BOARDWATCH: Chicago Board of Education meeting of March 23, 2016 highlighted by continued protests against CPS lies...
Four of the seven Chicago Board of Education members pledging (background) while student Board members join (foreground). Substance photo by David Vance.The Chicago Board of Education met for its monthly meeting as usual at its downtown offices (currently at Madison and Dearborn) and as usual during the day when most working people can't attend. Faced with a looming vote by the Chicago Teachers Union's House of Delegates to go on a one-day strike on April 1, CPS officials continued their business as usual approach to things. The current "Chief Executive Officer" of CPS, Forrest Claypool, has been in office since July 2015, when he was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to replace his predecessor, Barbara Byrd Bennett.
While downtown on March 23, I decided to attend the Chicago Board of Education public participation session. I was too late for the Musical presentation, which board president, Frank Clark, said was excellent.
I came in during the report to the Board of a new name and policies for Bi-Lingual Education and its advantages. Officials were highlighting the benefits of having bilingual students from varying backgrounds in our communities.
The public speaker list describes what people wanted to talk about and why. At least 17 people wanted to talk about the instability caused by budget cuts, toxic swaps and charter expansion. The first was Michael Brunson, Financial Secretary of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Brunson stated that he had “been to the Chicago Board of Education and talked about funding many times.” Someone once told him that “you have to repeat a message at least seven times to make it stick.” Brunson added, “You cannot continue to do the same budget decisions and expect something different will happen. You cannot continue doing this year after year about the deficit.” His suggestions were:
Five of the new members of the executive ranks of the nation's third largest school system at the March 23, 2016 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education. None of them was working in schools, let alone at six-figure salaries in power positions, one year earlier. Substance photo by David Vance. -- Send surplus TIF funds back to the schools;
-- Call back toxic swaps. Many other public bodies have successfully done that;
-- “Work with us” on changing the State Constitution, Article 12, Fair Income Tax. Illinois needs a Progressive Income Tax, a millionaires Tax.
Brunson told the Board that there is a Distressed Tax Bill introduced by Illinois Representative Barbara Flynn Curry. “Let’s all go down to Springfield together,” he said.
Brunson was followed by Alderman Anthony Napolitano of the 41st ward.
Napolitano told the Board that he has been to the Board of Education meetings at least seven times asking for an annex to help alleviate overcrowding of schools in the 41st ward. He spoke about overcrowding at Ebinger and Dirksen schools in his ward.
He said that Ebinger Elementary School has 778 current students in a building with a capacity for 540. The school will have to turn the lunchroom into a classroom if an annex is not built. This school is 20 percent over capacity.
Dirksen Elementary School has 845 students. Dirksen has seen a large growth in students. Both schools are at performance level 1+ and have good attendance. Napolitano added that, “Young families are flocking to Ward 41. It can be CPS flagship schools, and to push students away because we don’t have enough room is unacceptable.”
The first public speakers were students from high schools in the area. Both Board Members Frank Clark and Gail Ward said that they were pleased that students were so concerned and speaking out about their schools. Clark and Ward added that they wanted to be sure that the students had excused absences and their parents approved that they were missing school. They said they also wanted them to return to school as soon as they were finished speaking.
Evelyn Solis, of Thomas Kelly High School, spoke against budget cuts, toxic swaps and charter schools. Solis said that people should reject raiding schools and taking discretionary money from SEB accounts while building new schools when our high schools are losing money.
Gloria Oladipp, of the Chicago Youth Alliance for School Climate Action, stated that CPS budget cuts are destabilizing the schools and creating instability in the teaching staff. Oladipp asked, “Why do you cut teachers first and take 7% of their pay?”
Oladipp asked each Board Member how they would like it if 7% was taken out of their pay. Clark answered that board members are not paid. Oladipp continued by telling the Board to: “Clean up the mess that you have created.”
Maya Hernandez, Lane Tech, complained about budget cuts. “You need a steady viable funding scheme. You keep cutting (among other things) so we have dirty schools. This adds stress to parents’ lives by threatening termination of teachers. I am a granddaughter of undocumented immigrants.”
Krystal Harris, of Benito Juarez High School, observed that board members “have future doctors and lawyers here, “yet all you care about is focusing on the time. You keep taking teaching staff away.” Harris, a future doctor, lamented that the school labs are not equipped.
William Floyd, a former Chicago High School student, now in college, recalls going to board meetings in high school, only to be ignored. He described the then board members as neolithic bodies with a legacy of failing. Floyd called on CPS to stand for students and support a progressive tax.
Diontae Chatman, a Sumner student, wanted to talk about student mistreatment and standardized testing. Diontae stated that his school does not have typing classes, yet students must take the PARC test, which is administered on computers.
Cassie Creswell, of More than a Score, said that students may refuse to take the PARC, beginning the conversation about this years Opt Out.
Jeff Jenkins, a member of the Coonley Elementary School Local School Council, wanted to talk about budget concerns and charter expansion. Jenkins pointed out that Coonley LSC had hosted the "State of CPS" meeting, which dealt with the budget. Jenkins observed that Coonley has been very interested in the budget and the cuts. “Yet, parents get letters all the time from CPS, where the tone is confrontational, referring to Coonley children as ‘Our children.’”
Jenkins stated that decision makers have made it clear that the (neighborhood) schools are not their schools of choice. “You have made it clear that Francis Parker is your favored choice since many of you do not send your children to neighborhood schools,” he said. “You have shown it by your cuts. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to go to Francis Parker. These children are not your children; they are our children.”
Jennifer Biggs, of Raise Your Hand, a mother of three, lamented that when Raise Your Hand went to Springfield, they did not see CPS there.
By: Kati Gilson
Opt out
Student bullying and intimidation continues at Sumner. Students who turned in opt out letters were denied the "special" breakfast prepared for the children. At the beginning of testing Ms. Cook, the AP, told them they had to log on. They did so and then refused to take the test because they told her they had opted out. One child was pulled out of the lunch line and asked if he had a phone. He was told if he tells the truth he'd get it back. It was turned off, in his pocket. They told him he won't get it until June.