. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt. 

The Board’s Operations Chief, Sean Murphy, talked about progress on both the asbestos problem and security problem at Pritzker. He said he’d bring the experts to the next Pritzker LSC meeting on February 9. Flores said he’d be there as well to resolve the problems. He tried to speak to the other problem: the influx of students from “boundary changes” (Austin students) at Wells. He said he had not been consulted before the change.

Strangely, in the eyes of some observers, Scott would not let Flores’s other speaker (Bilton) on the topic of security at Wells. Ms. Bilton was scheduled to speak but was deferred to later in the meeting. Noting the problems at Wells (which had been increased by the influx of Austin students), Alderman Flores mentioned violence to seniors and in the community and criminal damage to property outside the school. He mentioned that boundary changes may have included rival gangs. There was discussion among Board members, with member Clara Muñana stating that she and Alberto Carrera are trying to work with the schools. Scott, who would not let Bilton speak because of time, then continued talking himself for many minutes.

Next Teresa Garcia and Patricia Clark spoke of their opposition to having Inter-American Magnet moved into LeMoyne Elementary School and asked for a delay until a better location in their eyes. After telling them that sale of the former building would be approved that day, Scott disagreed with the parents’ assertion that they had informed the Board of their opposition. The parents started to walk away when Scott started a dialogue that many thought was unnecessary, telling them that nothing more could be done.

Christopher Persons talked about the Rickover Military Academy at Senn. He said that the signatures of 3,121 community residents had been gathered asking that the question be put on the ballot. That number is sufficient to put it on the ballot as a referendum, and Persons noted that the presence of Rickover at Senn is detrimental to both community and school. He cited Kenwood student Moore’s poem, saying the community would “Never Give In.”

Craig Mousin, a Senn neighbor and member of the Save Senn Coalition, spoke to the same issue raising the problem of costs to an impoverished CPS for a small amount of students compared to the deprived greater number enrolled at Senn. Scott told both of them he would meet with their group for presentation of evidence and further reconsideration of the divided school.

Robert Neenan, LSC of Sauganash, with principal lobbied for the return of a budget cut janitor, a permanent annex instead of mobiles, and updating of requests for a school that’s at 114 percent of capacity with 60 new condos and 35 homes going up one block from the school.

Peter Stewart of “Chicago Virtual Charter” — which is an affiliate of “K12, Inc. — and Leslie Contos spoke about providing more information so that the Board would approve the Chicago Virtual Charter proposal for next fall. They talked about certified teachers and individual home schooled situations. The proposal for Chicago Virtual Charter was the only charter school proposal that the Board of Education did not approve at its November 2005 meeting, partly because of questions at the time about “K-12” chief William Bennett. Stewart said that Bennett was no longer with “K-12.”

Following the K-12 presentation, Ted Dallas, Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union, representing President Marilyn Stewart, protested the “arbitrary closing of schools” and the opening of schools, sometimes”illegally,”by “private management companies who lack expertise” and for which there is no oversight by the taxpayers who pay for them.

He said, “This Board is doing a disservice to the students, and disrespecting the parents, the community, and the dedicated teachers and paraprofessionals. You are on a collision course with the citizens of this city and with the Chicago Teachers Union. It is not going to be business as usual. You can only get away for so long with deceptive buzzwords like ‘2010.’ It’s not too late to do the right thing for the students of the city and your employees.” Scott thanked him for coming.

Eduardo Garza talked about “budget priorities.” He said that state politicians need to be educated about education. He emphasized that “We need more teachers,” not fewer teachers. He said that if pork barrel projects like unnecessary flagpoles are funded, instead teachers pensions should be funded since it was the least that could be done for the dedication of teachers. He was applauded by the audience.

Alfred Rodgers noted the need for more Latino administrators and then talked of getting no response to several problems at several Southwest schools. Scott directed Sean Murphy to locate and respond to the written requests. Rodgers said he see Scott soon.

Odile Compagnon, a parent volunteer and architect, and principal Andrew Tinich of Lincoln Elementary were seeking part of the funding for an environmental model program for which they had already raised $75,000 of the needed $325,000. DePaul University would be a partner to the project as would governmental agencies. Scott said he favored this project but they needed a one page cost analysis and written funding request.

Donna Thomas of “Phillip/Wells Prep Academy” spoke of the hostile attitude toward parents of the school. Parent volunteers were no longer welcome; the parent room was closed; there’s only one principal and LSC for both the high school and elementary school, which is not interested in the elementary school. Scott said James Deanes should do some fact finding about the problems before he’d visit again and that the school is not being closed, just shorted teachers. “Wells Prep…” (a special program located within Phillips High School on the south side) is not to be confused with Wells High School, which is located on the north side.

Wanda Hopkins of PURE asked that CPS use more money for more programs in increase the number of LSC candidates for the impending election. After James Deanes stated the budget for the election, the amount set aside for advertising, and history of LSC elections, Scott proceeded to the repeat the whole thing and ask Hopkins to review the budget and suggest improvements.

Above (center). Former Illinois Schools Supt. Michael Bakalis is now part of one of the many privatization moves that form part of Mayor Daley’s “Renaissance 2010” plans. At the November 16, 2005, Chicago Board of Education meeting, Bakalis’s group, “American Quality Schools”, received a contract to run Austin High School’s “Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy.” Bakalis’s group was one of 15 charters approved that day. Standing behind Bakalis (right) is Rev. Lewis Flowers, who has been a strong supporter of Mayor Daley’s privatization plans in the Austin community. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt. 

Marjorie Preston, retired teacher, did a brief presentation about how costs could be cut and achievement raised. She cited six principles which she said would involve multiple departments of CPS administration working together. The basic ideas of her strategies were printed in the Sun-Times (page 62,November 16, 2005). They included specific steps in building skills. She used a hand held chart like manipulative to make her points on teaching methods.

Amy Bilton of CAP, beat 1322 (whose husband is President of the East Village Neighborhood Association) spoke about the violence not only in the school, but in the neighborhood. These have increased since the Board for two years consecutively placed between 150 and 200 students from the closed Austin area into Wells. According to Bilton, Senior citizens have been attacked, graffiti has increased on business walls, patrons of businesses on Chicago Ave. have been terrorized. In short, East Village yuppies have been treated like people in Austin by Austin students who are probably not setting a good example for indigenous Wells students. She asked for a meeting of all community resources to work together to solve the problem, having already recruited volunteers from the community to work on the problem. Scott had her meet with Andres Durbak, the Board’s security chief.

Next EvAngel YHWHnewBN talked about proper pronunciation of her name, educators should not call children kids, and that as founder of the Emmet Till Road Scholars Foundation she wanted the Board to support a resolution or letters to the prosecutor in Mississippi for indictments in the Till Case. After statements by legal council Rocks, Scott asked for forms with the address which he would then distribute to all present and write a letter himself.

Maria Cervantes of Whittier Elementary spoke in Spanish with a translator. She asked for aid from CPS is finding ways for getting to use TIF money in their area for constructions for rehab to relieve overcrowding in the area. Scott he was unsure of the rules, needed to investigate them, then assistance Cervantes and the Whittier parents in seeking those funds if it was possible. He said he would inform them as soon as he knew what those rules might be.

Wanda Taylor, LSC president of Price Elementary thanked administrators who responded to her letters, phone calls and e-mails. She asked for funding and meetings on the Title I Parent Advisory Councils. Scott thanked her for her bringing attention to staffers who responded in a timely fashion and said there’d be a meeting.

Next Bertrand Murrell talked about being affected by speakers of behalf of homeless children. He felt that CPS should do more to lessen the ill effects on children who are homeless in closing schools or other unstable school situations. He felt that if there were more concern and compassion, these students could be helped.

Yusuf Abuzir talked about his dismissal from his job which he felt was unfair and improperly done. He’d been suspended for 629 days without pay or benefits, affecting his health. He stated he had legal recourse to this problem.

Finally George Schmidt of Substance Newspaper soke about his own loss of job, the effect of which is being felt in suburban areas where he’s been told of reluctance in hiring him. Scott told him he’d give him a personal letter of recommendation. Board Attorney Patrick Rocks said that he’s communicating with Schmidt’s lawyer and stated that the former process can’t be undone. Schmidt disagreed, noting that the Board regularly rescinds previous motions. Schmidt’s second item of discussion was obtaining information from the board. He said that the Freedom of Information office was doing its best to provide information, but other departments were not forwarding the materials. Schmidt then noted that the Board needed to keep an eye on how high school credits were being awarded with the proliferation of new charter and other “schools” across the city. If rumors about counterfeit credits were true, he said, the problem would soon be massive

Substance editor George N. Schmidt spoke again about the blacklist that keeps him from resuming his teaching career in Chicago’s public high schools. Schmidt also warned the Board that the proliferation of charter schools and other entities was creating the danger that counterfeit high school credits would become a major problem in Chicago. Substance photo by Mary Beth Foley.