Bradwell vows continues fight against 'turnaround' opposing AUSL at packed March 15 hearing
The first of four hearings on March 15, 2010, was attended by a 96 percent African American audience; primarily teachers, students and parents from Bradwell elementary. After the Chicago Board of Education voted at its February 24 meeting to subject three elementary schools (Bradwell, Curtis and Deneen) and two high schools (Marshall and Phillips) to "turnaround," the Board decided to postpone awarding the turnaround contracts for the elementary schools and Phillips to the Education Management Organization (EMO) "Academy for Urban School Leadership." Hearings on March 15 were solely on whether the Board would award the lucrative contracts to AUSL.
Students, teachers and parents had marched from Millennium Park to the Board of Education prior to the March 15 hearings. Above, some of the Bradwell students with their banner. Substance photo by David Vance.The testimony began with Jaime Guzman, head of the Office of New Schools, who spoke on how the Academy of Urban School Leadership can solve many of the problems that afflict city schools.
He was followed by a spokesperson for AUSL, executive Audrey Donaldson, who identified herself at the "AUSL Community Outreach Coordinator". She talked in glowing terms about the 14 schools that AUSL currently administers. Eight of those schools are turnarounds. She noted that AUSL is an "Education Management Organization" (EMO). Donaldson also spoke of how Harvard elementary school has seen double digit increases in their ISAT scores since the AUSL takeover in 2008. She failed to mention that the ISAT exam was simplified prior to the exit of former schools CEO, Arne Duncan. She went on to emphasize that AUSL provides a structure that “allows teachers to collaborate” even as she described how they recruit their own teachers and fire most of the staff from previous administrations.
She went on to explain to parents that AUSL will partner with the community and will provide coaches and “raise over half a million [each year] to help provide for sports.” One wonders if this was not a plea to win over parents based on the additional resources that AUSL receives from the district and its fundraising arm to run its programs.
Alderman Sandi Jackson pointed out that Bradwell was already on the upswing with substantial increases in teacher and student attendance in the last year under the leadership of first year principal, Justin Moore.
Jonathan Jackson (Operation PUSH National Outreach Coordinator) leads a protest march of more than 100 people from Millennium Park to the Chicago Board of Education prior to the March 15, 2010 hearings on turning Bradwell, Curtis, Deneen and Phillips over to AUSL. Substance photo by David Vance.Mr. Moore pointed out that not only has attendance improved under his leadership, but also the physical plant. When he started the job he noticed that a person: “could literally look through the floor and see the desks on the second floor.” Despite a lack of the resources that AUSL is slated to receive, Bradwell made improvements in multiple areas under Moore’s leadership.
The president of the teachers union, Marilyn Stewart, pointed out that AUSL gets $400,000 in start up money for each turnaround elementary school and $420 more per pupil despite “no proven results.” Kindergarten teacher Ardella Helms promised CPS that “if you given half the resources, we will do better than AUSL.”
Community Activist and strong advocate for schools on this years hit list, Jonathan Jackson, raised that the process for turning around Bradwell, Deneen, Phillips, Curtis and Marshal all violated section 5, subsection 5 of the Illinois School Code. He asked why AUSL is “taking on more responsibility when they have more things to explain.” He also demanded that the hearings be under oath to mandate honest depictions of turnaround initiatives because “people don’t care what you know until they know that your care.”
The last two speakers at the hearing were representatives of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE). Presidential candidate and co-chair Karen Lewis said “we are giving money to a group that has run the biggest scam.” Lewis also mentioned that CORE is pursuing a claim in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that charges turnarounds with racial discrimination against African American teachers. She implored the Board to allow Bradwell to continue it’s steady progress; “these people [here] already know how to turnaround our schools. Stop It!” Chatonda also indicted the turnaround; “you cannot be trusted with this turnover process.”
After the hearing finished, a dejected crowd that filled board chambers slowly exited the room.
