Calling it like it is... School board meeting forced to postpone business as usual, then Board President discriminates in favor of charter schools
People were “calling it like it is” at the December 14, 2011, meeting of the Board of Education. After years of being dismissed and not listened to, members of the communities of Chicago finally had their say. One observer who was in the "holding room" on the 15rh Floor at CPS headquarters stated that there were a lot of people attending the meeting this morning “maybe over 300. At 8:30 in the morning there were about 150 people in line.” 
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis (above right) delivered her remarks to the empty seats after the members of the Board of Education and their multi-million dollar executive staff retreated behind tight security from the Board chambers at the beginning of the December 14, 2011 Board meeting. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.There were CPS security and nine police officers in the hall.
The scene downstairs early in the morning was part of the story. Some people had spent the previous night in a cold rain sleeping under tarps on the sidewalk, so that they could be in line early to sign up to speak.
First, people were allowed to go through a line where they could sign up to speak or get a pass. Everyone was served hot chocolate and donuts. There was a Press conference with parents, teachers and community members talking against the closings and turnarounds of the schools. The proposed actions had been announced by CPS on November 29 and had drawn and immediate angry reaction.
Then we were allowed to go up stairs. The 15th floor was crowded, with 129 people all waiting for the meeting. Security told us that only five people could go downstairs in support of the speaker at one time.
Chicago parent Adourthus McDowell (above in yellow jacket and on TV monitor) spoke to the empty seats of the Board members and executives during the peoples' protest on December 14, 2011. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Carol Caref, who had been protesting the closings before, stated that for years more than five people had been able to go down in support of the speakers but the rules were changed “because of all the people we have here.”
From the 15th Floor, people who had come for the meeting, which was being held on the fifth floor, had to watch the meeting begin on closed circuit televisions.
After a brief holiday song by students from Kelly High School, the meeting was begun by Board President David J. Vitale, who immediately introduced "Chief Executive Officer" Jean-Claude Brizard. Brizard was supposed to be giving a "Facilities Report" with the Board's "Chief Administrative Officer," Tim Cawley.
When Brizard started to talk, however, some people in the audience could be heard chanting “Mic check! These are our children not corporate products” over and over.
Many people on the 15th floor chanted with the people in the meeting chamber. After about ten minutes, Vitale announced a closed session.
Fifteenth floor participants got very, angry booing and chanting. During the closed session, the people who had signed up to speak got a chance to tape their presentations to the absent board. During the taping, teachers, students and community people presented reasons why their school should not be turned around. They told of new programs and of test scores going up every year. They talked about the affect of closing schools on the students and community. They pointed out that the board had their facts wrong and “there were other schools in the area and city with lower scores and encouraged the members of the Board to visit their schools.”
Jitu Brown (Kenwood Oakland Community Organization) stated that the board needed to put the money in programs that have been started in the schools and not close them. Brown stated that CPS had through the years introduced different programs that failed and introduced reforms that failed. Their policies were anti- parent, anti –student, anti - community and anti- teacher. They would have to “drag us out of the schools even if you vote to close it”.
CTU President Karen Lewis stated that closing schools and firing all the staff destabilizes students. Lewis stated that “Charter Schools are unproven. “Lewis also said that the board is sending millions of dollars to charters and that charters push out more kids than neighborhood schools. She called the turnaround model unstable. Lewis pointed out that members of the Board of Education had a conflict of interest by supporting AUSL. Board President David Vitale had been a member of the Board of Directors of AUSL, and Cawley had been an executive with the group prior to his June 2011 appointment to the CPS executive position he currently holds.
Emilia Pena, a second grade teacher at Casals, pointed out that she had 28 students and 2 computers. Not all the students get to use the computer every week, she said.
Sharon Herod –Purham reported that Casals out performs 6 ASUl schools, yet Brizard wants to turn Casals over to AUSL. Herod- Purham suggested that the Board give Casals the funds that are supposed to be given AUSl for the turnaround. She also suggested, tongue in cheek, that Casals should be helping AISL raise their scores.
When the Board returned, Vitale stated, “I hope they have gotten this out of their system” while apologizing for the delay and told the audience that public participation would now begin and the board will not watch the video of the people that gave a presentation while they were in closed session:
The first group to talk were community members against the Christopher House Charter School. They turned in a large number of petitions (700 – parents and 400 community) against the proposed Charter School.
Catherine Cunningham-Yee, a Hanson Park teacher, stated that she had attended a meeting given by Christopher House where it was evident that the community did not want another school.
After the Board of Education resumed its meeting, CPS CEO Jean-Clsude Brizard conferred with Board President David Vitale and Board member Penny Pritzker about allowing Phyllis Locket, who was not signed up, to speak. Vitale ordered that Lockett, who heads the Chicago schools fund and was CEO of the "Renaissance Schools Fund" funded by corporate Chicago until it was changed, was made a speaker, and defended charter schools. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt. Phyllis Lockett, who said she was from the Chicago Schools Fund, but was really a Charter School representative, pushed for an expansion of the charter schools saying that charter schools had been very successful.
When the audience checked their public participation sheet Lockett’s name was not there. Norine Gutekanst, objected and Vitale said that he had made the decision to allow Lockett to speak. Ashley Bohrer of Ocupy Chicago jumped up and shouted: “Replace the School Board. You have betrayed the Public Trust! You all should be fired. The Chicago Tribune says you have failed! Our children are not products.”
Bohrer suggested that we should stop coming to these meetings because they don’t care about you or about your children and they are not elected. You need a city wide PTO meeting.
Among the audience on the 15th floor was Karen Jedlowski who is a parent of a former CPS student. Her son graduated from Kelly High and now attends Northeastern University, she told Substance. Jedlowski said that she was struck by the presentation by Kelvyn Park teacher Jerry Skinner. He was discussing the "Transformation" grant that CPS had awarded Kelvyn Park and other high schools less than one year earlier. Skinner noted that CPS had assured the schools at the time that the "transformation" program would keep them from going into "turnaround."
Kalvyn Park High School teacher Jerry Skinner (above) told the Board that a year earlier CPS had told a number of high schools, including Kelvyn Park and Tilden, that if they would partake in "Transformation" they would not have to face "Turnaround." Now, Skinner said, the schools feel doublecrossed, since Jean-Claude Brizard has placed Tilden on his Hit List, even though the school was following last year's sure-fire prescription, "Transformation." Substance photo by George N. Schmidt. Now, he said, felt that the schools that were part of the grant were being misled. On November 29, the Board had announced that Tilden High School, one of the high schools receiving "Transformation," was being scheduled for "Turnaround."
Jedlowski said that it was obvious that the board did not realize how very difficult it is to teach high school, and that Kelly High had students “that did not all speak English” and others who were not ready for high school work when they arrived. Jedlowski also stated that the whole meeting was a tragedy with so many people disfranchised. “It all boils down to money," she added. "The people want the money used wisely. It is evident that it’s union busing. “
Many of those who signed up to speak had slept on the sidewalk outside CPS headquarters under tarps while the cold rain fell on the night of December 13, - 14 2011. Above, a photo taken of some of the camping protesters at two a.m. Substance photo by Kristine Mayle.When speakers came to discuss how the charter schools were doing, Vitale said something positive about their presentation. Board member Mahalia Hines was especially excited about Nobel Street charter schools expanding, stating that she would “vote with two hands up because she had visited the Nobel campus and knew it was a quality program.” How many neighborhood schools have our appointed board visited or do they only visit charter schools?
A few hours after the Board meeting adjourned following the approval of the Board Reports proposing 12 new charter schools, the Chicago Teachers Union issued a press release, which follows below:
CPS’ continued disregard for parent and community input cause citizens to disrupt today’s Board of Education meeting
Lewis: “People are simply tired of the same status quo policies that have led to the destabilization of neighborhood schools and have thwarted student progress”
CHICAGO – Today, more than 100 people drove members of the Board of Education from their chambers when citizens challenged the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) plan to close, turnaround and phase-out schools in African American and Latino communities. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen GJ Lewis, who was present at the meeting, said people are tired of the same “status quo policies” that have “led to the destabilization of neighborhood schools.”
Shortly after the Board members and CEO Jean-Claude Brizard fled the hearing room many protestors were escorted out of the chambers by security guards. Undeterred, the parents, teachers and students conducted a mock board meeting and delivered their remarks to the backdrop of empty seats. This is the first time in recent years that taxpayers were so insulted by proposed school actions that they stopped a board meeting.
The protest happened a day after more than 300 parents, students, teachers, labor leaders and activists demonstrated outside the Board of Education and called for a halt to proposed school actions. About a dozen people remained overnight despite inclement weather conditions. Others said they planned to return.
“CPS wants to position itself as doing something new and innovative by proposing school closures, turnarounds and charter expansions,” Lewis said, “but this is simply more of the same failed policies that for the last 15 years has done little to guarantee student success and everything to lead to student instability and community destabilization. We don’t understand what’s so difficult about giving under-resourced schools the tools and resources they need to provide our students the world-class, 21st century education they deserve.”
Lewis said “Schools fail because the Board has failed to provide them with the resources and support they need. Instead, CPS continues to make excuses for why they prefer pouring millions of dollars in to failed charters and politically connected education groups. Instead of working with parents and teachers they turn around and blame them. Today’s disruption illustrates how frustrated people are with CPS’ lies about what’s going on in our school system. Hopefully this event has shown Board members that parents, teachers and community leaders are prepared to do what is necessary to ensure their children are not viewed data points on a spreadsheet. Public education is not just publicly funded; it should be universally available and accountable to the public.”
The Chicago Teachers Union has called for a moratorium on all school actions and has asked the Board to include more input from parents, educators and community organizations that work in the targeted schools. At each of its 40 mandated hearings CPS has held to foster public participation there has been an overwhelming outcry against school closings, turnarounds and charter expansions.
By: Theresa Daniels
Jean Schwab's excellent Bd coverage
Thanks for such complete info, Jean. These events need to be publicized.