Dishonest and Deceiving Contract Language...
Bowen High School, at 2710 E. 89th St. in Chicago's South Chicago community, has been surrounded by charter schools (one of which has been placed inside the Bowen building). The charters have drained away students from the public school, leaving Bowen in danger of being targeted for closure because of its low enrollment. Bowen is one of a dozen public high schools that have been decimated because of the Board of Education's policy of expanding charters at the expense of the city's real public schools. The Chicago Teachers Union mailing (sent Oct 22, 2016) gives a summary of the 2015 – 2019 Tentative Agreement. In bold headlines it reads, “Congratulations, We Have Come So Far.” There is discussion how dishonest and deceiving the latest CTU mailing is. The issue of Zero Charter expansions and No School Closing language (as written) is dishonest. More discussion is needed. Questions need to be answered.
It reads in bold print, “No School Closings: for years 1 – 2, then only the inability to meet graduation requirements.”
So if this is now year #2 then next year, the summer of 2017 will be the start of year #3, CPS will have contract language to close schools.
Most active members of the public know CPS doesn’t need union contract language to close schools. CPS closed 50 elementary schools claiming “underutilized space.” It was obvious that CPS was doing the charter school operators a favor, close public schools open charter schools. At the high school level CPS had 86 High Schools in 2000. Today there are 140 high schools; an increase of 68%.** Reports show high school student population is only a fraction greater while overall student membership in CPS has declined.
The result of 54 more high schools (and no significant student increase) is a drop in enrollment in the neighborhood schools. Many once great public high schools now have low enrollment.
This has been a 15 year plan by CPS and charter operators.
What is most ugly about privatization is that it is not about education, but follow the money. Chicago’s public money is being diverted into private hands with the help of the Mayor and his hand picked Board of Education.
A dozen public high schools with low enrollment are just what they want for the new hit list. And, next year with more budget cuts, the Board of Ed will claim they have to close more schools because of under enrollment. Also CPS CEO Forest Claypool probably will claim that these schools are not “meeting graduation requirements” which is virtually inevitable as they have been starved of resources and then forced to take in the students that the charter schools have dumped.
And of course more funding to improve education is not going to happen; so a number of high schools will be closed.
Unfortunately now (with new contract language) the CTU has become part of this destructive game, while claiming there will be no school closing in years 1 – 2. They clearly have left the door open for CPS to close high schools in years 3 and 4 of the contract. The next question coming soon is, how will the CTU march and protest to stop the next round of school closings when it looks like they have said, “OK?” Are teacher activists noting all the loopholes in the Proposed Contract wrong? In years 3 and 4 of the contract when hundreds of teachers are being laid off from the closed high schools, the fight by CTU won’t be standing tall but begging. Are critics wrong that this contract language will allow school closings?
Where is the plan for multi-purpose use of our public school buildings? There could be evening classes. There could be job training. Shouldn’t this be in the contract?
The CTU could be marching with the neighborhoods to keep the schools open. Marching is better than begging any day. The old saying is still true, “You only get what you fight for.”
Marching for a strong contract with no layoffs and no school closings should be number one priority of the rank and file members of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Possible schools on the next hit list. Fenger High School...
Current enrollment 231. Only 30 freshmen enrolled.
Surrounded by charter schools
1. Magic Johnson- enrollment - - - - - - - -201
2. Camelot Chicago Excel enrollment - - 227
Hirsch High School...
Current enrollment 190.
Surrounded by charter schools
1. Noble Gary Comer enrollment 6th to 12th grades 1,150
2. CICS Avalon enrollment - - - 490
3. YCCS Sullivan enrollment - - - 332
Robeson High School...
Current enrollment 152
Surrounded by charter schools
1. Noble Johnson enrollment - - 860
2. Amandala enrollment - - - - xxx ***(I cannot find their enrollment number)
Douglas High School...
Current enrollment 163
Manley High School....
Current enrolment 176
Marshall High School...
Current enrollment 371
Hope High School...
Current enrollment 139
Forced to share building with Kipp Charter xxx enrollment.
Gage Park High School...
Current enrollment 302
Tilden High School...
Current enrollment 284
Corliss High School...
Current enrollment 371
Forced to share building with Noble Butler Charter 570 enrollment.
Bowen High School....
Current enrollment 333
Surrounded by charter schools
1. Baker Charter (CPS gave Noble new Bowen annex) enrollment- 390
2. Epic Charter (83rd Houston) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - enrollment 500
** BY KATE N. GROSSMAN, THE ATLANTIC, APR 8, 2016
Meanwhile, the city since 2000 has opened dozens of schools to offer more choice and retain the middle class. Most are public charter schools that admit by lottery but a bevy of test-based schools and programs also launched. Chicago now has 101,000 students in 140 high schools, excluding alternative schools. In 2000, CPS had 93,000 students in 86 high schools. That’s a 63 percent increase in schools against an 8 percent increase in students. For neighborhoods like Austin that have lost population, this seats-students mismatch is particularly devastating.
*** State commission overrules CPS on charter school closures
By Kalyn Belsha | March 1, 2016
http://catalyst-chicago.org/2016/03/state-commission-overrules-cps-on-charter-school-closures/
Amandla Charter School in Englewood and Betty Shabazz International Charter School’s Sizemore Academy in West Englewood both were granted permission to stay open for two years — the amount of time left on the charter agreement they had with Chicago Public Schools.
Comments:
By: Rod Estvan
add Perspectives at Calumet to the list
As some of you who know me are aware I taught at Calumet High School before it was converted to a campus of Perspectives Charter Schools. Based on the 20th day enrollment figures for the Charter school issued only a few weeks ago located in the building it now has an enrollment of 862 students, of whom 133 are actually 6th through 8th graders. The school is now in need of about $12.3 million in repairs following a rehab under the Vallas administration, including total rehab of the school’s swimming pool which was the best in the city when the school was built in the 1920s. Today the pool is used only for storage because the full rehab done by Vallas contractors apparent did not include new plumbing which has collapsed. CPS has listed the design capacity of the Calumet High School building as about 1,600. Effectively this charter school occupies only about half of this building. Even in the 1995-96 school year Calumet HS still had 1,025 students, by the 1999-2000 school year it was down to 908 students which is still more than it has today as a charter school.
Here is a link to an article from 1992 on how Mayor Daley was going to fix up Calumet http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-05-28/news/9202170501_1_calumet-officials-and-students-individual-schools
Rod Estvan
By: Bob Busch
charters
It has always been my contention that the ultimate demise of Charters will be caused by their expansion.Only so many students find them appealing.Despite all the bull charters put out about themselves in 1970 I had more students in one study hall than currently attend two of the schools you list.