Huge crowds at City Council in support of moratorium on CPS Hit List... Grand Boulevard Federation supports resolution for a moratorium on school closings, phase outs, consolidations, and turnarounds
[The following is the press statement that was prepared and distributed by the Grand Boulevard Federation on February 22, 2010. It is published here as it was written. Andrea Lee also spoke before the City Council Education Committee, reiterating and expanding on many of the same points made in the statement below. George N. Schmidt, Editor, Substance].
Josephine Norwood, a parent from the Bronzeville community, describes the impact CPS school closings have had on her children during the press conference that came before the February 22, 2010 Chicago City Council Education Committee meeting. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.PRESS STATEMENT, For immediate release, Monday, February 22, 2010
CONTACTS: Andrea Lee, Grand Boulevard Federation @ (773) 548-8140 OR (773) 318-0814
Grand Boulevard Federation Applauds Alderman Dowell’s School Closings Moratorium Proposal
Grand Boulevard Federation is hopeful that today’s public hearing, convened by Alderman Latasha Thomas, Chair of the Education Committee, sends a strong message to the Chicago Public Schools that after 10 years of school closings, consolidations, phase outs, and turnarounds, not only are public school families, residents, and taxpayers ready to see real policy and procedural changes around school closings, but our City Council elected officials want greater transparency and accountability as well Grand Boulevard Federation (GBF) believes that CPS’ school closings need to be more transparent, accountable, fiscally responsible, and always in the best educational interests of the children and families.
“Third Ward Alderman Dowell has shown that she indeed has an understanding of her role in the education of our children,” states Reverend Marrice Coverson, GBF Board Member and Education Co-Chair for Grand Boulevard Federation. “I am hopeful that all our public officials see our children as an investment for our future and support this bold move Alderman Dowell made when she proposed a moratorium on school closings.”
This year, CPS proposed to consolidate Mollison with Wells Prep at Mollison and McCorkle School with Beethoven School in the Bronzeville community.
CPS also proposed to turnaround Phillips High School, sub-contracted through the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). GBF worked with and provided testimony for all three schools. GBF believes that historically, CPS has failed to provide individual schools with adequate fair, due process to plead their case.
GBF’s Peer Parent Education Network member and parent, Josephine Norwood, describes her past few years impacted by school closings explaining, “My son with autism attended Attucks, and even though he had to change schools because of services, ironically CPS closed that building. Then he was in Abbott’s autism program because my other son was in the shared Choir Academy Charter, when I find out that Abbott School and my son’s charter will close in June 2009. To be honest, even though they are in good places now because I searched everywhere for the right schools, I feel these closings disrupted my kids learning. It’s tough as a parent figuring out what will be best for them, and I worry about taking risks. But I haven’t given up, and I tell these schools I expect them to teach my children, even my autistic son.”
For the past year, GBF has been working on developing a pilot Educational Facilities Master Plan in their community. This work is in line with the passage of House Bill 363, a bill that Representative Cynthia Soto and Senator William Delgado sponsored that calls for a legislative appointed task force to review the public’s concerns with the school closings process, and make a set of recommendations to be put towards a CPS Educational Facilities Master Plan. GBF is one of four community groups appointed to this committee thanks to State Senators Mattie Hunter and Delgado. The task force was fully appointed this past January 2010, and expects to convene its first meeting within a month.
“It is our hope that today’s public hearing and the legislative appointed Facilities Task Force via HB 363, will demonstrate a strong message that Chicago’s taxpayers, the Illinois Legislature, and Chicago’s Aldermen agree that CPS needs to develop a more fair, accountable, and transparent school closing process and policy before any further actions take place,” says GBF Education Coordinator, Andrea Lee.
Since 2002, GBF found that in the Grand Boulevard and Douglas community areas 13 schools have closed and 13 schools have opened, yet CPS has not been forthcoming about which students ended up in the new schools after many displaced from these so-called low performing schools. Six more schools surrounding the larger Bronzeville community can be added to that list of 13, most of which were impacted directly by the demolition of public housing.
“Our ideal Educational Facilities Plan would rank, prioritize, and make transparent how CPS balances educational planning with community and demographics planning alongside facilities/capital planning, all without isolating the importance all three have in education planning as a whole,” adds Lee. A Facilities Master Plan is being used in Washington, DC, is being piloted in Oregon school districts, New Jersey, and other urban districts to guide comprehensive facilities planning.
The Grand Boulevard Federation is a 15 year old community collaborative whose mission is to influence policy, programs, funding, and strategies in order to improve outcomes for children, families and residents of the Grand Boulevard community and surrounding neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago. The Federation was created in 1995 as part of the Governor of Illinois's Task Force on Human Services Reform. GBF’s Education Initiative’s vision is that every child in our community be offered a publicly funded neighborhood school that will enable him or her to achieve their maximum potential.
ACTION ALERT: PARENTS & COMMUNITY!
Are you ready to fight for high quality, walkable, public neighborhood schools? Do you want to make a difference in parent involvement, school planning, and conflict resolution? If you're ready to fight for high quality public schools here in Bronzeville, you should run for LSC! Talk to GBF's PPEN to find out how we can help you run a successful campaign. Download your forms on CPS' website here http://www.cps.edu/Pages/LSCElections.aspx, and then meet with GBF to help you win! The deadline is Thursday, March 4 at 3 PM to submit applications to CPS LSC Relations; or March 11 at 3 PM to submit to your local school. Get a receipt!
Andrea Lee, M.S.W.
Grand Boulevard Federation
4859 S. Wabash, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60615
p: 773/548/8140 ext. 205
f: 773/548/6622
Website: www.grandboulevardfederation.org
Email: andrealee@grandboulevardfederation.org
