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How and why the Bowen High School local school council voted to reject the Board's budget...

David Vance - August 28, 2015

Speakers from Bowen High School explained why the school's LSC voted against the austerity budget foisted on Bowen by Forrest Claypool and the Board of Education. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.[Editor's Note: Speakers from James H. Bowen High School in South Chicago told the August 26, 2015 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education in no uncertain terms why the community is rejecting the latest attack on the historic school. Below are statements from three of those speakers. I just wanted to add that I taught at Bowen from 1993 through 1998, before I was suspended and blacklisted by Paul Vallas and the Board of Education, and the people of South Chicago are still an inspiration to me despite all the divide-and-conquer sellouts that we need to identify from out there, including the charter school people and the former head of the "South Chicago Chamber of Commerce." George N. Schmidt, Editor Substance].

DAVID VANCE'S STATEMENT:

Hello Board Members,

My name is David Vance. I attend a lot of Board meetings and do photography. My purpose at this time is ask, Mr. Forrest Claypool to do the right thing; put a freeze on charter school expansions.

And, number two Mr. Claypool, will you close the Office of Innovation and Incubation?

Why? Your department head, Jack Elsey, is gone. But that department remains. There is nearly $13 million dollars in this bucket for more charter school planning. I am asking you to stop the secret planning for charter expansions and use the money for our existing public schools.

And, Mr. Claypool you have the power and authority to stop the “co-sharing” of charter schools in the public school buildings. Come to the 10th Ward and get Baker out of Bowen HS. And, if you go a few blocks east, go to JN Thorp Elem and get Learn out of Thorp.

We will fight for our schools in South Chicago. Co-sharing is what CPS calls it, but it is totally absurd and deceptive.

Board members, would you put two libraries on the same block? No

Mr. Claypool, in the parks would you put two field houses in the same park? No.

So, why would you put two schools in the same building unless you planned to close one.

The new Chicago Board of Education President, Frank Clark, took a moment to read the Bowen High School material, but later he allowed Board member Mahalia Hines to slander the school after the school's representatives had left the Board meeting. Hines has specialized in such attacks during the four years she has been a member of the Chicago Board of Education. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Don’t close Bowen. Do not close JN Thorp. These schools are the historic landmarks of our South Chicago history.

We want you to close the Office of Innovation and Incubation.

(At this point Mr. Vance was told to stop, his two minutes ended.)

In summary, I am asking the Board to use the money for maintaining our school programs at Bowen. Bring back our nine teachers we had to lay-off. Restore the $1.3 million that was cut from our budget. Bowen has a 100 year history, we want 100 more years.

As a community member of the Bowen H.S. Local School Council, I am proud that we voted NO on our school budget, which included a cut of $1.3 million. After the vote we discussed speaking to the Board of Ed. We would try to make them listen.

Below you may read three statements (including mine) that were made to the newly appointed Board of Education. Frank Clark, retired CEO of Commonwealth Edison, is the new President of the Board, replacing banker David Vitale.

In total we had five speakers that talked about the $1.3 million budget cut at Bowen High School. We talked about the 9 teaching positions that were cut, and programs that can no longer be offered.

Then at the very end of the meeting after the last speaker, there were a few comments from the Board members. While I was glad that Mahalia Hines spoke to acknowledge the Bowen presence, her comments were cynical and out of touch. She claimed that there is a “lack of budget planning” at Bowen and asserted that someone should look into it. As usual, Hines spoke at a time when the speakers were not allowed to respond, continuing her attacks on the school.

Hines did not mention anything else. I made several demands; to freeze charter school expansions, close down the Office of Innovation and Incubation, and stop the “co-sharing” of a charter school into a public school building.

I pointed out that the Board of Education could save $12.8 million dollars if they shut down the Office of Innovation and Incubation.

My comments were ignored as were most of the other speakers. (And this goes on month after month.) I asked the Board members if they would put two libraries on the same block? I asked Mr. Claypool if he would put two field houses into the same park? Why would they put two schools in the same building, unless you plan to close one of them?

I underlined that co-sharing is “absurd and deceptive.” And, it seems obvious that the new Board of Ed, just like the old board doesn’t care how absurd, deceptive and deceitful they look. What they do not know is how hard we will fight for our two most historic schools in South Chicago, Bowen HS and JN Thorp Elem.

I made it very clear, “Get Baker out of Bowen” and “Get Learn out of Thorp.”

The Rahm Emanuel, Board of Ed. doesn’t know that we will organize to put hundreds of parents and community supporters into a movement. We will build the parent/teacher/student movement that defends all of our public schools in South Chicago.

We will join other school movements, to stop charter school expansions. We will join the Coalition to Revitalize Dyett. We will join with the Chicago Teachers Union in their fight for defending jobs and good schools.

And while speaking up was a good experience for the parents, teachers and staff members of Bowen, the public school movement in South Chicago has yet to formalize itself.

STATEMENT BY JANA RANDLE, BOWEN LSC CHAIR...

Good morning, Board Members.

My name is Jana Randle, and I am a proud Bowen High School parent and LSC Chair. Bowen High School has seen significant gains in recent years, such as a 92% freshmen on track rate and double-digit increases in our attendance and 4-year graduation rates. Many of these gains were achieved in part by our ability to keep class sizes below 30 students due to extra funding from a School Improvement Grant. With the ending of the grant, as well as over $300,000 in additional cuts, our LSC is struggling to see how Bowen will be able to continue to effectively serve its already marginalized and historically underserved student population. Bowen’s students come from a community where 30% of residents have dropped out of high school, the per capita income is only $15 thousand dollars, and the bulk of students are the first in their family to attend college. Bowen has made it its mission to interrupt these trends by offering students all of the academic, social and emotional supports it can. In the upcoming school year Bowen will be offering eight new classes, including four new manufacturing and engineering classes, 2 new AP classes, and 2 new dual credit courses, while at the same time having to close nine teaching positions.

Bowen also focuses on providing as many social and emotional supports as possible to students who have experienced various instances of trauma throughout their lives. For example, the Working on Womanhood program was recognized this past school year for its positive student impact by both Mayor Emanuel and First Lady Michelle Obama. So much so, that nine of our WOW students met the first lady in person! Programs such as this cannot be funded in the new budget, which means our students will not receive the supports they need. In conclusion, I love Bowen and it’s staff members are like family, and I am asking the board to reconsider Bowen’s funding and what it takes to successfully support Chicago’s neediest students.

BRIA RANDLE'S STATEMENT...

Hello, Board Members. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Bria Randle, and I am a senior at Bowen High School, their Local School Council Student Representative, and the #2 ranking senior! Our LSC did not approve the budget because we question how a school where nearly every student qualifies for free lunch and has experienced multiple traumas can be expected to run safely and successfully AND continue to make student gains while suffering $1.3 million dollars in cuts. I am here today to ask the board to restore all or some of that funding. First, I’d like to discuss two important positions that were closed and why they mean so much to me. The first position is our Dual Credit English teacher. I was so excited to have the opportunity to take a college level course that would be included on my college transcript. Now, that course can’t be offered because he was the only teacher with the credentials to teach it. The second position is our College & Career Specialist, a position vital to a school like ours where 30% of the surrounding community has dropped out of high school and only 8% have a bachelor’s degree. Our specialist took the time to meet individually with upperclassman to ensure we understood the college application and selection process; by the way, most of our students are the first in their family to attend college. Second, I’d like to tell you about the college tours that will be cut this year. During last year’s Spring Break, our principal used school funds to pay for me and 8 of my classmates to attend a tour of 14 colleges and most of them were historically black. I had never visited one before. I absolutely loved this experience! I was saddened to hear that other students won’t have these kinds of opportunities this school year. Finally, I love Bowen High School. The staff really cares about me and they have done a wonderful job of exposing me to different kinds of colleges. Every loss that Bowen students and families can expect this year will have a profound impact on student learning and overall growth. In total 16 staff positions have been closed and money for college tours has been drastically decreased. For these reasons, I am asking for additional funding in order for Bowen to continue its goals preparing us for college and beyond.

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