Austin Polytech teacher joins students at Board meeting to protest firing of teachers... 'Witnessing the demise of my school'
[Editor's Note: The following is the prepared text of the statement by Lillian Kass, Teacher at Austin Polytechnical Academy which was delivered at the Chicago Board of Education meeting of May 25, 2011. It is reprinted here as provided to Substance by the writer. Others who delivered statements to the Board can have them shared here at BOARDWATCH at substancenews.net by sending them via e-mail to Substance, Csubstance@aol.com.]
Austin Polytech teacher Lillian Kass (second from right above) smiles while student Cheyenne Sims tells the Chicago Board of Education how the teachers that are being fired by one-year principal Fabby Williams are among the best. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Austin Polytechnical Academy has the best staff I have ever worked with, and yet a quarter of our teachers are non-renewed, most of them placed on the Do Not Hire list. I am lucky to have my contract renewed and to be returning to APA in the fall. However, I do so in dismay because I will have to witness the demise of my school as a result of these firings. Research shows that high teacher turnover leads to increased drop-out rates and decreased attendance rates, grades, test scores, and graduation rates.
This action was taken by an interim principal, in his first and only year in our school, his first and only year in CPS, and his first and only year in Chicago. An administrator who is only here for one year should not be determining the permanent fate of teachers’ careers. Four of these positions were filled before they were opened – contracts were signed with Teach for America in March, two months before teachers were notified that they were being terminated. This is a blatant breach of contract. Replacing dedicated teachers in their third year of teaching, just as they are hitting their stride and becoming better teachers, with inexperienced people who are not committed to the profession for more than two years is an outrage. This is an act that undermines the stability of our school and is detrimental to our students’ lives and education.
As a result, good teachers who are dedicating their lives to the future of Chicago can never work with our students — or any CPS students — ever again. This includes teachers who have consistently put in extended hours, even coming in on Saturdays for Saturday school and field trips. They have used their preparation time to work extensively with students one-on-one and in small groups. One of the teachers has taught a number of students to read. Six of the seven teachers are Science, Engineering, or Special Education teachers, who are extremely difficult to replace.
Even though he was principal of Austin Polytech for less than one year, Fabby Williams (above) was allowed by the Chicago Board of Education to fire a quarter of the school's teachers. Two months before he fired the Chicago teachers at Austin Polytech, Williams agreed to become principal of Valley View High School in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Sources at the school charge that Williams agreed to hire three Teach for America teachers in March 2011 and fired the incumbent teachers to make openings for the TFA people. It is imperative the Board implements policies that will keep good teachers in the classroom, rather than pushing them out and driving them away. It is in the best interest of our students and our school to reverse this decision, and retain the teachers that have already committed themselves to the students and community at Austin, so we can, as a united staff, educate our students and prepare them for their future.
We demand that this decision be overturned.
By: Rod Estvan
Austin Polytechnical Academy
I read Ms. Kass’ statement to the CPS Board on the removal of teachers at Austin Polytechnical Academy. I think it is fair and reasonable to say that it is very difficult to hold many individual teachers responsible for the Academic failure of students to achieve who came to the program so far behind. I do not believe these students and their teachers were ever provided with the resources necessary to remediate these students especially students with disabilities attending the high school.
I would have liked for the teachers as part of their objections to their dismissals to have conducted at least some type of growth analysis of students who have attended the school for four years. This data should be available using freshman EXPLORE scores, PLAN, and what is called the EPAS Gains Overtime data. I cannot find this data for the school in the CPS database it is blank and I do not know why. But it must exist somewhere, did these teachers have access to it and did it show growth for a significant number of these students?
Rod Estvan