A new version of 'Division Street America'... Manierre hearing repeats how CPS move is racist, and will result in violence if children are forced to cross Division St.
The hearing on the proposed closing of George Manierre Elementary School and Ferguson Child Parent Center was held on April 30, 2013, and the supporters of Manierre made it clear they weren't giving up and they were going to make sure that the truth were told.
The hearing took place in the 15th floor "holding room" at CPS headquarters at 125 S. Clark St. and over a hundred people were present. The only people who spoke in favor of closing Manierre (and Ferguson Child Parent Center) and sending the children to Jenner were the official CPS witnesses. Parents, students, staff and supporters, nearly the whole audience, signed up as speakers. The Board of Education, claiming that Manierre is "underutilized," is ordering the Manierre's children go to Jenner Elementary School, on the other side of Division St.
Part of the crowd that assembled in the "holding room" at 125 S. Clark St. for the hearing on Manierre and Ferguson. Substance photo by Jean Schwab.They testified that they don’t want Manierre closed for safety reasons, questioned why students were not placed in surrounding "better" schools like Lincoln Elementary, La Salle and Pritzker — some of which are close and safer. Mostly they focused on how well Manierre is doing: scores are improving and new programs have been added to the school. Ferguson CPC has a new building and Manierre has a new Library.
A speaker was asking the Judge and hearing board why Manierre students could not go to one of the higher level schools in the neighborhood or maybe some of the students on the waiting list for Lincoln Elementary could be given rooms in Manierre. Of course, there was no answer from the hearing officers.
The next speaker was Ms. Johnson from the Erickson Institute. Johnson described the Early Math program at Manierre which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Teachers and administrators in pre-school through third grade are committed to this program. That became obvious from previous hearings; this program is based on teaching foundational math to students up to 3rd grade; the funding is $6 million and lasts five years. Manierre is half-way through the program. Johnson also stated that, “it is not a program that can be just lifted up and taken to Jenner.” Johnson continued, telling the hearing she, “disagrees with the statement that Jenner is a better performing school.”
Clara Smith’s family is a 7th generation that graduated from Manierre. She said. ”If there is any blood of those children spilled, it will be on the hands of the CPS Board of Education,” she said.
The Hearing officer said that she objected to the way Smith addressed the issue. Smith said that since 1982, when there were a lot of bullets flying, she has been "dedicated to keeping our children alive.“
Willie J.R. Fleming gave the hearing officers a copy of the "United Nations Rights of a Child" and commented that both Mayor Daley and the Chicago City council signed it in 2009. He also mentioned that Schiller School closed in 2009.
He asked,” If Mayor Emanual lived in Israel, would he send his children to a Palestinian school?” There was no response. Fleming said that kids are joining gangs because adults have not protected these children. "We are forcing them into gangs," he continued. "We are making them child soldiers. It is our responsibility to make sure not one child is hurt."
Fleming finished by saying, "If not sending our children to school will kill the budget — so be it. I would rather kill the budget than kill a child.”
Denise Smith, clerk at Ferguson Child Parent Center, and a resident of Old Town for 51 years, stated, "We have first, second and third graders bringing their sisters and brothers to school. It will be hard for older people to get to Jenner across Division Street. Our pre-schoolers have little hands and feet."
Ferguson was named after Katherine Ferguson, a black teacher.
Kevin Taylor, Community Mentor, and has lived in the neighborhood 25 years. He was raised with violence all around. His father was killed because of the gang violence. The divide on Division has lasted about 40 years, he told the hearing. There are some guys that can cross Division but not many. Jenner students already have a hit list of students they want to kill. Community people want to come together. There are budget restraints but we pray that some guys will not try to take the school.
A parent, Sherise Mc Daniel, told about a young man shot in the arm and a girl that was injured. These parents have guns. She also gave the Hearing Officers a flyer that was sent to students threatening them. She asked why Manierre students couldn’t be sent to La Salle -- because “our students need to learn Spanish to get a job.”
Another parent stated that she did not trust Safe Passage to stop drugs and gangs. She also said that a man was struck and killed crossing Division and that the I Pad would not encourage her to send her children across Division Street.
A speaker for LAF (Legal Assistance Foundation, which provides free legal services to poor, elderly and disabled persons in Cook County, spoke saying the LAF opposes the closure of Manierre and Ferguson because closing does not comply with CPS’s guidelines for School Action or State Law. The draft transition plan does not comply with the guidelines. CPS Guidelines require that when a CEO proposes a school closure it must issue a draft transition plan "dependent on the unique circumstances of the the proposed school action." The draft transition plan document does not depend on the unique circumstances of closing Manierre and Ferguson. Also the utilization formula counts Manierre’s special education population out by saying every classroom should have 30 students, when current Illinois regulations on self-contained classrooms require that no more than 5 to 15 special education students. She also stated that the closing is short sighted because of new housing coming into the area. Another LAF speaker mentioned that CPS counted performance scores from 2011 instead of the better scores from 2012 and 20013. The 2011 scores were not correct.
Martin Ritter, an organizer from the CTU, pointed out that all units should have a separate hearing and Ferguson was never given a separate hearing. He stated that an actual improvement plan would be to give all these students seats at Lincoln North, Skinner and Schiller. Also CPS could wait for the new housing, redraw boundaries and add diversity to the schools. Ritter brought cheers from the audience when he stated that “CPS says they have a safety plan, but we haven’t seen it. They say they will have a floor plan, but we haven’t seen it.”
Arthur Reynolds talked about the partnership the University of Minnesota has with the Ferguson Child Parent Center. He said that it was cost effective for the board to continue CPC third grade expansion and gave me a print-out (Cost- Effective Reforms Should Continue in Manierre Elementary and Ferguson Child- Parent Center) explaining that the CPC expansion is proven school restructuring model designed to increase enrollment and achievement. It is supported by the U.S. Department of Education.
Federal and private matching funding for the Midwest CPC expansion totals over $18 million in the next five years with over $350,000 per year contributed to Mainierre. Some of the money would be spent on a Literacy coach, increase utilization, recalculation of utilization rate now (55) and in three years, and adding aids to classrooms Reynolds stated and that,” the Model State of Art Child Center could not be moved to Jenner. that Jenner doesn’t have the space to accommodate all the students and that there would be overcrowding” There is a list of partnerships presently helping Manierre and Ferguson which include Target who gave the school a library Makeover, Children’s Literacy Initiative/Target coaching Project Write 2 WinMidwest, CPC Pre-k- 3rd grade expansion. According to Reynolds there are planned 25000 new housing units to be added 500 new housing units at the old YMCA lot and a new target store planned. There also are units planned for a Near North area.
By: Jean R Schwab
New programs at Manierre and Ferguson... What is the secret plan by CPS?
Manierre and Ferguson have so many programs and money coming into their school(s) that they could become an example of a model urban school. They already have a new CPC building and a new library. Why would CPS ever want to close it? Actually, other partners are supplying all the money that should be supplied by CPS -- so CPS doesn't have to pay a dime for it. What is CPS going to do once all those new units are built? Will they then reopen the building or put a new charter school in. It just doesn't make sense. Destabilizing children, putting them at risk in another building which may become overcrowed and dangerous to cross the street, doesn't sound worth whatever value CPS will gain.
Are they Crazy?