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.

— Kenzo Shibata / Comments (0)