LABOR BEAT VIDEO: 'The Charter Vortex' -- Chicago's charter school fight continues in January 2014 despite the cold
The night before the January 22, 2014 Chicago Public Schools Board meeting was one of the coldest nights this winter. But a number of public schools activists decided to do an all-night sleeping bag vigil on the sidewalk in front of CPS in Chicago's Loop to demonstrate their opposition to 17 new charter schools being planned for approval. The demonstrators must have thought to themselves that the brutal cold of the polar vortex resembled the Board's frigid indifference to the needs of the city's minority and working class neighborhoods.
Jackson Potter speaking at the press conference. Labor Beat photo.We cover the events of Jan. 21-22 in three locations. One, (on the eve of the CPS meeting) at the Chicago Temple a few blocks from CPS headquarters where teachers union and community members heard a few speeches and braced themselves for the wintery blast just outside the door. Speaking there were: Kassandra Tsitsopoulos (teacher at Prosser Career Academy); Brian Harris (President, Alliance for Charter Teachers and Staff - Local 4343); Dr. Andrea Montgomery, teacher at Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy); and Craig Cleve (teacher at Columbia Explorers Academy).
The second location was the march to and press conference at CPS headquarters. Speaking were: Christel Williams (Organizer, Chicago Teachers Union); Rosemary Vega (public schools parent); Jamie Adams (student at Roosevelt High School); Jose Frausto (teacher, CTU member). Kristine Mayle (CTU Financial Secretary) tells us how she is getting ready for staying overnight in the cold.
The third location was the next morning, Jan. 22, and inside the CPS building where in the lobby a brief press conference is held at which Jackson Potter (Staff Coordinator, CTU) speaks. Then upstairs to the official deliberations and voting of the distressingly unelected school board. While there, we hear excerpts of speeches from: Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward Alderman); Karen Lewis (President,CTU); Erica Clark (Parents 4 Teachers); and Jackson Potter (see above);
In this video we learn about the corruption, waste, and disfunction of charter school bunco spreading throughout the city. Jackson Potter finally draws the necessary conclusion that the unelected school board should recuse themselves from voting on whether to bring in more charter schools (7 were eventually approved at the meeting), since much of the board has or has had business connections with charter school interests. Can also be viewed at: http://youtu.be/RnEJ4Fgl2yY
