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Education Thu Jun 18 2009
What a School Closing Looks Like
Substance News has been the go-to unofficial news source for the Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union for decades.
They will be publishing a series of letters from students, teachers, and other Chicagoans who have been affected by school closings. The first in the series highlights the plight of De La Cruz, an elementary school in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Pilsen that closed its doors this month.
From teacher Kristine Mayle, recounting the plundering of "goods" by neighboring principals:
The Final Days of De La Cruz...A free-for-all of greedBy Kristine Mayle
They let the Area 10 principals into the building to take and claim whatever they could get their hands on... while teachers were trying to close up for the year and with students present!
I even had a principal reach over my head while I was typing to put a sticker on my classroom computer to claim it as her own. WHILE I WAS TYPING.
She didn't say a word, just reached over me. Shocking behavior all around. One student compared it to when her grandma died and all the relatives rushed her house to claim and fight over her property. I do not understand why they couldn't have had this free-for-all next week, when teachers and students were out of the building....
The rest of the letters can be found here.
These scenes are occurring throughout Chicago right now. This school year, 16 schools will be turned around, phased-out, consolidated, or closed entirely through the "Renaissance 2010" initiative.
Tomorrow morning, the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators(CORE) will demonstrate outside an event honoring Arne Duncan, held by Advance Illinois. CORE plans to show the nation that Chicago does not support policies issued under Duncan's reign as CPS CEO and they should not be unleashed upon the nation.
When: Friday, June 19, 2009
7:30 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Where: Outside the Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E. Wacker Dr.
CORE Press Conference to Commence at 9:15 AM
Updates can be found at : www.twitter.com/coreteachers
Disclosure- I am a member of CORE
— Kenzo Shibata
