More than 300 people show up and denounce idea that charters will 'relieve overcrowding'... Charter schools opposed in Southwest Side forum
On January 14, 2014, a forum on charter school expansion at and its Impact on the city's real public schools drew more than 300 participants at a standing-room-only forum held at Shields Middle School, 2611 W. 48th St. Chicago. The forum was held from 6:30-8:30 pm.
Some of the crowd at the Shields school forum. Substance photo by Jean Schwab.The critique of charter schools was almost unanimous. Dr. Rasael Yanez, a Chicago police officer, summed up his observations by stating, �A kid gets into a fight at a charter school. He has to find another school. He is kicked out of the charter school. He has to go to the neighborhood school. Chances are he will be behind and then have to catch up at the neighborhood school.�
Jenny Bates, parent and member of Raise Your Hand, was moderator.
�We want a strong resourced school for all children," Bates stated. "We are not here to bash charter school parents or teachers. We are here to discuss their impact. Next week [at the January 22 Board of Education meeting], the Chicago Board of Education will vote on adding 21 more charter schools. Austin closed four schools and has a proposal for one new charter school in Austin."
Bates quoted Dwayne Truss, has been active in Austin. "We are looking forward to 31 new charters in the fall of 2013 -2014,� Truss said. He was quoted as saying that people in Austin oppose charter expansion despite the claims by some politicians. Substance has reported that major political officials from Austin -- Alderman Emma Mitts and Congressman Danny Davis -- have spoken in support of a proposed charter school for Austin, while having neglected the community's real public schools.
There were four experts who presented information using Power Point slides.
Dr. Federico Waitoller, professor at University of Illinois presented the El Aleph Project's analysis of charters. The project compared the proportion of special education students in charters compared with special education students in traditional neighborhood school. Waitoller found that Charter schools actually fewer serious special education cases than the real public schools. Neighborhood schools have a higher proportion of high incidence disabilities such as Autism, Severe Disabilities, Sensory impairments, Intellectual disabilities. The real public schools need more support, but are getting less as charters take more of the CPS budget.
Charter schools have higher percentage of African American and Latino students in special education, he went on. Waitoller stated that charter schools complain that they do not know how to support students with "least restrictive environments" and don�t have the resources.
Stephanie Farmer is a professor of Sociology at Roosevelt University. Farmer researched the relationship of charters with the CPS budget. The CPS budget has $100 million cuts across schools -- plus $155 million less going to neighborhood schools this year. The impact of these cuts is 3,000 teacher, clinicians, counselors and paraprofessionals laid off. From 1997 to 2013, 135 neighborhood schools have been closed -- and 122 charter schools have opened!
Farmer pointed out that the budget from 2010 to 2013 has held constant, but does not take into consideration charter schools. The CPS budget has held at $4.896 billion in 2010 to $5.098 billion in 2013.
Who is the winner and losers?
-- Charters and alternative schools have seen an increase of 72% in their budget despite an increase of projected 10% enrollment.
-- Neighborhood schools lost $250 million and private and schools are receiving $100 million more in tax dollars. An example of funding for elementary schools in Chicago is a projected enrollment of +4% and a budget change of -3%. Another example is the neighborhood high schools with a projected enrollment of -2% and a budget change of -14%
-- CPS annual charter network financial reports show that only 47% of the charter schools complied with an annual audit, 50% complied with the budget and 53% complied with quarterly statements. Charters spent less on instruction than CPS and more on administration.
Charter expansion has been happening for a long time.
Charters receive 75% of income from CPS, with most private financial support now going to the charters. Farmer noted that many Chicago charter schools only pay $1.00 for a building. Also services such as speech are provided by CPS. Money given to charters has increased from $326 million, 2110, to $483 million in 2013.. Charters also receive money from donations, student fees, and private fundraising and other.
Millions of dollars are spent outside the classroom, she reported -- $9 million on interest; $11 million in office and administration, $14 million on CM/EMO fees and $20 million on occupancy. Farmer reported that some of the charter school CEO s make as much money as Chicago Public School CEOs.
Jean Pierce, Retired research professor at Northern IL. University at DeKalb, looked at whether charters were succeeding with traditional neighborhood children. For years, charters have been claiming that their test scores show that they provide superior "outcomes" when compared with the community schools around them. But this is not true.
Pierce also discovered that "innovation" and "competition" are not what parents want when choosing a school. �Parents often choose schools that are traditional� Pierce states, �in reading 80% of Charter schools showed growth no different or worse than traditional public schools. In math 63% showed growth no different or worse than traditional schools.�
There are some charters that are meeting and exceeding and standards -- but not UNO, Concepts, Insight or Aspiria. The "Noble Network of Charter Schools" which Mayor Rahm Emanuel has regularly cited as having the "secret sauce" for producing positive results did not meet or exceed standards because of testing irregularities. Nobel's history of forcing out low-performing students and discipline problems has been a scandal covered up by Chicago's corporate media for more than a decade.
When the charter schools that were exceeding and meeting standards were compared with neighborhood schools, there was a question of equity. Neighborhood schools had a greater mobility than charter schools, The neighborhood schools have more homeless and low income students than charters and charter schools do not promote equality so there is more fighting over precious resources.
Bryon Sigcho, Graduate Research student at UIC, spoke next about UNO. Sigcho pointed out that �98% of the students at UNO are Hispanic, but UNO does not support ELL, Bilingual programs or Spanish ethnic studies. Instruction at UNO is �full emersion.� Observers also note that the UNO charter schools have created a new segregated school sub-system that is excluding black children in huge numbers.
According to Sigcho, �UNO was the recipient of a $98 million school construction grant in 2009. Most of the money received never reaches the school. Only 45 cents of every dollar reaches the classroom. Only 15% of the teachers have spent five years in the classroom. Twenty percent of the teachers are not even certified and 25% are from Teach for America. Fifty percent are not educators. UNO operates on a �Ponze� financial scheme supported by politicians and corporations.�
UNO has made several people richer. Some of these are Gery Chico -- a zoning lawyer for UNO and President of ISBE.
Cronyism is rampant in the UNO system. Ed Acevedo, member of the Illinois House of Representatives, had his brother receive a security contract for UNO. House Speaker Michael Madigan received contributions from D�Escoto contractors, a major UNO contractor. Silvana Tabares, member of Illinois House of Representatives received, $51,000 in contributions the D�Escoto contractors. Alderman Ed Burke received $1.67 million for his Windy City Electric contract.
Materials distributed before the forum told the intentions:
"Why: Despite tremendous CPS budget cuts, a one billion dollar deficit and the recent closing of 50 neighborhood schools, the Board is planning to vote to open up to 31 new charter schools in the next two years. Parents and community members are outraged as neighborhood schools continue to receive funding cuts that have forced elimination of critical teaching and support positions as well as fundamental education programming."
"Topics will include -- Charter impact on special education?
� Financing issues and lack of transparency with charter budgets?�
Academic performance of charters vs. neighborhood schools
Speakers and supporters to include:?
� Students who have been counseled out of charters will offer testimony.?�
Sponsors included the following organizations: Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Albany Park Neighborhood Council, Blocks Together, Raise Your Hand, Parents4Teachers, Teachers for Social Justice.
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Comments:
By: Rod Estvan
Understood jean
Jean I understood what you had to say about special education populations in charter schools. Basically when I wrote a report years ago on charter schools and special education I found the same thing.
Access Living formally attempted to get major funders of charter schools to make grants to charters contingent on the schools establishing programs for more severely disabled students. That idea was not accepted by these funders. Because of the growth of charters in Chicago more severely disabled students are being corralled into fewer and fewer schools.
Rod Estvan
By: Jean Schwab
Special Education in Charters and Neighborhood
Charter Schools have 70% Learning Disabled
students.
Neighborhood Schools have 50% Learning Disabled students. Charter Schools do have more learning disabled students. Neighborhood schools have more severe special education students while charter schools have mild or moderate disabled students. I don't think I made that clear in the article.