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Fenger LSC hasn't met in months, but 'LSC' praises Board of Education, inexperienced principal at October 28 Board meeting

Joseph Guzman - October 30, 2009

While reporting the monthly Board Meeting, Substance observes and notes the speakers and the issues important to them. For years, we have tried to get as much information from the speakers so that our reports on those speakers we cover is as accurate as possible.

Above (second from left), Curtis Brown, who identified himself as the former chairperson of the Fenger High School Local School Council, is seen reading from his remarks at the October 28, 2009, meeting of the Chicago Board of Education. According to the list of people signed up for public participation, Brown was to speak on "the positives of school turnaround." Brown was unwilling to share a copy of his remarks with a Substance reporter after he completed his contribution to the public participation portion of the Chicago Board of Education meeting. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Of particular interest at the October 2009 Board meeting was a speaker who signed up to speak as a part of the “Fenger LSC — 11220 S. Walalce” and who said his topic was “The positives of the [Fenger] school turnaround…” according to the sign-in document distributed to people during the Board meeting.

The list of speakers reports all those who signed up to speak, their organization or school, and the topic they sign in to speak about. The list for October 28, 2009 was called "Public Participation — October 28, 2009." Because the Board sometimes combines speaker, the topics and schools are scrutinized by CPS officials during the hour between the end of the sign-in and the beginning of “Public Participation” (which usually begins at around 11:00 on the day of the Board meetings.

One speaker at the October 28, 2009 Board meeting was Curtis Brown, who identified himself as former L.S.C Chairman and present "Acting Chairman", of the Fenger High School Local School Council. Curtis Brown was of special interest, as the situation at Fenger High School is at the forefront of Chicago public school violence and his presence was significant.

During his presentation, Brown, was obviously reading from a scripted presentation, as many speakers do at the Board. Brown was also full of praise for the Chicago Board of Education, Fenger's new principal, and turnaround. He was thanking the Board for their extra attentions and security support in light of the recent murder of Fenger student Derrion Albert, who was beaten to death five blocks from the school on September 24. The murder brought great international attention to Fenger and Chicago's violence because it was captured on video and because the video was later broadcast across the world, to the horror of millions.

The sign in front of Chicago's Christian Fenger High School (11220 S. Wallace) on the morning of September 30, 2009, announced that the school's Local School Council was going to meet at 6:30 p.m. the following day. On October 1, two Substance reporters were preparing to leave to attend the LSC meeting when they called to confirm the meeting. A Fenger High School clerk told Substance that the LSC meeting had been cancelled by the 'Board'. When asked to be specific, she stated that the Board's office of LSC relations had told Fenger Principal Elizabeth Dozier that the LSC could not meet because it did not have a guorum. Dozier was unavailable to speak with Substance. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Substance's long practice has been to ask speakers for copies of their presentations so that we can report accurately on what they have said, alongside, in some cases, what they had planned to say. Substance, curious and desiring a copy of the presentation of Curtis Brown, chased after him when he was done speaking to request one. This reporter caught up with him in the hallway behind the entrance to the Board Chambers. Brown, who said, among other things, that he had been Fenger basketball coach for the past three years, was busy with other matters, seeking audience with selected associates and meeting with friends when we first approached him. He stated he would speak with Substance when he was done. When finally available, he stated he was rushed and needed to pick up his son, but offered a couple of minutes.

When asked for a copy of his script, he declined stating.

" I can't give it to you," he told Substance. When asked why, he said, "Just can't".

We then inquired about when the next Fenger L.S.C meeting would. Brown stated that none were scheduled in the near future.

Rushing away, Brown announced that the L.S.C needs to "schedule an organizational meeting first."

Above, the Fenger sign on October 4, 2009, three days after the October 1 Local School Council meeting was cancelled on orders of the Chicago Board of Education. The objects at the foot of the sign are teddy bears and other items left at a small memorial for slain Fenger student Derrion Albert. The larger shrine was at the murder site five blocks away on 111th St., where Derrion Albert was beaten to death on September 24, 2009, while a student made a video of the fights and beating that led to his death. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Curtis Brown also was too rushed to provide Substance with a way to get in contact with him. This proves problematical because according to a number of sources, the Fenger LSC hasn't met since the school was subjected to 'Turnaround' in June 2009. Local school councils were supposed to hold their organizational meetings in July, and while a few didn't get around to it until August, virtually all LSC organizational meetings had been completed by the first week of school.

Another problem with questions about the Fenger LSC and its support for Turnaround and the new principal, Elizabeth Dozier, is that Substance has been trying to attend a Fenger LSC meeting since September and has been unable to do so because the LSC was at least once ordered not to meet.

On September 30, the sign in front of Fenger High School advertised an LSC meeting. But when Substance called the following day, a Fenger staff member in the main office said the LSC meeting had been cancelled because the CPS office of LSC relations called and told Fenger the LSC didn't have a quorum. According to Brown, there has been no organizational meeting to convene a Fenger LSC, but Brown was ready to read a speech to the Chicago Board of Education which will air on October 31, 2009, on Chicago CAN Cable TV. Even though the Fenger LSC hasn't met in months and apparently won't be meeting any time soon.

And Substance can't get in contact with Mr. Brown because in addition to not having a copy of his speech to share with the press, he also can't share contact information with the press either. As to how CPS can have an "Acting Chairman" for an LSC that hasn't met in half a year, another question arises. In order to be chairman of an LSC, a person has to be a parent rep, elected to the LSC. Over the years, CPS has ruled that dozens of LSC members were ineligible to serve as LSC parent reps because of residency or other violations. Parents who are also teachers or other employees of CPS are ineligible to serve as parent reps on LSCs.

If Curtis Brown were the Fenger basketball coach for the past three years, as he told the Board on October 28, 2009, then he would not have been eligible to serve as LSC chairman or current acting chairman, as he told the Board on October 28, 2009.

If Substance hears more about this unusual situation it will be reported here as soon as we can confirm the information. For the time being, we still hope to get a copy of the prepared remarks that Mr. Brown read during the October 28 Board meeting, but as of press time for this article, we had been unable to do so. 

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