Malcolm X budget hearing showed lack of trust for CPS officials, budget claims
Trust is a precious commodity in public affairs. If the Chicago Public Schools budget hearing held on Friday evening, August 2, 2013 at Malcolm X College, is any indication, the Chicago Public Schools administration has lost that trust, perhaps even squandered it. And they did it partly by not even by being there. With the exception of the current Chief Financial Officer Peter Rodgers, the top officials of Chicago's public schools didn't even bother to show up to explain their proposed $6 billion budget to the public on the second day of hearings. Barbara Byrd Bennett wasn't there, nor was any of the seven members of the Chicago Board of Education. The loss of trust has been a long time coming, but has finally manifested itself in a total breakdown in communication about the massive annual budget for the public schools of the third largest city in the USA.
Early in the budget hearing that evening, 2nd Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti described a closed school building with weeds growing throughout the lot. Continuing the widespread critique of school closings that has been going on across Chicago, Fioretti said that foreclosing on that building amounted to foreclosing on the community.
CFO Rogers followed Fioretti by telling the audience that speakers were subject to a limit of two minutes each, adding that he was going to make a brief presentation on the budget before listening to speakers from the audience. Before Rodgers could begin, he was, basically, shouted down. Trust?
Before he had a chance to proceed, the audience of more than 200 began to signal its irritation. People began yelling, “No presentation, no more lies,” repeatedly. Rodgers responded that the entire budget was online if people wanted to read it and then allowed people to begin. Few people bothered to identify themselves or spell their names when speaking.
The first to speak was nine-year-old Asean Johnson, from Marcus Garvey School. He informed the panel that Garvey had lost three teachers because of the budget cuts, one of whom was his fourth-grade teacher. “All the cuts made were going to the DePaul Center, even though United Center offered them three more years there,” he said. “Basketball is more important than our schools.”
Asean’s mother stated that, out of 409 students, the school will receive only 40 slots for the afterschool programs, and the class size could rise to 38 students.
Wendy Pearson (Action Now) said the city has spent $70 million in legal fees and payouts for the Jon Burge case (involving a Chicago police officer who employed torture years ago to extract confessions), and that shootings have increased 19 percent. Since July 2007, she said, 1,214 children have been shot.
Wayne Truss, from the Austin neighborhood, asked how many elected officials were present from the West Side, and stated that none were. He asked how many Board of Education members were present. Answer: none. He asked the same about Mayor Rahm Emanuel or CPS Chief Executive Officer Barbara Byrd-Bennett was there. Neither of whom was there. Truss then stated that Austin is the largest community in Chicago, with no general high school and no magnet schools. “Who is profiting from the charter schools?” he asked. He added that the Austin neighborhood also had no diversity jobs.
At that point, the audience began to shout about the need to “vote them out!” The audience began shouting for people to leave.
Truss’s point about the absence of prominent officials like Byrd-Bennett was repeated by other, unidentified speakers. They added that it was disrespectful that CPS had fired some 2,000 staff members from the schools, and to bring in Teach for America teachers instead. When a woman was told her two minutes were up, activist Jitu Brown told her, “Don’t let them tell you how many minutes you can speak.”
Another parent, Carolyn Brown, stated that her child’s school, while not closing, was losing $1 million. She took issue with an issue by Chief Administrative Officer Tim Cawley the night before that he “knew we were here because we only care about our schools.”
“We don’t accept the idea of the loss of teachers, schools, and buses,” she stated, adding that she wanted “the panel to know that she cares about all the schools and children in the city.”
Kathy Coswell, who followed her, stated, “Every school is my school, and every child is my child.” Coswell’s child is in second grade. Because of the cuts, her child will have no computer class, and class size will rise to 27. The school will lose three and a half positions. Coswell mentioned that the CPS Strategy Office is getting an extra $11 million that could be used in the schools. She observed that charter schools are slated for a budget increase
Kate Hogan, a teacher at DePaul, pointed out that De Paul neither wants nor asked for a stadium. Hogan pointed out that a no-bid $20 million contract to provide professional development for principals and network chiefs in Chicago Leadership Academy (the so-called "SUPES Academy") has been approved. Hogan asked how a program that costs $25 million could be put in the budget?
The panel responded that it is important to have good leaders.
Elise, a parent of a CPS child, stated that one classroom had forty children in a class. She visited the class and wondered how any child could learn. “These children in urban neighborhoods have enough to worry about. Now parents have to worry about whether their child is going to make it home. We are tired of going through this year after year.”
Another speaker stated: “These are professional liars. We are the experts, we are the parents. We need to get together and elect people to represent us.”
Wendy Pearson said that because the panel did not answer any questions, we will walk out.
Ken Budz, on the LSC of Gage Park High School, said that their LSC rejected the budget and other LSCs can vote against it. There has been a coalition of LSCs formed to reject this budget. They are encouraging CPS to fill their coffers this year and get TIF monies and then take actions next year. A majority of the audience then walked out and held a rally outside.
Asean Johnson spoke next about what Barbara Byrd Bennett said about him on the radio. Byrd-Bennett had said publicly that people were giving Asean words to say. Johnson feels it is “disrespectful to go on the radio saying that people are telling me what to say.”
Another speaker asked the four panel members: Why don’t you take a pay cut? You guys are closing 50 schools. You have money for Safe Passages but no money for our schools. Is there something wrong with Chicago or our leaders? Did the budget contain Title One money? Rodgers replied —yes. Speakers went on: We are $385,000 in the hole and because of that we have no art, no computer and 21 century learning. Our recess is not funded. We are scrimping to find someone to fund our recess. Title one has no buses. Our athletes have to walk to events. This budget is not going to work. More students come to our school after the first month, will we receive funding for them.
Rogers said — Yes. How about students that come in the middle of the year around the time for the tests? Rogers- no you will not get funding for them.
Speaker- “We need funding for students in the middle of the year because we get a lot of students then. Barbara Byrd Bennet says on one side of her mouth that we won’t have oversized classes and on the other side of her mouth, we will have oversized classes.”
Michelle Villegas of Lincoln Elementary School read a statement which she did not quite finish. This is the whole statement, which she provided to Substance.
Dear Members of the Chicago Board of Education,
My name is Michelle Hoppe Villegas. I am a proud parent of two CPS students who both graduated from Lincoln Elementary School and went on to attend WPCP.I am a former LES parent, PTA officer, and LSC member, I am here on behalf of a large group of parents and community members in Lincoln Park who believe fervently in equity in education, and wise and just use of scarce educational resources. I come before you today appalled at what is about to transpire.
It appeared rational minds would prevail and that the new $50 M middle school on the CMH site which Lincoln Elementary School demanded last October would not be funded due to the $1B CPS deficit, massive school closures primarily in minority neighborhoods in Chicago, drastic slashing of CPS school budgets for next year, and the recent release of the draft on CPS’s 10 year Education Facilities Master Plan, which indicated that no school in LES’s (Lincoln Elementary School’s) position would receive a new facility without utilizing other far less expensive options, especially since Lincoln, though overcrowded does not recommend the Lincoln Middle School either educationally or fiscally, and would only build the middle school if funds were earmarked for LES and it was mandated to do so. Lincoln ranks 51st out of the 58 overcrowded CPS schools with attendance boundaries, it is not the most crowded school in CPS, and it is not CPS’s highest priority.
That was made quite clear by CPS officials at numerous Lincoln LSC meetings and at other public meetings regarding massive CPS closures this year due to CPS overcapacity. Funds were not forthcoming from the federal government, from the state of Illinois, or from CPS. That left only the Mayor.
However, it appears Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Michelee Smith, and the developer of the CMH (Children’s Memorial Hospital) site have come to a deal. We have confirmation from four sources, who have spoken directly to Emanuel, at this time of fiscal austerity when $68 M is being slashed from school budgets and nearly 1,500 teachers are being laid off, has found funding for the Lincoln Middle School. How could that be possible? How could the 51st most crowded school get a brand new, state of the art middle school, jumping over 50 more crowded schools in CPS? Because it is located in Lincoln Park, as are its connected, wealthy friends of mayor Emanuel and Alderman Michelle Smith. They demanded the new school as the only acceptable solution, not boundary change, because that may affect their property values. They demanded it and they will receive it, while at the same time nearly 50 more crowded schools in poor neighborhoods in Chicago are being shuttered this fall, and even in Lincoln Park, Lincoln Park High School is slated to let go of teachers and programs due to drastic budget cuts. Do we want our scarce educational resources to fund an unnecessary middle school for Lincoln Park? Is this fair, wise, or just decision?
Respectfully,
Michelle Villegas
Patricia Breckenridge stated that $210 million for closing and welcoming 100 schools is misspending. This money could be spent on our schools, (without closing them.) This system is set up for failure. These students never had a chance. Education has to change. It is inhumane to see these schools (children ) under educated.
Angelica Para, a volunteer at Kelly High School says there are 3,000 students and Kelly is overcrowded. You can’t make education an industry, she said. Kelly has lost a music teacher and an art teacher and 20 staff members while politicians are getting raises. When schools are being closed, the arts are first to go.
Another speaker asked about when the committee started making long term projections on the budget.
