BOARDWATCH: Alderman Fioretti questions why the Board is starving Monetfiore of students
[The following is the statement read today by Second Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti at the July 23, 2014 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education. The statement and the letter from the Progressive Caucus of the City Council to the Board that follows it were provided to Substance by the alderman's office. George N. Schmidt, Editor].
Second Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti (at podium, right) spoke to the Board of Education about the Board's sabotage of the programs for special needs boys at Montefiore school during the July 23, 2013 Board meeting. Fioretti also present the Board with the letter from the members of the Chicago City Council Progressive Caucus. Since the Board closed the two other therapeutic schools two years ago, CPS officials have been sabotaging Montefiore by not sending students to the school, while ensuring that privatization of those services moves forward at an expensive pace, with now professional oversight. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.My name is Alderman Bob Fioretti, and I am here today to talk about Montefiore, the last therapeutic day school in CPS. I have been the alderman of the 2nd Ward for the last seven years, and Montefiore is in my ward. I have seen some great work done for students at that school. Montefiore has operated since 1929, helping boys with severe behavioral and emotional issues. The students at Montefiore need special services. Outside of a therapeutic environment, these students are at high risk for being suspended repeatedly, getting involved in violence and disrupting their classes. A school like Montefiore should be on the front line for preventing violence in school and on the street.
I am here today representing a group of Aldermen who are concerned about the situation at Montefiore. After closing its other two therapeutic day schools last year, and consolidating those students in Montefiore, CPS has failed to assign any new students to Montefiore. After graduation this June, there were very few students left at Montefiore, so CPS layed off most of the teachers in the school.
This is a pattern at Montefiore, where there have been several principals in the last few years. I introduced a resolution in the City Council in 2009 asking for an investigation of underfunding and the failiure to assign students to Montefiore. CPS provided damaging testimony at this hearing, and many community members, teachers and principals raised concerns about students who did not receive necessary IEPs, and students who dropped out of school after serving time in Juvenile Detention.
After these hearings, CPS worked hard to improve the curriculum, teaching and services at Montefiore under Dr. Richard Smith, the former network chief and head of OSES. There is no excuse: CPS should be able to provide outstanding care in Montefiore.
I have given you a letter and supporting material that asks the Board to return Montefiore to a working therapeutic school so that it can continue to serve the children in Chicago. The concerned aldermen and community representatives would like to meet with Dr. Barbara Byrd-
Bennett and those making the decisions about Montefiore as soon as possible, so that we can work together to get this school back up and running. This is an important step in stemming violence in schools and on the streets of Chicago.
If we are really serious as a city about healing and solving the issues of violence and other problems that plague our communities, how can we turn our backs on schools like Montefiore? We can�t police our way out of this, we can�t tax our way out of this, we can�t ignore our way out of this and hope things magically get better.
We need action. We need to get to the root of this and offer HELP and guidence to our young residents MOST in distress and in need. If we turn our backs on THEM, what does that say about US as leaders?
LETTER TO BARBARA BYRD BENNETT...
July 22, 2014
Dr. Barbara Byrd-Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
125 S. Clark Street
5th Floor
Chicago IL 60603
Re: Montefiore
Dear Dr. Byrd-Bennett:
We write to call to your attention to an urgent matter regarding Moses Montefiore Academy
located at 1310 S. Ashland.
CPS has invested over $2 million in renovating Montefiore and preparing the curriculum and
teachers in recent years. But since last year, when CPS consolidated all schools for children
needing therapeutic services into Montefiore, CPS has not sent a single new student to the
school. There have been numerous complaints about the extent and adequacy of service being
provided by CPS at Montefiore.
Since graduation in June enrollment has fallen, and CPS has layed off most of the teachers in
the school. Network Chief Harold Johnson has indicated that he is searching for qualified staff
to work in the school prior to September.
We have received many reports from families and others who wanted to send their children to
Montefiore and were denied access. While Montefiore had no referrals, CPS has referred
numerous families to private providers over the years.
We request an immediate meeting, with us and concerned community members, to discuss
how we can work together to return Montefiore to a working therapeutic school that can serve
the children in Chicago.
CITY HALL
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602
TELEPHONE 312-744-6836
We will attend the next CPS Board meeting with community members to raise this issue with
the Board. We will also again ask the City Council Education and Health Committees to address
the lack of progress on providing adequate support to these most vulnerable students.
Montefiore has a long history, starting in 1929, serving the therapeutic needs of boys from
across the City of Chicago. CPS has threatened to shut down Montefiore in the past. Ald.
Fioretti introduced a resolution in the Chicago City Council asking CPS to appear and explain its
failure to support and expand the services provided by Montefiore and other similar schools.
CPS appeared and provided alarming testimony about its failures to provide services. CPS� own
statistics showed that NONE of its students in Juvenile Detention were still in school one year
later.
The attached study shows that over one third of the students in Juvenile Detention have severe
emotional and or mental health issues, and yet very few have IEPs, and almost none of these
students receive adequate transition help to get back into school after they leave Juvenile
Detention. Teachers and principals testified about their inability to get IEPs determined for
students, and community members testified about the increasing numbers of juveniles who are
running the streets and are increasingly involved in drugs, gangs and crime. This situation still
exists, despite the important work that was done by Dr. Richard G. Smith, who was the Network
Chief for Montefiore and then became the head of OSES. We believe that Dr. Smith, or
someone with his reputation and experience, is a necessary part of bringing Montefiore back to
full functioning.
As you may know, Ald. Fioretti has worked closely with CPS, Montefiore and community
representatives to address these concerns. We have attached the letters and copies of the City
Council Resolution that initiated hearings in 2009 on the situation at Montefiore, and parts of
the material submitted during those hearings concerning Montefiore and CPS� failure to treat
the students who need therapeutic services. Also attached is the letter to former CEO Brizard
again raising these issues in 2011.
Montefiore has played a crucial role in addressing the issues of the boys who need therapeutic
services, like many of those in Juvenile Detention. We have heard the assertion made in the
past that the cost of educating a student at Montefiore is higher than in the private sector. That
will always be true when CPS fails to refer students into Montefiore. We are concerned that CPS
has failed to take into account the cost of reserving seats in private therapeutic providers.
We would like to meet with you and those who made this decision as soon as possible, along
with some of the community members who have been involved in the work being done at
Montefiore.
Thank you for your consideration.
Robert Fioretti
By: Rod Estvan
State level complaint pending against Montefiore
As I said at yesterday's Board meeting there is an administrative complaint pending against Montefiore school for significant violations of both state and federal laws relating to students with disabilities. I was one of a number of advocates for students with disabilities that filed this complaint. Others included several of the leading special education attorneys in the state, a recognized expert on therapeutic schools and a former director of such a school, a retired Chicago Public School psychologist, the Dean of a major school of Education, and others.
Before CPS acts on the Alderman's request to enroll additional students at the school is acted on we would like to see a resolution to this complaint which is currently being investigated by ISBE staff.
Rod Estvan
Access Living