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Education Thu Jan 15 2009
500 Attend Anti-Renaissance 2010 Community Meeting
"I am Jackson Potter and I'm here to recruit you." Those were the words that opened the Community Meeting on School Closings that took place last Saturday at Malcom X College. Potter, founding member of CORE (The Caucus of Rank and File Educators), was alluding to the phrase Harvey Milk used to open his movement-inspiring speeches. From the success of the Saturday event, it was clear that a new movement is spreading through Chicago.
CORE, along with several other community groups, organized the meeting. Eighty-two Chicago Public Schools were represented and an estimated 500 attended.
Julie Woestehoff of Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE) stated (via Catalyst's District 299 Blog), "I haven't seen this kind of effort since 1987" (in reference to the last strike of the Chicago Teachers Union).
The event was organized to address the upcoming round of school closings to be announced at the January Board of Education Meeting. Although the official list has still not been made public, CPS has provided a preliminary list to PURE. The following is a list of those schools:
Closing
Las Casas Occupational - closed (don't want to renew the lease, building not in good shape) - students will go to home schools
South Chicago Elementary (under-enrolled), students going to home school
Peabody Elem 1440 W Augusta - receiving schools Ogden, Talcott, Lozano
Carpenter - receiving schools Ogden, Talcott, Lozano
Nia Foundation -
Princeton - students go to home schools
Consolidation
Abbott - consolidated into Hendrix
Schiller - consolidated into Jenner
Medill - consolidated into Smith-Joyner
Global Vision consolidated into New Millenium
Davis Developmental Center 91st Jeffery - will consolidate with Hughes into new building being built for Hughes (which burned down)
Phase out
Key - Ellington receiving
Lathrop - receiving schools Johnson and Lawndale
Hamilton - receiving Blaine, Burley, Audubon
Best Practice
Reed - receiving Banneker Parker and Nicholson
Turnaround
Dulles
Johnson 1420 S. Albany
Bethune 3030 N, Lawndale
Ross - 6059 S. Wabash
Holmes - 955 W. Garfield
Yale
Curtis
Lavizzo
Fenger HS
The Board of Education Meeting will take place on January 28 at the Board offices at 125 S. Clark.
Full Disclosure -- I am a founding member of CORE and on its steering committee.
