Continued...
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.
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.
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.
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