October 24, 2007: Chicago Board of Education meeting continues orgy of charter expansion while problems in regular public schools grow worse
October 24, 2007. On several occasions during the October Chicago Board of Education meeting, Board President Rufus Williams asked, “Why didn’t I know about this?” when parents and others brought major problems affecting their schools to the Board’s attention. Above, Heather Obara (at microphone) who now holds the title “Chief of Operations” in addition to heading the Board’s purchasing department, tried to answer questions about the scandalous overcrowding at South Side Occupational School for disabled children. Parents from the school, who brought some of their children in wheelchairs to the Board, complained that they have been promised expanded facilities for more than ten years. Meanwhile (see, for example, pages One and Sixteen, the Board is spending millions of dollars to fix up charter and military schools. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
There were 88 people signed up to speak at the October 24, 2007, meeting of the Chicago Board of Education. Although the October meeting of the Chicago school board has been devoted to praising charter schools for the past five years, reality came forward quickly, and many of the charter school speeches sounded hollow against the complaints and problems facing the city’s real public schools.
According to the monthly announcements of the Board meeting, the meetings are supposed to begin at 10:30 a.m. with public participation. Some people arrive as early as 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. to get in line to sign up to speak, even though many have to return to jobs and other responsibilities later in the day.
As usual, the Chicago Board of Education had a number of other things to do before the first member of the public was allowed to begin speaking about issues facing the schools. However, the Board continued to call the names of people who had signed up until well after 1:00 p.m. Many of them had been forced to leave because they had limited time to stay and wait to be called. One of the largest groups (from Peck Elementary School, which brought a busload of parents) almost missed their bus because of the delays.
When the Board began its activities a little after 10:30 a.m., President Rufus Williams announced the student board member of the month from Kenwood H.S. and the student Board member for the year from Kenwood H.S. The board member for the month was in ROTC and poised to speak about it if Williams were criticized for expanding military programs in CPS.
James Tucker, local school council parent leader, speaking to the press about severe overcrowding at South Side Occupational School. Photo by George Schmidt.Williams then lauded the “Rochelle Lee Fund” which donates books to schools that need them.
Then a group of students held a moment of silence for those students in the CPS who have been murdered so far this school year.
Then Williams recognized students from Jones H.S. and Talcott Fine Arts Elementary School to take an oath against gun violence. A male and female police officer spoke on school safety and donated 300 books on the topic to the schools.
All students in CPS were taking the pledge in schools across the city, Williams announced. However, since the Williams administration still hasn’t restored truant officers to Chicago (alone in Illinois, by most accounts, Chicago has no truant officers) truant students were probably not there to take the pledge. Whether gang members, who do most of the shooting, took the pledge is not know.
Even after the book donations and the anti-gun pledges, the public had to continue to wait.
Opening the meeting was an unregistered State Representative — Lashaun Ford from the 8th district. After Ford came Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. from the 21st Ward. At Chicago Board of Education meetings, politicians get in front of the people in the speakers’ line.
Ford said that last year, the State received $3.6 billion dollars. This year the State increased the funds by $114 million, none of it for capital (building funds). “I know that the Austin Community needs a new high school,” Ford said. “So we have to figure out to get that money.” He did not say why he does not ask Daley for TIF funds, which suck monies away from schools. He also said that hearings have shown Austin area needs “counselors, parenting classes, security cameras, truant intervention, truant officers, professional development and after school programs.”
Then, with Rev. Lewis Flowers and others at his side, he talked for a very long time about the need for a new Austin are high school without noting that the current Austin High School has been turned into three little schools, two of them charter schools.
Duncan, Williams lies about facilities dollars when parents protest regular public school overcrowding, photo below:
October 24, 2007. The Chicago Board of Education is spending (or underwriting the spending of) hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate old buildings ranging from the Sears Powerhouse at 900 S. Homan to former Catholic schools for its ever expanding network of charter schools and other boutique schools. At the same time, the city’s remaining public schools face major facilities pressure and ever-expanding thread of lies from Arne Duncan and top school officials. During the month of October, Duncan stood before audiences at at least three major building projects for charter or other boutique schools (the Polaris Charter in the old Morse Elementary at 620 N. Sawyer; the Powerhouse Charter in the Sears powerhouse at 931 S. Homan; and the military complex being developed around the old Grant Elementary at 145 S. Campbell, west of Adams and Western).
Yet on October 24, 2007, Chicago school officials told mothers from the Peck Elementary School on the southwest side, a regular public school, that there was "no money" for expansion of their building. Like many of its neighbors, Peck is fiercely overcrowded, but for years CPS officials have been saying that there was “no money” to relieve the overcrowding at the southwest side school (or at other southwest side schools or equally overcrowded schools on the city's northwest side).
When asked to expand Peck by the parents (above), Chicago schools CEO Arne Duncan and school board president Rufus Williams repeated their usual talking points, which begin with the claim that parents should go to the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield to demand more money for needed capital improvements. When they say such things, Duncan and Williams ignore sites where they have recently stood while tens of millions of dollars are being spent on boutique schools. They try to pretend that the massive spending on privatization taking place all over Chicago did not exist. Above: Peck mothers brought more than 30 photographs of the overcrowded conditions faced by their children. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
Following Ford, Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. promised to speak for only for two minutes. He talked about the two charter schools, other good schools in his area, the importance of going to school, and the need for schools to be safe.
The first regular speaker was Reverend Lewis Flowers, who didn’t get to begin until more than a half-hour after the public participation was supposed to begin. Substance learned during the meeting that hundreds of people had been shunted to the 19th floor “holding rooms” and away from the Board chambers on the fifth floor at 125 S. Clark St.
Flowers spoke of the need for the after school programs. He asked for one more year to complete research on the impact on crime in the area. He mentioned the shortfall of funds. He did not say why his aldermen do not ask Daley for TIF funds.
Jeremiah Wright and Marja Stanford-Leak spoke about their wonderful new proposed charter school (to be called “Kwame Nkrumah Academy) in the Pullman area.
Richard Miller and Air Force Lt. Col. Kim Harrell spoke about the wonders of the new “Air force Academy High School”. The academy will open next at a site yet to be determined. They said it will prepare them to be good citizens, perhaps like the Air Force Academy.
Richard Morris and Ethan Netterstrom spoke about the effectiveness of the Burroughs School, one of two elementary schools being cloned by CPS in a program beginning this year. “Burroughs I” is supposed to model the new” Burroughs II” by taking what’s good in the original’s community relations and other things, and turning it into a new academic school centering on emotional growth as well. They spoke within the time limits.
Next LEARN Charter School supporters Robin Walker-Johnson and Courtney Francis talked on the value and importance of their school and how they were glad that the Board was going to approve the creation of a new “campus” for LEARN.
At that point Rufus Williams was told that State Rep. Ford and Alderman Brookins had not been the only VIPs who should have been recognized to speak before everyone else. The President of the 30,000-member Chicago Teachers Union was also in the Board chambers.
October 24, 2007. While the Chicago Board of Education has tried to replace as many public schools as possible with charter schools, often basing criticisms of the public schools on the slightest problem, the Board has allowed the Chicago International Charter School (CICS) to perpetuate the myth that a school can be a “campus” of a school. CPS has also ignored the blatant use of Roman Catholic religious icons as part of the appeal the charters make to prospective students and their families. The newest Chicago International Charter School “campus” (above) is called the “CICS Irving Park” charter school and is housed in the former Immaculate Heart of Mary elementary school building on Chicago’s northwest side. Staff of the Office of New Schools covertly provided CICS Irving Park with the names of the top scoring children at nearby Reilly, Murphy, and Belding elementary schools last summer. CICS then launched a campaign that included misrepresentation about the three nearby public elementary schools. Chicago’s public schools Board of Education has allowed CICS “campuses” to retain religious symbols both on the outside and inside its building, as above at the “Irving Park” CICS, photographed last month. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.So President Marilyn Stewart [see the meeting photograph on Page One of this Substance] of the CTU was called next. Stewart talked of representing the teachers and paraprofessionals on the “People Soft payroll issue.” In the over 30 years that she herself was an employee, she has never seen the serious problems that are current with the Board of Education’s payroll processes. The Board of Education spent millions — that’s right millions — that could’ve been spent in the classroom or on repair of sites, on a new software system for payroll that is not working correctly and hasn’t been working since it was put into place citywide last March.
Stewart said the union has filed over 700 grievances, won them, and still workers are not paid. Some areas such as clinicians all have payroll problems. The CTU has filed an Unfair Labor Practice, and met with staff of payroll and the teachers and paraprofessionals are still not paid. One teacher is owed over $20,000. Employees can’t pay their bills. Stewart said she has talked to Williams and Duncan. Still there’s no pay.
“Recently retired dedicated teachers and paraprofessionals who worked for 34, 40, 50 years, are having problems with the pensions because they can’t get the right numbers from CPS” to get their pensions, Stewart added. When members call the CTU, they are also told to call the Board, she said, and they call the CTU back and say they were put on hold forever. Stewart said that she asked her administrative assistant, Molly Carroll, to check what happened. She said Carroll was on the “phone 28 minutes on hold before” Stewart told her to hang up.
“It’s like a phone game” because of the layers of red tape. "There’s different answers for the date of receiving the raise won in the new contract."
When told to conclude because her two minutes were up by the Board's secretary (who was keeping time), Stewart said: “I’d love to conclude. Because I wish I wasn’t here to have to do this.”
Over three years ago, People Soft sold the CTU and Board a pack of stories about its worth. But the program was put in without the problems eliminated. She asked what else could be done.
Board President Rufus Williams called on a new employee named Hill Hammock, whose title is Chief Administrative Officer, although some people thought he was from the payroll department.
October 24, 2007. Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. (above) of the 21st Ward continued his attack on the city’s public schools by praising Chicago’s charter schools at the October Board of Education meeting. Brookins, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for State’s Attorney, joined the slander campaign against Calumet High School which resulted in the charterization of the school. Brookins told the Board that he is happy to have three charter schools in his ward and that he wants more. Substance Photo by George N. Schmidt.Hammock talked about steps to solve the problem. Stewart said, “We’re not the highest paid people...” She was referring to classroom people, not administrators. She said we have wonderful people in the schools, but not enough because ”We need truant officers; but that’s another issue...”
She said that after meeting many times, the same problems persist. There’s something wrong “systemically.” The Board minimizes the problem because it does not answer phones or communicate. She talked of the hardships for teachers and others because they can’t pay bills, they’re being charged interest on unpaid bills. “They have lives to live, bills to pay!”
CEO Arne Duncan admitted that on payroll issues they need “to do better.” Marilyn said there are now new issues coming up and CTU needs to meet weekly over the problems. Williams added if there’s no response to call him personally.
James Tucker and ZoEtta Brown (number 86 on the speakers' list, which began adding to the problems of those trying to follow the agenda) spoke on behalf of Southside Occupational Academy. The special education facility in not only over crowded, but disrepair almost to the point of danger, they said. Brown is the LSC Chairperson. Built for slightly over 100, they now have 223 students. The handicapped are most fragile.
Once on the facilities expansion list, the South Side Occupational was dropped with no explanation. Students can succeed with proper facility. She asked for the expansion.
After reminding the Board members that they would be judged one day on how they treated “the least of my brethren,” parent James Tucker asked building expansion, demountables, or annexing the Randolph school annex next. He said that Math is hampered by sounds of the pounding from woodshop adjacent. Classrooms are sent to rooms with “classroom on a cart some call a disgrace.” He said that a garage is now a class. Students have to stand for an entire lunch period. The school has to turn schools away.
October 24, 2007. Darlene Gramigna (above at microphone) of the American Friends Service Committee thanked the Board for promising to ensure that all Chicago high school students are notified of their right to opt out of the military recruiting provisions of “No Child Left Behind.” According to Board officials, every student and family was to be given an opt out form barring military recruiters from receiving personal information at the November 7 high school report card pickup. One of the many provisions of “No Child Left Behind” is that school districts inform the military of the names and home addresses and phone numbers of all high school students for military recruiting purposes. Students at numerous Chicago public and charter schools had protested the recruiters since the protests against militarization began at Senn High School in 2004. Photo by George N. Schmidt.In the Randolph Annex, there are empty classrooms. By the time Rufus Williams expressed his displeasure that he hadn’t heard about these problems, two Board officials had joined the parents at the microphones: newly appointed AIO (Area Instruction Officer) Jerilyn Jones (formerly of Curie High School) and newly appointed “Chief Operations Officer” Heather Obara.
According to Tucker, the old AIO said that they could use Randolph, then retired. The new AIO reversed that to study what was going on. Tucker concluded by saying: “God judges us based on how we treat the least among us. Let’s make sure that when that day comes, we can hear the words ‘well done’ “
Interim “Chief Operations Officer” Heather Obara came to forward and said the condition is dire and that she will speak to James Dispensa, the demographics chief, and do a walk through next week. Williams asked staff why did the deplorable conditions not surface until a Board meeting. A staff member answered by telling the steps she’s taken. The principal knew she needed nine classrooms. Staff could not find a school.
Alfred Rodgers of the “Latino Organization Southwest” said he wanted justice for all. He said that resource books have been finally given to LSCs — but there are no resource books in Spanish or Polish. He then asked how the Board can pass resolutions on a Federal Law, the NCLB, about a middle school, and how can Public Building Commission can say that building two new high schools on the southwest side is a “priority” but with no time line. Williams said the books would be done in the languages spoken by the parents. He said that land purchase is the problem, and the overcrowding on the Southwest side is well known.
Myra Sampson and Gladys Breashears-Simson spoke for “Community Service West Academy.” They said the new school is being created to re-enroll students who either have been or are being drop-outs. It is to be housed in a bakery. Students will be trained as chefs, receive both diplomas and trade certificates, and some college credits.
Shawnece Graham and Bonnie Johnson gave reasons to create the Amandla Charter School, a 5th through 12th grade middle/high school for students from the Englewood community.
But as soon as they had spoken, parents from the Englewood community objected to the plan. Ronald Mitchell and Nicole White of Parker Community Academy (elementary schools) said that they do not want the Amandla charter school in their Parker building. They said that they were never consulted about the building being taken over by Amandla and that they already have 654 children at Parker and are growing every year.
Parents, LSC and principal were all on the same page for growth and education. They are using all floors and are over crowded already. For some observers, it looks like the demographics department thinks that two schools of about 700 in one elementary school building is a small school. Nicole White said other closed buildings were in the area. Nobody could say why isn’t Amandla being put in one of those buildings. White said that the Amandla area inside Parker will be rehabbed, but Parker will not. She added that parents did not want high school students with little ones.
October 24, 2007. Jeannie Nowaszewski (above, with glasses at microphone) of the Board’s Office of New Schools was called on to explain why her department had not informed the members of the Parker Elementary School Local School Council that “New Schools” was recommending the placement of a charter school inside Parker. What Nowaczewski didn’t mention — and what the Parker parents (above) weren’t told — was that the Board has been placing charter schools inside existing public schools since 2002. Once the charters are inside the existing public schools, they begin a process called “eating them alive from the inside” slowly, as one critic has put it. Charters have devoured Howland, Wadsworth and other public schools since Arne Duncan began promoting charters at the expense of real public schools more than five years ago. Photo by George N. Schmidt.LSC member Ronald Mitchell said there was absolutely no communication with the parents or LSC about this intrusion. He said over 75 percent of parents were against this action. He said it was a total disrespect and insult of all of them. He blamed all on Duncan’s wishes. He felt the gang dividing lines created unsafe conditions.
Williams did not see how the LSC and parents could be left out. He said a staff member said the demographics department did the “walk throughs.” This brought up Jeannie Nowaczewski of the Office of New Schools, who said the principal (retired) was told. She said she regretted the new principal, LSC and all were left out.
The “Chief Education Officer” Barbara Eason-Watkins said there is a successful model of both elementary and high schools in the same building (Moos?) and that she wants to work with them in showing them how it can be done. Ronald Mitchell, who told the Board he had been on the Parker LSC for more than ten years, said he was told Parker had to have a student population cap. He also said that CPS was denying the community the right to enroll in their public elementary school, that that they had been told to vacate the third floor, overcrowding their students in the building’s lower floors.
Anthony Chalmers and Michael Bakalis of American Quality Schools spoke in support of the “Plato Academy” (charter) School will be for the Austin area.
Jeremiah Harris and Lon Kaufman talked about how wonderful the expanding Noble Street South Campus, another new charter school, will be in the Grand Crossing area.
Sara Ippel and Mirza Gonzalez spoke about the wonders of the new Academy for Global Citizenship charter school, which the Board would later approve.
Lori Pritchcett and Joseph Nire spoke of the glories of the “Hope Chicago Campus” charter school to be created. The school will be for all learners, but concentrate on autism services
Eleanore Nickerson and Dwayne Truss of the Austin TAC and “Voise Design” spoke of the “virtual opportunities on line” with a classroom teacher to aid them. Apparently, CPS is planning to make the last new school in the Austin High School building a “virtual” (i.e., computerized) charter school. The VOISE Design promoters promised that the curriculum will be “personally adjusted.”
Amy Lux, of the Coalition for Children’s Health talked about the concern on many parents across the city: the need for elementary school Physical education. [See her remarks on Page Eleven of this Substance]. Lux spoke of the interaction of play and learning. She talked of the new State Law about 30 minutes of physical activity required for children every day. Students have only class activities. She asked about movable auditorium seats. She asked about how CPS could flaunt the law. The Board asked Rachel Resnick, who heads labor relations for CPS, to discuss the matter. Resnick said that 43 percent of students do, mostly younger kids. Ms Lux will be meeting with other CPS staff to see what can be done.
James Mabie and Janice (Adai) Williams stated that Chicago is the only large city in the U.S.A. without an arts oriented high school and praised plans by the Board to create an Arts Academy. [Apparently nobody had told anyone at the meeting about the Franklin Fine Arts elementary school.] They researched all arts areas and schools. They will be unique. It has support and students will be taught by experienced teachers in their areas. They discussed children who were really interested in music and the arts who are missing these things in the rest of the schools.
Idida Perez asked for LSC training in Spanish and for CPS to stop attacking LSC involvement and power. LSCs are being set up for failure, she charged. Successful schools have LSCs that work well and with others. She asked, “Don’t through the baby out with the bath water.”
Jitu Brown of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) talked of the needs of Dyett High School and talked of the LSC working with the principal to get grants for library books. He was against trying to end LSCs. CPS should try to strengthen LSCs, he said, rather than taking actions which the community did not want that resulted in violence. He cited Price Elementary, a formerly peaceful place. Brown said that Dyett was turned into a high school, then abandoned. Outrage had to fester before the library was equipped, supplies and honor and AP classes were created, and a heating system that worked.
One has to ask if there is an ulterior motive for decisions that turn schools as Clemente, Dyett, Robeson, Hyde Park, Harlan, Price, Fuller and “God knows how many other schools” into violent places without safety for both teachers and students. Is this a way of panic peddling. Do people in those areas move? He asked CPS to work with LSCs or expect the fight of your life. Rufus Williams tried to explain away the problems as being of communications. Brown answered that he knows when he is being disrespected. He spoke of community training doing what CPS should be doing in training.
Sarah Brennan and Barrington Rutherford spoke in favor of charter schools as part of Renaissance 2010. They weren’t speaking of any particular charters, but had just come as charter school fans.
Thurman Baily, a senior, and Rebecca Daniels spoke in favor of their charter school — Perspectives — being renewed and how good it is.
Tom Gedgaudas of Kilmer Elementary asked that a dedicated teacher (his wife) not be let go from Kilmer. In light of CPS aim of keeping good teachers, he asked that his wife be retained as a third grade teacher. He said that there were serious errors in the hearing procedures after she had problems with a principal. A hearing officer told her wrong information. Williams said he’d look into it.
The second school to be cloned is Disney Magnet. A Disney group headed by Kathleen Hagstrom (current Principal of “Disney I”) and Bogdana Chkoumbovr (to be principal of “Disney II”) spoke about the excitement of replicating Disney as a magnet program which has diversity.
Jared Washington and Tinisha Legaux spoke of the wonderful future for their new University of Chicago charter middle school to be created in Bronzeville.
Judith Vazquez and Alma Daniel of De Diego Community School thanked Andres Durbak for a security system, and then went on to discuss how a health problem was arising in the school because the water fountains don’t work for the children. She asked about water fountains, a water main break, and the need for water and purity. Health problems can occur. Heather Obara, who had sat through years of Board meetings without ever having to move from her seat, was told to help.
Erin Lanaue of Chicago International Charter School spoke of her charter school’s effectiveness and that thus it should be replicated by opening another new “campus” in the Washington Heights area.
Adrienne Leonard of a group that has been formed to promote charter schools said that she supports all new schools for parent choice.
Julieta Bolivar and Darlene Gramigna of the American Friends Service Committee spoke about their concerns of the brainwashing and harassing of students to become military cannon fodder because of military academies, JROTC programs and recruiters with no information to the contrary. Julieta has two children in high schools who have been solicited by recruiters. The process for parents' choice in opting out of contact with the military is flawed in the process being carried out, and the emphasis especially in areas of minorities as Latinos. Their group has a committee called “Truth in Recruitment”, which has been denied equal access to the schools. CPS has the most extensive military program in the schools in the USA.
Alice Hill of Fenger spoke against the Board’s creation of an appointed Board of parents to replace the elected PAIB of parents which Williams and Duncan did not like. She said, “Right is right. Even if everyone is against it. And wrong is wrong even if everyone is for it” (attributed to Williams Penn). Williams defended it as legal because he had Patrick Rocks ask the Blagovich appointed Illinois State Board to make a rule in favor of the appointed parent group, which was approved at the September meeting.
Carmen Gasca and Maria Huerta of Peck Elementary School came down from the 19th floor after waiting for more than two hours with more than 30 other parents. They talked about their overcrowding and the need for an annex. The school now has over 1,500 students. There’s no longer a library. The electrical system is not working. There are outdated lines and exposed outlets, which sometimes spark. The schools wiring is not adequate for computers. They have complained many times to the central office. Nothing has happened. Heather Obara was called on again. She spoke and said all that the parents were complaining about was true. An addition will come in 2009, she said. While she was explaining the two-year delay in fixing the problems, the parents held up photographs of the situation at their school.
Carol Noel, a veteran teacher, told about the unfair process of the teacher dismissal because of an evil principal. Noel said that the principal discriminated against her because of her disabilities. She had letters from three principals who gave recommendations to her. She had substituted in private schools. At an arbitrators hearing, she was not allowed to speak. Mr. Rocks said Noel has a lawyer and should communicate through the lawyer. She said she did not think so. Rock and Williams said “NO!” she’d have to work through an attorney.
The public portion ended, the regular meeting was called to order, with seven Board members present. A report on a new bond issue was given, followed by an extensive report by Arne Duncan on Renaissance 2010. The bond issue is to be for $450 million for capital improvements added to previous bond issue debts.
