Board meeting
I was about ten minutes early for the FY18 Capital Plan hearing, one of four, at 6:00 -8:00, at Bridge Elementary School,3800 N. New England Ave. on August 21. I have attended a couple of hearings on budgets before and was looking forward to the large crowds and many questions from the audience. I noticed right away that no handout was given so I could follow along with the meeting. I also noticed an almost empty room. The crowd did pick up to about twenty people by the end of the meeting. The moderator introduced herself, and a powerpoint of the plan was on the screen. The moderator read the PowerPoint. I tried to take pictures so later I could digest the article myself since it was hard to hear the moderator. My pictures did not come out very well. The total of the budget for FY18 is $136 million for urgent facility renovations and maintenance projects, IT investments and school security equipment, all building upon last year’s substantial capital investments. These projects will be funded by CPS bonds, the sale of real estate proceeds, and potential outside sources. • Facility needs, $109,000
• IT and Security investments, $7,316
• Program Management and Design, $12,918
• Potential Externally Funded Projects, $7,000
• Total FY18 Capital Budget, $136,231
The power Point stated that FY17 capital plan included: $938 million of investments across the city. The projects focus on overcrowding, program investment and campus sites and playlots. The FY17 ORIGINAL AND supplemental Plan included $938 million of investment in the following Categories: in millions • Facility Relief, $317.1
• Overcrowding, $266.3
• New School Construction, $150
• Programic investment, $60.8
• IT and other projects, 57.4
• Site improvement, $ 35.3
• Air Conditioning, $27.0
• Program management and design, $23.9
• Total, $937.8
We were then shown pictures of beautiful playlots, new buildings and improvements, but I am not clear about which schools received these improvements. We then saw a PowerPoint of a map showing where improvements were made. The map was not clear and it was hard to pinpoint which schools received improvements. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
The LSC chair from Palmer Elementary asked how schools were chosen? She was told that the buildings were inspected and also the neighborhood was in need because of overcrowding and look at the district. They tried to get the neighborhoods and buildings with the most needs. The chair of the LSC told the speaker that Palmer has severe water damage and paint peeling off the walls, one stairway and the modular classroom also has severe water damage, and warped floors. Palmer is a 1+ school with 771 students mostly Latino.
Next speaker was an LSC member from Hanson Park Elementary School, who stated that they have one small gym and one small lunchroom. It takes three hours to feed everyone. The school is a 1+ and over capacity with 1,427 students mostly Latino. Next to speak was Alderman Gilbert Villegas of the 36th Ward. He has parts of Montclair, Belmont Craigin, Hermosa and Portage Park in his ward. Villegas stated that he was at the meeting to support the Belmont Craigin community and the Hermosa Community, which has a severe overcrowding problem. Villegas stated that he saw on the slides how a billion dollars was selected for overcrowded schools. The schools in our community are doing well, but at the same time we have a severe overcrowding problem. Villegas saw on the slide how funds for infrastructure improvement were given to the south and west sides, where the population has decreased, and at the same time, he did not see any improvement plans for this side of the city. Latinos make up 47% of the school population and their families pay taxes, yet their schools are not represented. How were the funds were distributed? An LSC member at Norman Bridge School, a 1+ school with 1, 050 students, explained that their school also needs improvements. Bridge has two buildings, a junior high on Addison Street and an elementary school on New England Street which is sometimes difficult for parents with children in both buildings. He explained that the gym has leaked for fifteen days. The playground is old -bad. Outside the school the sidewalk looks nice but several people have been hurt. Jerry Skinner, member of Chicago Teachers Union and former teacher at Kelvyn Park High School, asked about the $150 million used for new construction. He was told that two schools have been built. After the meeting, Skinner described how Kelvyn Park at one time had 1,600 high school students in four grades and now has 429 students in 6 grades including intermediate grades and high school. This summer 7 teachers and 4 support staff were laid off. He said for a long time Kelvyn Park campaigned for a new school to relieve overcrowding, so North Grand was built, which took students away. Now students are leaving Kelvyn Park to attend surrounding charter schools. The moderator explained that there is a website on CPS that will take their complaints. There were no more comments, so the moderator closed the meeting at 6:30 pm.
