The "Chandler Resolution" revisited... Will Ald.Flores revive City Council resolution on school closings?
In a videotaped interview outside the Chicago Board of Education meeting, Wednesday February 27th, First Ward Alderman Manuel Flores said that he would be willing to revive the “Chandler Resolution” on public school closings and changes in Chicago.
The so-called “Chandler Resolution” (sponsored by then-alderman Michael Chandler of the 24th Ward) was introduced into City Council in March 2006. It would have restricted the ability of the Chicago Board of Education to close or significantly change local public schools without extensive public review, including community hearings.
Alderman Flores testified at the February 27, 2008, Board of Education meeting to oppose the closure of Andersen elementary school, which is in his ward.
Chicago schools CEO Arne Duncan had proposed closing Andersen and sending its students to nearby Pritzker Elementary School, while Andersen became the site of the new, second “LaSalle Language Academy.” The ostensible reason for closing Andersen was low enrollment. Earlier in February, Andersen staff, parents, and community leaders (including Flores) had challenged the claims that Andersen was “underutilized.” Flores fought to keep it open, including taking part in the public hearing until 10:00 p.m. on Friday, February 15, at school board headquarters. Although the hearing was supposedly to provide input to the members of the Board of Education prior to their decision (which was made February 27), not one member of the Board attended the February 15 hearing.
Flores said he sees the problem as being greater than the Board is willing or able to acknowledge.
“Unfortunately, I think it speaks to a bigger problem of how it is we are allocating resources, city-wide, state-wide, and in all different jurisdictions,” Flores said. “Why do you have this disparate treatment? For Andersen, the issue was a drop in enrollment. Why? What are the factors contributing to that drop in enrollment?”
After speaking highly of the Chandler resolution, he stated: “I signed on to that; it had a lot of support. Whether or not that’s going to be the answer to the problem, I don’t know. Truth be told it’s just one component.”
I followed up by asking if he would be willing to support a new incarnation of the resolution, Flores said without pause: “I would be open to it.”
Perhaps it’s also time to revive the Chicagoans United for Education coalition that promoted the first Chandler resolution. Maybe this time the Chicago Teacher’s Union, hemorrhaging from another round of school closures, will actually put some time and resources into it.
This article originally appeared in the March 2008 edition of the print edition of the newspaper Substance.
