The purpose of this blog is to organize documentation of the hearings that the appointed Chicago Board of Education is holding to hear public response to the proposed closings, consolidations, phase-outs and turnarounds.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Schiller, Medill, Lathrop 2.2 Mon.
Schiller is being consolidated, Medill consolidated, and Lathrop phased out.
It is proposed that Medill should be consolidated into Smyth elementary down the street. Many parents, students and teachers spoke out against the consolidation.
Jovan Nicholson, a parent said : "I don't think it's a good idea or decision to consolidate Medill with Smyth....when you take kids out of something they're used to it messes them up." He also asked "who is to guarantee that Smyth won't be closed down years from now?"
There were a good handful of very cute, tiny students who gave testimony like Jaevan Nicholson "I love Medill, i love my teacher"
Mom Jonita Johnson argued that the board has not offered additional crossing guards to walk the children the extra 5 blocks to Smyth, will insure that students with disabilities are properly served or that buses are provided and well scheduled, if necessary.
Leslie Recht, the school liason for Alderman Bob Fioretti, gave a strong argument in favor of keeping the school open, claiming that "last year Gladstone was closed and some [students] were relocated to Medill.....at the time there was a commitment from CPS to not re-locate these students again.... we have asked for that conversation and it has not yet taken place."
I got up and spoke on behalf of CORE, i said that the hearings were a farce and the only way to stop this was to band together with the other schools in a boycott and/or work action. Alot of people came up to me afterwards and 4-5 folks took almost all of my flyers and agreed to build for our regional meetings on February 11th.
Monday, February 2, 2009 Schiller Elementary School Hearing (640 W Scott St) 125 S. Clark 3-5pm
CPS Proposed Plan: Consolidation into Jenner Elementary School (1119 N Cleveland Ave)
SUMMARY I rushed to leave Lincoln Park High School immediately after my last class ended around 2:45pm and I made it into the hearing room on the 5th floor at about 3:20pm. The testimonies had already begun. [I apologize ahead of time for any spelling or factual errors.]
When I arrived there were only about 26 people in the audience, most, but not all, of whom were White female staff of Schiller or volunteers from various community partners that work with the students at Schiller. As time went by more people arrived including at least two large contingents of Schiller students, parents and more Schiller staff and community partners (both Black and White). By the middle of the hearing, Jackson estimated that there were more than 70 people in attendance. The students and parents were all Black. There was a CTU representative, Molly Carroll, as well as other “union activists” such as Lou Pyster, myself and Jackson. Jackson noted an alderman who did not stay for the whole hearing. At the end the Hearing Officer said that all 41 speakers who signed up to speak had spoken. I only witnessed 38 of the speakers and their testimonies are summarized below. George Schmidt was snapping photos and taking quotes and names.
As you can see from their addresses, both Schiller and Jenner serve the neighborhood once home to the fully occupied Cabrini Green housing projects. As the CHA Plan for Transformation has been rolled out, the towers of Cabrini have slowly been depopulated and the number of students attending Schiller has gone down. I do not know the exact figures over the last decade of residency in the CHA buildings. Schiller is merely blocks away from Jenner, but is on the North side of Division Ave while Jenner is South of Division and more toward the East. As many Lincoln Park HS staff members knows, as do I, the student populations come from two distinct parts of the CHA housing that remains and the two factions have had and still have a stormy past of hosting rival gangs. The consolidation, thus poses the danger of making small children cross Division Ave and cross gang lines into the gang territory near Jenner’s.
Overall, the tenor of the hearing was very respectful. There were murmurs of tears and crying at points and shaky voices from some, but no major outbursts. Really, I think Jackson and I said the most direct statements about the real motives of Ren2010. One teacher, Michael Martin, hinted at the ulterior motives of the board and a CTU rep, Molly Carroll, did say the Board was engaging in “unconscionable abuse” of teachers. I think the Schiller community is rallying, as shown by the parents and students and staff who made it to the hearing, many late. Most of the parents and students asked for Schiller not to be closed and most of the Schiller staff members tried to fight off the two justifications for consolidating Schiller, which were underutilization and lack of special programs. I think the Schiller story is pretty emblematic of the disregard for student safety and the motives of gentrification behind the Boards justifications of underutilization. I will keep in touch with the Delegate for sure.
BASIC TRANSCRIPT I missed attorney and hearing officer Fred Bates’ opening statement so I do not know if any justification of the consolidation was read. Is that a standard procedure or do they just lay out the rules of the 2 minutes for each speaker and such?]
1. When I arrived a White woman, likely in her 50s, was at the microphone speaking on behalf of 50 volunteers from the Sinai Temple congregation who do regular volunteer work at Schiller. She stated that she could understand the justification for closing underutilized schools, but that the Board needed to understand how much work the 50 volunteers put in at Schiller. She added that sending kids to a rival gang school was dangerous. She asked the Board to give Schiller the opportunity to “nurture” a small school and asked them to make “an emotional decision” not merely a practical one.
[It came out later through a speaker quoting the letter sent by the Board and signed by Arne Duncan that the Schiller staff was informed that they would be consolidated because they were underutilized. The letter indicated that Schiller was only utilizing 21% of their facility. Additionally, it came out that the letter stated that they were also being consolidated because other schools offer more programs and activities for the students. The bulk of the staff and volunteer testimony appeared geared to disprove both facts by stating how much of the facility the school actually uses and in what manner and just how many involved community organizations work with Schiller and how many extracurricular activities they currently offer.]
2. Nancy Myars, a White retired elementary school teacher, said she would not use her time to address the benefits of small class size though she could. She said that Schiller has already turned itself around with the new administration that has taken over. She said that safety for the students should be the priority and that Division avenue—THE HEARING OFFICER INTERUPPTED—is a gang dividing line. She believes children will not attend school if they must cross gang lines to go and the academic progress of the Schiller students will be detrimentally impacted. She asked what provisions the Board would provide to ensure the safety of the students. She asked if the Board could find a way to use the rest of the building for something else. She even suggested CPS use the space for offices or rent the space out.
3. Deborah Thigpen, a Black Schiller teacher and LSC rep., has been there for over 18 years. She said she didn’t think even after 35 that she could let Schiller go. She read a poem that she entitled “Not Filled to Capacity” in which she made a metaphor of all the things Schiller did possess which did indeed fill it to capacity such as the “wonderful programs,” “learning,” “of hours put in” by the staff. She was near tears while speaking. I spoke with her afterwards and shared CORE fliers with her. She was joined by an art teacher who I also spoke with, but didn’t catch her name as security was pushing us out of the hearing room and into the hallways to make room for the next hearing.
4. Michelle Wurz, the White female principal of Schiller, who appears to be in her early to mid 30s, began by describing the plight of the community. She said that the regentrification of Cabrini Green would make the “most resilient person weak.” Schiller is the community’s only constant. –THE HEARING OFFICER ASKED HER TO SLOW DOWN FOR THE COURT REPORTER [The H.O. added that since she was the principal she could have more than 2 minutes. He seemed to be proud of that concession.]—She started her statement over. She said that the community was being torn down “brick by brick” and abandoned. She stated that Schiller has been serving the community since 1908. There have been entire families that attended Schiller. It is a resource for the community whose routines have maintained the only constancy. She then explained how two sections of the CHA housing development, the William Green homes, developed separate and rival gangs. She described how even during summer school buses from one of the three remaining schools near the remnants of Cabrini (Schiller, Jenner and Manierre 1420 N Hudson Ave) could not be shared by students from Jenner and Schiller to transport students to summer school because of the threat of violence. [There used to be 5 schools in the area, but Sojourner Truth and Byrd were already been closed in 2003-4.]
A CELL PHONE WENT OFF AND THE H.O. REMINDED THE AUDIENCE TO TURN OFF THEIR PHONES. THE PHONE BELONGED TO A CPS SECURITY STAFF PERSON.
5. Molly Carroll, a White CTU Services Coordinator in her 50s, said that she was speaking on behalf of the “32,000 CTU members” and the “unconscionable abuse of employees” that the Board was engaging in. She expressed the ridiculous nature of the hearing and keeping the audience behind a wooden barrier. She said that although the Board is not turning around Schiller so in theory the staff can go with the students, there might not be a need for multiple 4th grade teachers and so she asked what happens to the unneeded Schiller staff. She expressed frustration that these closings and hearings have become regular in many months out of the year and has forced CTU members to search for jobs. She said the fact that the Board was now looking to turn Ren2010 into Ren2015 only means that the practice of letting more good employees go will only continue. She restated that Jenner cannot accommodate all the Schiller employees and that the Board’s real plan might be to empty Schiller for Ogden to take it over somehow.
6. Angela Schuldt, a White teacher at Schiller in her mid to late 30s, stated that by moving Schiller students into Jenner, the students would lose the amazing community partnerships that Schiller has developed. I tried to keep track of the entire list, but I know I missed some. She listed and described the role played by Chicago Sinai Temple in providing field trips, assemblies, scholarship luncheons, Christmas presents, Turkeys for Schiller families for Thanksgiving, medical exams and book drives for the students and their families. She also described Schiller’s involvement in the Chicago Run Program which Bank of America sponsors and was already declined by Jenner. She described the Urban Initiative Soccer Program, the Rayco (?) Bank Corporation and the Greater North Avenue Association’s involvement at Schiller.
7. Melissa Turner, a White Schiller teacher in her mid 30s who is also the CTU Delegate with whom I have been in regular contact, spoke about the Board’s justification that Schiller’s facility is 21% underutilized. She testified to the use of numbers of rooms at Schiller for the students by the Boys and Girls Club, the Open Books Reading Program, 826 CHI Writing Program, Urban Initiatives Health Instruction and University of Chicago Gardening Program.
8. Mara O’Brien, a White executive director of 836 CHI Writing Program in her mid to late 30s, spoke about the non-profit creative writing program at Schiller and its benefits for students.
AT THIS POINT I WAS RUSHING TO JOT DOWN MY REMARKS WHICH I HADN’T HAD TIME TO DO AHEAD OF TIME, SO MY NOTES ARE SKETCHY FOR A BIT.. SORRY!!! I’M NOT SURE IF JACKSON GOT NOTES ON ANY OF THESE FOLKS.
9. Rebecca Wepman
10. James Pawelski, a White retired principal in his 50s or 60s, who is a leadership coach in principal development who has overseen Michelle Wurz, the principal of Schiller, this past year. He testified that at Schiller he has personally seen a “safe, well-managed and will-maintained” school whose “staff takes their responsibilities seriously.” He is deeply concerned about the acceptance of Schiller students at Jenner and is concerned about their safety.
11. Karen Thompson, the White Executive Director in her 50s or 60s of the Literature for All of Us program that serves Schiller students, spoke to the benefits of the writing program for Schiller students.
12. Rebecca Brown
13. Jennifer Johnson [Me!], a 27 year-old biracial teacher at Lincoln Park High School for the last nearly 6 years, started out by stating that Schiller is a feeder school for Lincoln Park. [I will just type out what I wrote down. I fumbled a couple of times and don’t make perfect sense because of how quickly I wrote it during the testimonies and I forgot to say I was from CORE!!!! Oops!] I cannot wrap my head around why Renaissance 2010 must detroy so much in order to renew. Everything about the Ren2010 plan and the plan to consolidate Schiller into Jenner indicates to me that the Board’s goal is really the sabotaging of the neighborhood near the remnants of Cabrini Green housing projects. If you cared about the input from the school and community this hearing would not have been scheduled for 3pm while people are still at work. If you cared about small children, some of whom have recently arrived, you would not knowingly send them into harms way across Division Avenue. If you cared about education for all, you would not be expanding Ogden, a wealthy school or a school that serves the wealthy Gold Coast, and ghettoizing the lower income minority students from what remains of CHA housing in the area. We can all see the expensive condos going up in the area and know that the gentrification going on will ultimately increase the student population, but it seems the Board would not dare let those children attend Schiller. If you cared about all children, you would expand and publicize the amazing resources of Schiller and its community partners and encourage Schiller’s growth and keep the kids in their home school. If you cared about education, you would hold Schiller up as an example of what size a school population should be instead of referring to arbitrary formulas of square footage per child. I currently have classes of 31 students. Is that a good size for a class? No educational scholarship would advise large classes. I have seen Schiller students succeed at Lincoln Park. I met a student 3 years ago when she was a freshman who participated in writing and publishing a hard cover children’s book while she was at Schiller through one of its community programs. She was so proud of the book that she brought it with her to LP to share it with her teachers. She is now a junior at LP in honors classes. I have been lucky enough in the last few weeks to meet Schiller teachers who work overtime to see their students succeed. I cannot understand how the Board can justify defying common sense, good educational practices and blatantly ignore the safety of the communities most in need in this city in order to—[THE H.O.’S ASSISTANT TOLD ME TO WRAP IT UP]—cater to the whims of the business world—[THE H.O. TRIED TO CUT ME COMPLETELY OFF, BUT I FINISHED ANYWAY]—that has no business making education decisions. [THE H.O. THEN CHASTIZED ME INDIRECTLY BY SAYING OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE REMAINING SPEAKERS TO LIMIT YOUR REMARKS. I WAS 3 WORDS OVER.]
14. Brian Billings, a White gym teacher at Schiller (who said something was Walter Payton College Prep-Could he have attended?) who appeared to be in his late 30s or early 40s, said that Cabrini is still a community. He aid that the Board should keep Schiller open at least until all of Cabrini is gone. He said the plan is causing great anxiety and that the plan clearly was not taking into account the use of all space at Schiller. He believes that Schiller should be a small school model especially because of its many community partners. He said Schiller offers the students a personalized education with its 19 community partners and that there should be more options in the area with such resources but there are not.
15. Patricia Ridings, a White preschool teacher from Schiller in her 40s(I believe), said that she works with 37 three to four year-olds who are walked to Schiller by their older siblings. She said that, right now, to get to Schiller, the small kids only have to cross a playground, but going to Jenner would put them in danger. She said that older siblings might get into altercations with Jenner students and she asked where would that leave the three and four year olds in the street. She says there would not be access to crossing guards going across Division and that she understands the factors like cost that might impact the Boards decision. She said it is costly to maintain a building, but “the cost of a child’s life is worth more than a building which is being utilized at a rate of 21%.”
16. Marie Hines, a Black Schiller parent in her late 30s (I think), said that the students should not have to cross gang lines. She said that Schiller has programs that develop the “whole child” and that students there have a “wide range of opportunities.” She described some of them including the fact that parents are allowed to use the computers at Schiller to look for jobs! She said that Jenner graduates go on to Wells High School rather than Lincoln Park High School, which is one of the “top schools in the whole city.” She said the Board was not “being a responsible adult” with the plan to consolidate Schiller.
17. Student A (Antonisha), a Black 6th grader from Schiller said—[WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE HEARING OFFICER WHO ASKED THE SCHILLER PRINCIPAL IF THE GIRL HAD PARENTAL PERMISSION TO SPEAK; THE PRINCIPAL SAID YES; THE H.O. ASKED SOMETHING OF THE WOMAN NEAR HIM AND EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT USING THE REAL NAME OF A MINOR; HE THEN SAID STUDENTS WOULD BE IDENTIFIED WITH LETTERS RATHER THAN THEIR FULL NAMES]—that students at Schiller follow “positive behavior intervention plans” and are “like a family that’s all treated the same.” She said in the building there are positive quotes on the walls and that they can earn tokens for good behavior which earns them things like pizza parties and other prizes. Like most of the dozen or so kids from Schiller who testified, she started by saying something like “The reason why you should close Schiller is” and ended with something like “Please don’t close Schiller.”
18. Student B, a 4 year-old (I think) who was helped to read a statement by a woman who appeared to be his Mom, said that there is “too much violence at Jenner.” Teachers at Schiller “work very hard.” “Schiller is closer to our house. Jenner is too far away.” “Please do not close our school.” [IT WAS REALLY HARD TO HEAR HIM, AS HE WAS LESS THAN 3 FEET TALL AND THE MICROPHONE COULDN’T PICK IT ALL UP. THE H.O. ASKED SOMEONE FROM THE BOARD TO GET OR MAKE A COPY OF WHAT THE STUDENTS WROTE IF POSSIBLE.]
19. Student C, a 4th grader maybe, from Schiller, started to ask “Why are you gonna close Schiller?”—[WAS INTERUPPTED BY THE H.O. WHO ASKED THE PRINCIPAL HOW MANY MORE STUDENTS WERE THERE; SHE TRIED TO COUNT ON HER LIST WHILE HE HEMMED AND HAWED A BIT AND SAID HE WAS HESITANT TO LET MORE STUDENTS GO IF THEY HADN’T HEARD FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS, THEN HE CUT HIMSELF OFF AND SAID “GO ON.” WHILE HE HEMMED AND HAWED THE PRINCIPAL TRIED TO SAY SHE HAD 13 MORE KIDS ON THE LIST TO SPEAK, BUT I’M NOT SURE THE H.O. HEARD HER]—The student continued and the students did not want to go to Jenner, that Schiller had great teachers and that Jenner was too far away.
20. Mellisa Davis Bogart (or Bogard), a Black site director at Schiller of the Boys and Girls Club in her early 30s (if that), said she has seen Schiller improve. She knows that Schiller has dance, choir, chess, cheerleading programs in addition to the Boys and Girls Club that operates inside Schiller during and after school. She then tried to described their various programs including Go for Graduation which teaches kids positive “I can” messages, the Fitness & self-esteem program for girls ages 8 to 17, the Street Smarts program for kids from 11 to 13 that works on counteracting gangs and conflict resolution, and Youth for Unity, a programs that teaches diversity using culture, technology, education, health, arts, sports and character. She said that if Schiller is closed, “all their hard work will go to waste.” Right now, the Schiller students are learning responsibility.
21. Michael Martin, a (Black, maybe biracial or other person of the brown persuasion) 8th grade Schiller teacher for 22 years who appeared to be in his mid to late 40s, said that he has serious concerns about the plan for consolidating Schiller. He is most concerned about the academic choices for Schiller students after 8th grade graduation. Now, Schiller students attend Lincoln Park High School, one of the top schools in the country. If they go to Jenner, they will attend Wells High School which has less academic choices. He then told a story which began on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 when the principal of Skinner Elementary and the Area Instructional Officer came to Schiller to look at plans for possible utilization and the next day they realized that the visit had been the day before the list of school closings, turnarounds and consolidations was made public. This, he said, gave the perception that the Board already has made its decision on what will happen to Schiller because it seems that the Board merely wants to make their building available. He said he hopes that this hearing was actually fair and impartial.
22. Quouzil Benton (I know I may not have gotten her first name right), a Black Kindergarten teacher at Schiller in her early 30s (I think), said that at Schiller the students work and have goals. She said the Board’s plan was to “strip the students of their school” and that it would be “a devastating blow to the school and the community at large.” She was very poetic and used the imagery of things like safety dripping from the bricks. She said Jenner can’t replace the familiarity of the Schiller staff with the students and the learning and creativity at Schiller. She said that relocating the students would cause an “emotional backlash form the students” and “learning will take a back seat.” She said that she doesn’t gamble, but what the Board is doing is taking a tremendous gamble—[THE H.O. TOLD HER TO WRAP UP.]—She said something to the effect of keep Schiller’s “doors open.”
23. Janette O’Connor, a Schiller teacher (whose appearance I cannot remember), was the person who quoted Arne Duncan’s letter stating that the reason for consolidating Schiller was its underutilization and lack of programs. She then said something to the effect of “what Arne Duncan does not seem to know” is that Schiller has over 30 extracurricular programs, much more than Jenner. She said that Schiller students are academically empowered and that they are even provided dinner, extra homework help and an after school security officer. She said Schiller “educates the whole child.”
24. Kathy Filippni, a White volunteer from Winnetka in her 50s or 60s, who I spoke with afterwards and gave fliers to, said she had been a volunteer at Schiller since Sojourner Truth Elementary School closed (which according to a report from CPS I found online was 2003-4). She volunteers four days a week for the whole school day. She says she has seen Schiller “turn order into chaos.” Although CPS did not turnaround Schiller, she said that Ms. Wurz, the principal, already has. Being from Winnetka and raising he own children there, she said that she knows kids up North don’t need the school. If a school closed, their parents would drive them to the next great school. She said no lives would really change. She said this was not the case if Schiller is closed. She them told the story of police officers coming into Schiller classrooms to directly tell the students that they should not EVER cross Division Avenue for their own safety and that they would be arrested if they did. She couldn’t understand how the Board would ask the Schiller students to ignore this rule by sending them to Jenner. She said these kids are the city’s future and Schiller school is their stability. She then, patronizingly, in my opinion said, that the cost of keeping Schiller open would be money saved on crime later.
25. Student D (Passion), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl from Schiller, said that Schiller should stay open and that it has changed this year. She said their test scores had gone up and the fights will start again if they have to go to Jenner.
26. Student E (Armani), a Black 5th or 6th grade boy from Schiller, said that there have been “big changes” at Schiller since his Mom went there. Now, students want to be in school and the teachers listen to and understand them. He said if they close down Schiller, they will “close down a part of us.”
27. Student F (Darrell), a Black 6th grade boy from Schiller, said it was his first year at the school, but it is much better than his old school and he was hoping to graduate from Schiller.
28. Student G (Evionce), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl from Schiller, said she gets the best education at Schiller. It would be dangerous to go into gang territory [at Jenner.] Kids could get killed. Schiller has a lot of good programs and there she has been the student of the week and month.
29. Student H, a Black 6th grade boy from Schiller, who nearly made many people in the room cry. He said he wants to be with his family at Schiller. He then said “if they decide to knock down Schiller, they should [will] knock down me.”
30. Student I (Dominique)—[BEFORE SHE COULD SPEAK, THE H.O. CALLED GEORGE SCHMIDT OVER BECAUSE HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT GEORGE TAKING PICTURES “OF MINORS”]—a Black 7th grade girl from Schiller, said that at Jenner there will be fights and they will not be able to learn. If they close Schiller, they will break everyone’s hearts. She said first they closed down “our buildings [the CHA housing] and now our school.” She said there is so much to the Schiller curriculum and she loves everyone in it. She said that, even though the teachers are on their cases, they do it for their best futures. She said Jenner teachers do not know them or their families. She said it’s just like a book in her classroom now called “Searching for Safety” that teaches them good character traits. They will be looking for safety.
31. Student J (Chantelle), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl (why does my memory want to make this student a boy?) from Schiller, said keep Schiller open. She said that everyday when she sees Schiller, she has a big smile on her face and she thinks it’s a great day to learn. She said Schiller has a new principal, a new assistant principal and new teachers. She used to get into fights, but now she has learned how to manage her anger and she might be able to go down the right path.
32.. Student K, a Black Schiller student (I cannot remember the age or gender, I think it was a girl), said that now they are getting good grades and they want to graduate. They have gone to Schiller since 1st grade and it is a place where people respect each other and do the best they can.
33. Student L, a Black 7th or 8th grade girl from Schiller, said she was “proud” to got to Schiller because it is a great school. She said it deserves an A for effort. She said “we don’t have nothing but each other” because their neighborhood is being taken from them and now they want to take their school away from them. She said they are ready to fight peacefully for their school.
34. Student M, a Black 6th grade girl from Schiller, said that math and reading used to be hard for her, but now, at Schiller they play math and reading game that help her understand. Most of her family went to Schiller and she doesn’t think she can be herself at Jenner and she does not want to make friends there. She was very polite and said a couple of Thank yous.
35. Student N (Arnetia), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl from Schiller, said that she’s gone there for 5 years and that it would hurt them so “bad to take our school away.” She said she has a great smile because she likes the way she’s learning. She described the two different housing projects as the tall White buildings and the row houses and said that the people from them never got along. She said the police came into her class and told them that they would be arrested if they crossed Division Ave and not to cross “even to go to the candy store.”
36. Ben Pryss, a White medical student in his mid to late 20s who works with students from Schiller through the Urban Initiatives program by teaching the kids to play soccer, said that their program has worked hard to teach the kids nutrition and healthy behaviors while having fun. He said the program operates T/Th before school and after school on F.. In the Winter they play inside and in the Fall and Spring, they play outside. He said that in the last year, he has really send a growth in the player and although he would like to think it was in small part due to his program, he knows that most of it is because of what is happening in the classroom. He says Schiller’s success is due to its small school environment and the staff.
37. Jackson Potter, a 30 year-old former Englewood High School and current Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice teacher and CORE member, said he was there to speak in solidarity with the teachers, parents, PSRPs, students and community members form Schiller. He said he wanted to point out that none of the decision-making Board members were present and that the hearing was a sham and a farce. He said that last years transcripts of the hearings were not even available before the Board meeting where the final closings were voted upon. He said something to the effect that the number of hearing officers and their salaries could be used to keep schools like Schiller open if its about money. He said that Ren2010 was not an education plan and he knows because of his past experiences. He said that Englewood High School served the students in the community, but then Urban Prep, a charter, which only served a fraction of students from the community, replaced it. He said it was time not to “beg, but demand” that the Board respect the neighborhood schools and communities. He encouraged people to attend CORE regional meetings and to boycott McDonald’s and Walgreen’s because both corporations have contributed funds to the current plan. He said teachers are ready for a work action and to look for that in the next few weeks.—[THE HEARING OFFICER PIPED IN AND SAID THAT ALTHOUGH HIS NORMAL RATE IS $425/HOUR, HE WASN’T CHARGING THE BOARD “HALF THAT” FOR HIS TIME. JACKSON REPLIED “EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS.”]
38. Mathias Sherman, a White teacher from Jenner Elementary who looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s, said that he was there to honor Schiller’s impending loss. He said he feels the hurts for the old schools in the neighborhood that were previously shut down and that he wants the transition of Schiller students into Jenner to be smooth. He said he’s had daily conversations with his students about the consolidation plan and he is confident they can make it work for the education of the students. He said “children will follow our good example.”
[FINALLY, THE H..O. SAID THAT SINCE OVER ½ OF THE PEOPLE NOW PRESENT WERE NOT HERE AT THE BEGINNNING, HE WANTED TO, WITHOUT REDOING HIS OPENING STATEMENT, SAY THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE HEARING WAS NOT QUESTION AND ANSWER, BUT TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. IT WAS HIS TASK, PURSUANT TO STATE LAW, TO MAKE A WRITTEN REPORT FOR THE CEO OF CPS AS TO HIS RECOMMENDATION AS TO THE PLAN FOR SCHILLER AND A SUMMARY OF THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HEARING. HE SUSPECTS, “BARRING ILLNESS” THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THIS REPORT BEFORE THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. HE THEN STATED THAT IT WAS 4:55PM AND BECAUSE ALL 41 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK HAD SPOKEN, THE HEARING WAS CONCLUDED.]
Jackson Potter wrote:
ReplyDeleteIt is proposed that Medill should be consolidated into Smyth elementary down the street. Many parents, students and teachers spoke out against the consolidation.
Jovan Nicholson, a parent said : "I don't think it's a good idea or decision to consolidate Medill with Smyth....when you take kids out of something they're used to it messes them up." He also asked "who is to guarantee that Smyth won't be closed down years from now?"
There were a good handful of very cute, tiny students who gave testimony like Jaevan Nicholson "I love Medill, i love my teacher"
Mom Jonita Johnson argued that the board has not offered additional crossing guards to walk the children the extra 5 blocks to Smyth, will insure that students with disabilities are properly served or that buses are provided and well scheduled, if necessary.
Leslie Recht, the school liason for Alderman Bob Fioretti, gave a strong argument in favor of keeping the school open, claiming that "last year Gladstone was closed and some [students] were relocated to Medill.....at the time there was a commitment from CPS to not re-locate these students again.... we have asked for that conversation and it has not yet taken place."
I got up and spoke on behalf of CORE, i said that the hearings were a farce and the only way to stop this was to band together with the other schools in a boycott and/or work action. Alot of people came up to me afterwards and 4-5 folks took almost all of my flyers and agreed to build for our regional meetings on February 11th.
Jen Johnson wrote:
ReplyDeleteMonday, February 2, 2009
Schiller Elementary School Hearing (640 W Scott St)
125 S. Clark 3-5pm
CPS Proposed Plan: Consolidation into Jenner Elementary School (1119 N Cleveland Ave)
SUMMARY
I rushed to leave Lincoln Park High School immediately after my last class ended around 2:45pm and I made it into the hearing room on the 5th floor at about 3:20pm. The testimonies had already begun. [I apologize ahead of time for any spelling or factual errors.]
When I arrived there were only about 26 people in the audience, most, but not all, of whom were White female staff of Schiller or volunteers from various community partners that work with the students at Schiller. As time went by more people arrived including at least two large contingents of Schiller students, parents and more Schiller staff and community partners (both Black and White). By the middle of the hearing, Jackson estimated that there were more than 70 people in attendance. The students and parents were all Black. There was a CTU representative, Molly Carroll, as well as other “union activists” such as Lou Pyster, myself and Jackson. Jackson noted an alderman who did not stay for the whole hearing. At the end the Hearing Officer said that all 41 speakers who signed up to speak had spoken. I only witnessed 38 of the speakers and their testimonies are summarized below. George Schmidt was snapping photos and taking quotes and names.
As you can see from their addresses, both Schiller and Jenner serve the neighborhood once home to the fully occupied Cabrini Green housing projects. As the CHA Plan for Transformation has been rolled out, the towers of Cabrini have slowly been depopulated and the number of students attending Schiller has gone down. I do not know the exact figures over the last decade of residency in the CHA buildings. Schiller is merely blocks away from Jenner, but is on the North side of Division Ave while Jenner is South of Division and more toward the East. As many Lincoln Park HS staff members knows, as do I, the student populations come from two distinct parts of the CHA housing that remains and the two factions have had and still have a stormy past of hosting rival gangs. The consolidation, thus poses the danger of making small children cross Division Ave and cross gang lines into the gang territory near Jenner’s.
Overall, the tenor of the hearing was very respectful. There were murmurs of tears and crying at points and shaky voices from some, but no major outbursts. Really, I think Jackson and I said the most direct statements about the real motives of Ren2010. One teacher, Michael Martin, hinted at the ulterior motives of the board and a CTU rep, Molly Carroll, did say the Board was engaging in “unconscionable abuse” of teachers. I think the Schiller community is rallying, as shown by the parents and students and staff who made it to the hearing, many late. Most of the parents and students asked for Schiller not to be closed and most of the Schiller staff members tried to fight off the two justifications for consolidating Schiller, which were underutilization and lack of special programs. I think the Schiller story is pretty emblematic of the disregard for student safety and the motives of gentrification behind the Boards justifications of underutilization. I will keep in touch with the Delegate for sure.
BASIC TRANSCRIPT
I missed attorney and hearing officer Fred Bates’ opening statement so I do not know if any justification of the consolidation was read. Is that a standard procedure or do they just lay out the rules of the 2 minutes for each speaker and such?]
1. When I arrived a White woman, likely in her 50s, was at the microphone speaking on behalf of 50 volunteers from the Sinai Temple congregation who do regular volunteer work at Schiller. She stated that she could understand the justification for closing underutilized schools, but that the Board needed to understand how much work the 50 volunteers put in at Schiller. She added that sending kids to a rival gang school was dangerous. She asked the Board to give Schiller the opportunity to “nurture” a small school and asked them to make “an emotional decision” not merely a practical one.
[It came out later through a speaker quoting the letter sent by the Board and signed by Arne Duncan that the Schiller staff was informed that they would be consolidated because they were underutilized. The letter indicated that Schiller was only utilizing 21% of their facility. Additionally, it came out that the letter stated that they were also being consolidated because other schools offer more programs and activities for the students. The bulk of the staff and volunteer testimony appeared geared to disprove both facts by stating how much of the facility the school actually uses and in what manner and just how many involved community organizations work with Schiller and how many extracurricular activities they currently offer.]
2. Nancy Myars, a White retired elementary school teacher, said she would not use her time to address the benefits of small class size though she could. She said that Schiller has already turned itself around with the new administration that has taken over. She said that safety for the students should be the priority and that Division avenue—THE HEARING OFFICER INTERUPPTED—is a gang dividing line. She believes children will not attend school if they must cross gang lines to go and the academic progress of the Schiller students will be detrimentally impacted. She asked what provisions the Board would provide to ensure the safety of the students. She asked if the Board could find a way to use the rest of the building for something else. She even suggested CPS use the space for offices or rent the space out.
3. Deborah Thigpen, a Black Schiller teacher and LSC rep., has been there for over 18 years. She said she didn’t think even after 35 that she could let Schiller go. She read a poem that she entitled “Not Filled to Capacity” in which she made a metaphor of all the things Schiller did possess which did indeed fill it to capacity such as the “wonderful programs,” “learning,” “of hours put in” by the staff. She was near tears while speaking. I spoke with her afterwards and shared CORE fliers with her. She was joined by an art teacher who I also spoke with, but didn’t catch her name as security was pushing us out of the hearing room and into the hallways to make room for the next hearing.
4. Michelle Wurz, the White female principal of Schiller, who appears to be in her early to mid 30s, began by describing the plight of the community. She said that the regentrification of Cabrini Green would make the “most resilient person weak.” Schiller is the community’s only constant. –THE HEARING OFFICER ASKED HER TO SLOW DOWN FOR THE COURT REPORTER [The H.O. added that since she was the principal she could have more than 2 minutes. He seemed to be proud of that concession.]—She started her statement over. She said that the community was being torn down “brick by brick” and abandoned. She stated that Schiller has been serving the community since 1908. There have been entire families that attended Schiller. It is a resource for the community whose routines have maintained the only constancy. She then explained how two sections of the CHA housing development, the William Green homes, developed separate and rival gangs. She described how even during summer school buses from one of the three remaining schools near the remnants of Cabrini (Schiller, Jenner and Manierre 1420 N Hudson Ave) could not be shared by students from Jenner and Schiller to transport students to summer school because of the threat of violence. [There used to be 5 schools in the area, but Sojourner Truth and Byrd were already been closed in 2003-4.]
A CELL PHONE WENT OFF AND THE H.O. REMINDED THE AUDIENCE TO TURN OFF THEIR PHONES. THE PHONE BELONGED TO A CPS SECURITY STAFF PERSON.
5. Molly Carroll, a White CTU Services Coordinator in her 50s, said that she was speaking on behalf of the “32,000 CTU members” and the “unconscionable abuse of employees” that the Board was engaging in. She expressed the ridiculous nature of the hearing and keeping the audience behind a wooden barrier. She said that although the Board is not turning around Schiller so in theory the staff can go with the students, there might not be a need for multiple 4th grade teachers and so she asked what happens to the unneeded Schiller staff. She expressed frustration that these closings and hearings have become regular in many months out of the year and has forced CTU members to search for jobs. She said the fact that the Board was now looking to turn Ren2010 into Ren2015 only means that the practice of letting more good employees go will only continue. She restated that Jenner cannot accommodate all the Schiller employees and that the Board’s real plan might be to empty Schiller for Ogden to take it over somehow.
6. Angela Schuldt, a White teacher at Schiller in her mid to late 30s, stated that by moving Schiller students into Jenner, the students would lose the amazing community partnerships that Schiller has developed. I tried to keep track of the entire list, but I know I missed some. She listed and described the role played by Chicago Sinai Temple in providing field trips, assemblies, scholarship luncheons, Christmas presents, Turkeys for Schiller families for Thanksgiving, medical exams and book drives for the students and their families. She also described Schiller’s involvement in the Chicago Run Program which Bank of America sponsors and was already declined by Jenner. She described the Urban Initiative Soccer Program, the Rayco (?) Bank Corporation and the Greater North Avenue Association’s involvement at Schiller.
7. Melissa Turner, a White Schiller teacher in her mid 30s who is also the CTU Delegate with whom I have been in regular contact, spoke about the Board’s justification that Schiller’s facility is 21% underutilized. She testified to the use of numbers of rooms at Schiller for the students by the Boys and Girls Club, the Open Books Reading Program, 826 CHI Writing Program, Urban Initiatives Health Instruction and University of Chicago Gardening Program.
8. Mara O’Brien, a White executive director of 836 CHI Writing Program in her mid to late 30s, spoke about the non-profit creative writing program at Schiller and its benefits for students.
AT THIS POINT I WAS RUSHING TO JOT DOWN MY REMARKS WHICH I HADN’T HAD TIME TO DO AHEAD OF TIME, SO MY NOTES ARE SKETCHY FOR A BIT.. SORRY!!! I’M NOT SURE IF JACKSON GOT NOTES ON ANY OF THESE FOLKS.
9. Rebecca Wepman
10. James Pawelski, a White retired principal in his 50s or 60s, who is a leadership coach in principal development who has overseen Michelle Wurz, the principal of Schiller, this past year. He testified that at Schiller he has personally seen a “safe, well-managed and will-maintained” school whose “staff takes their responsibilities seriously.” He is deeply concerned about the acceptance of Schiller students at Jenner and is concerned about their safety.
11. Karen Thompson, the White Executive Director in her 50s or 60s of the Literature for All of Us program that serves Schiller students, spoke to the benefits of the writing program for Schiller students.
12. Rebecca Brown
13. Jennifer Johnson [Me!], a 27 year-old biracial teacher at Lincoln Park High School for the last nearly 6 years, started out by stating that Schiller is a feeder school for Lincoln Park. [I will just type out what I wrote down. I fumbled a couple of times and don’t make perfect sense because of how quickly I wrote it during the testimonies and I forgot to say I was from CORE!!!! Oops!] I cannot wrap my head around why Renaissance 2010 must detroy so much in order to renew. Everything about the Ren2010 plan and the plan to consolidate Schiller into Jenner indicates to me that the Board’s goal is really the sabotaging of the neighborhood near the remnants of Cabrini Green housing projects. If you cared about the input from the school and community this hearing would not have been scheduled for 3pm while people are still at work. If you cared about small children, some of whom have recently arrived, you would not knowingly send them into harms way across Division Avenue. If you cared about education for all, you would not be expanding Ogden, a wealthy school or a school that serves the wealthy Gold Coast, and ghettoizing the lower income minority students from what remains of CHA housing in the area. We can all see the expensive condos going up in the area and know that the gentrification going on will ultimately increase the student population, but it seems the Board would not dare let those children attend Schiller. If you cared about all children, you would expand and publicize the amazing resources of Schiller and its community partners and encourage Schiller’s growth and keep the kids in their home school. If you cared about education, you would hold Schiller up as an example of what size a school population should be instead of referring to arbitrary formulas of square footage per child. I currently have classes of 31 students. Is that a good size for a class? No educational scholarship would advise large classes. I have seen Schiller students succeed at Lincoln Park. I met a student 3 years ago when she was a freshman who participated in writing and publishing a hard cover children’s book while she was at Schiller through one of its community programs. She was so proud of the book that she brought it with her to LP to share it with her teachers. She is now a junior at LP in honors classes. I have been lucky enough in the last few weeks to meet Schiller teachers who work overtime to see their students succeed. I cannot understand how the Board can justify defying common sense, good educational practices and blatantly ignore the safety of the communities most in need in this city in order to—[THE H.O.’S ASSISTANT TOLD ME TO WRAP IT UP]—cater to the whims of the business world—[THE H.O. TRIED TO CUT ME COMPLETELY OFF, BUT I FINISHED ANYWAY]—that has no business making education decisions. [THE H.O. THEN CHASTIZED ME INDIRECTLY BY SAYING OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE REMAINING SPEAKERS TO LIMIT YOUR REMARKS. I WAS 3 WORDS OVER.]
14. Brian Billings, a White gym teacher at Schiller (who said something was Walter Payton College Prep-Could he have attended?) who appeared to be in his late 30s or early 40s, said that Cabrini is still a community. He aid that the Board should keep Schiller open at least until all of Cabrini is gone. He said the plan is causing great anxiety and that the plan clearly was not taking into account the use of all space at Schiller. He believes that Schiller should be a small school model especially because of its many community partners. He said Schiller offers the students a personalized education with its 19 community partners and that there should be more options in the area with such resources but there are not.
15. Patricia Ridings, a White preschool teacher from Schiller in her 40s(I believe), said that she works with 37 three to four year-olds who are walked to Schiller by their older siblings. She said that, right now, to get to Schiller, the small kids only have to cross a playground, but going to Jenner would put them in danger. She said that older siblings might get into altercations with Jenner students and she asked where would that leave the three and four year olds in the street. She says there would not be access to crossing guards going across Division and that she understands the factors like cost that might impact the Boards decision. She said it is costly to maintain a building, but “the cost of a child’s life is worth more than a building which is being utilized at a rate of 21%.”
16. Marie Hines, a Black Schiller parent in her late 30s (I think), said that the students should not have to cross gang lines. She said that Schiller has programs that develop the “whole child” and that students there have a “wide range of opportunities.” She described some of them including the fact that parents are allowed to use the computers at Schiller to look for jobs! She said that Jenner graduates go on to Wells High School rather than Lincoln Park High School, which is one of the “top schools in the whole city.” She said the Board was not “being a responsible adult” with the plan to consolidate Schiller.
17. Student A (Antonisha), a Black 6th grader from Schiller said—[WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE HEARING OFFICER WHO ASKED THE SCHILLER PRINCIPAL IF THE GIRL HAD PARENTAL PERMISSION TO SPEAK; THE PRINCIPAL SAID YES; THE H.O. ASKED SOMETHING OF THE WOMAN NEAR HIM AND EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT USING THE REAL NAME OF A MINOR; HE THEN SAID STUDENTS WOULD BE IDENTIFIED WITH LETTERS RATHER THAN THEIR FULL NAMES]—that students at Schiller follow “positive behavior intervention plans” and are “like a family that’s all treated the same.” She said in the building there are positive quotes on the walls and that they can earn tokens for good behavior which earns them things like pizza parties and other prizes. Like most of the dozen or so kids from Schiller who testified, she started by saying something like “The reason why you should close Schiller is” and ended with something like “Please don’t close Schiller.”
18. Student B, a 4 year-old (I think) who was helped to read a statement by a woman who appeared to be his Mom, said that there is “too much violence at Jenner.” Teachers at Schiller “work very hard.” “Schiller is closer to our house. Jenner is too far away.” “Please do not close our school.” [IT WAS REALLY HARD TO HEAR HIM, AS HE WAS LESS THAN 3 FEET TALL AND THE MICROPHONE COULDN’T PICK IT ALL UP. THE H.O. ASKED SOMEONE FROM THE BOARD TO GET OR MAKE A COPY OF WHAT THE STUDENTS WROTE IF POSSIBLE.]
19. Student C, a 4th grader maybe, from Schiller, started to ask “Why are you gonna close Schiller?”—[WAS INTERUPPTED BY THE H.O. WHO ASKED THE PRINCIPAL HOW MANY MORE STUDENTS WERE THERE; SHE TRIED TO COUNT ON HER LIST WHILE HE HEMMED AND HAWED A BIT AND SAID HE WAS HESITANT TO LET MORE STUDENTS GO IF THEY HADN’T HEARD FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS, THEN HE CUT HIMSELF OFF AND SAID “GO ON.” WHILE HE HEMMED AND HAWED THE PRINCIPAL TRIED TO SAY SHE HAD 13 MORE KIDS ON THE LIST TO SPEAK, BUT I’M NOT SURE THE H.O. HEARD HER]—The student continued and the students did not want to go to Jenner, that Schiller had great teachers and that Jenner was too far away.
20. Mellisa Davis Bogart (or Bogard), a Black site director at Schiller of the Boys and Girls Club in her early 30s (if that), said she has seen Schiller improve. She knows that Schiller has dance, choir, chess, cheerleading programs in addition to the Boys and Girls Club that operates inside Schiller during and after school. She then tried to described their various programs including Go for Graduation which teaches kids positive “I can” messages, the Fitness & self-esteem program for girls ages 8 to 17, the Street Smarts program for kids from 11 to 13 that works on counteracting gangs and conflict resolution, and Youth for Unity, a programs that teaches diversity using culture, technology, education, health, arts, sports and character. She said that if Schiller is closed, “all their hard work will go to waste.” Right now, the Schiller students are learning responsibility.
21. Michael Martin, a (Black, maybe biracial or other person of the brown persuasion) 8th grade Schiller teacher for 22 years who appeared to be in his mid to late 40s, said that he has serious concerns about the plan for consolidating Schiller. He is most concerned about the academic choices for Schiller students after 8th grade graduation. Now, Schiller students attend Lincoln Park High School, one of the top schools in the country. If they go to Jenner, they will attend Wells High School which has less academic choices. He then told a story which began on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 when the principal of Skinner Elementary and the Area Instructional Officer came to Schiller to look at plans for possible utilization and the next day they realized that the visit had been the day before the list of school closings, turnarounds and consolidations was made public. This, he said, gave the perception that the Board already has made its decision on what will happen to Schiller because it seems that the Board merely wants to make their building available. He said he hopes that this hearing was actually fair and impartial.
22. Quouzil Benton (I know I may not have gotten her first name right), a Black Kindergarten teacher at Schiller in her early 30s (I think), said that at Schiller the students work and have goals. She said the Board’s plan was to “strip the students of their school” and that it would be “a devastating blow to the school and the community at large.” She was very poetic and used the imagery of things like safety dripping from the bricks. She said Jenner can’t replace the familiarity of the Schiller staff with the students and the learning and creativity at Schiller. She said that relocating the students would cause an “emotional backlash form the students” and “learning will take a back seat.” She said that she doesn’t gamble, but what the Board is doing is taking a tremendous gamble—[THE H.O. TOLD HER TO WRAP UP.]—She said something to the effect of keep Schiller’s “doors open.”
23. Janette O’Connor, a Schiller teacher (whose appearance I cannot remember), was the person who quoted Arne Duncan’s letter stating that the reason for consolidating Schiller was its underutilization and lack of programs. She then said something to the effect of “what Arne Duncan does not seem to know” is that Schiller has over 30 extracurricular programs, much more than Jenner. She said that Schiller students are academically empowered and that they are even provided dinner, extra homework help and an after school security officer. She said Schiller “educates the whole child.”
24. Kathy Filippni, a White volunteer from Winnetka in her 50s or 60s, who I spoke with afterwards and gave fliers to, said she had been a volunteer at Schiller since Sojourner Truth Elementary School closed (which according to a report from CPS I found online was 2003-4). She volunteers four days a week for the whole school day. She says she has seen Schiller “turn order into chaos.” Although CPS did not turnaround Schiller, she said that Ms. Wurz, the principal, already has. Being from Winnetka and raising he own children there, she said that she knows kids up North don’t need the school. If a school closed, their parents would drive them to the next great school. She said no lives would really change. She said this was not the case if Schiller is closed. She them told the story of police officers coming into Schiller classrooms to directly tell the students that they should not EVER cross Division Avenue for their own safety and that they would be arrested if they did. She couldn’t understand how the Board would ask the Schiller students to ignore this rule by sending them to Jenner. She said these kids are the city’s future and Schiller school is their stability. She then, patronizingly, in my opinion said, that the cost of keeping Schiller open would be money saved on crime later.
25. Student D (Passion), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl from Schiller, said that Schiller should stay open and that it has changed this year. She said their test scores had gone up and the fights will start again if they have to go to Jenner.
26. Student E (Armani), a Black 5th or 6th grade boy from Schiller, said that there have been “big changes” at Schiller since his Mom went there. Now, students want to be in school and the teachers listen to and understand them. He said if they close down Schiller, they will “close down a part of us.”
27. Student F (Darrell), a Black 6th grade boy from Schiller, said it was his first year at the school, but it is much better than his old school and he was hoping to graduate from Schiller.
28. Student G (Evionce), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl from Schiller, said she gets the best education at Schiller. It would be dangerous to go into gang territory [at Jenner.] Kids could get killed. Schiller has a lot of good programs and there she has been the student of the week and month.
29. Student H, a Black 6th grade boy from Schiller, who nearly made many people in the room cry. He said he wants to be with his family at Schiller. He then said “if they decide to knock down Schiller, they should [will] knock down me.”
30. Student I (Dominique)—[BEFORE SHE COULD SPEAK, THE H.O. CALLED GEORGE SCHMIDT OVER BECAUSE HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT GEORGE TAKING PICTURES “OF MINORS”]—a Black 7th grade girl from Schiller, said that at Jenner there will be fights and they will not be able to learn. If they close Schiller, they will break everyone’s hearts. She said first they closed down “our buildings [the CHA housing] and now our school.” She said there is so much to the Schiller curriculum and she loves everyone in it. She said that, even though the teachers are on their cases, they do it for their best futures. She said Jenner teachers do not know them or their families. She said it’s just like a book in her classroom now called “Searching for Safety” that teaches them good character traits. They will be looking for safety.
31. Student J (Chantelle), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl (why does my memory want to make this student a boy?) from Schiller, said keep Schiller open. She said that everyday when she sees Schiller, she has a big smile on her face and she thinks it’s a great day to learn. She said Schiller has a new principal, a new assistant principal and new teachers. She used to get into fights, but now she has learned how to manage her anger and she might be able to go down the right path.
32.. Student K, a Black Schiller student (I cannot remember the age or gender, I think it was a girl), said that now they are getting good grades and they want to graduate. They have gone to Schiller since 1st grade and it is a place where people respect each other and do the best they can.
33. Student L, a Black 7th or 8th grade girl from Schiller, said she was “proud” to got to Schiller because it is a great school. She said it deserves an A for effort. She said “we don’t have nothing but each other” because their neighborhood is being taken from them and now they want to take their school away from them. She said they are ready to fight peacefully for their school.
34. Student M, a Black 6th grade girl from Schiller, said that math and reading used to be hard for her, but now, at Schiller they play math and reading game that help her understand. Most of her family went to Schiller and she doesn’t think she can be herself at Jenner and she does not want to make friends there. She was very polite and said a couple of Thank yous.
35. Student N (Arnetia), a Black 5th or 6th grade girl from Schiller, said that she’s gone there for 5 years and that it would hurt them so “bad to take our school away.” She said she has a great smile because she likes the way she’s learning. She described the two different housing projects as the tall White buildings and the row houses and said that the people from them never got along. She said the police came into her class and told them that they would be arrested if they crossed Division Ave and not to cross “even to go to the candy store.”
36. Ben Pryss, a White medical student in his mid to late 20s who works with students from Schiller through the Urban Initiatives program by teaching the kids to play soccer, said that their program has worked hard to teach the kids nutrition and healthy behaviors while having fun. He said the program operates T/Th before school and after school on F.. In the Winter they play inside and in the Fall and Spring, they play outside. He said that in the last year, he has really send a growth in the player and although he would like to think it was in small part due to his program, he knows that most of it is because of what is happening in the classroom. He says Schiller’s success is due to its small school environment and the staff.
37. Jackson Potter, a 30 year-old former Englewood High School and current Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice teacher and CORE member, said he was there to speak in solidarity with the teachers, parents, PSRPs, students and community members form Schiller. He said he wanted to point out that none of the decision-making Board members were present and that the hearing was a sham and a farce. He said that last years transcripts of the hearings were not even available before the Board meeting where the final closings were voted upon. He said something to the effect that the number of hearing officers and their salaries could be used to keep schools like Schiller open if its about money. He said that Ren2010 was not an education plan and he knows because of his past experiences. He said that Englewood High School served the students in the community, but then Urban Prep, a charter, which only served a fraction of students from the community, replaced it. He said it was time not to “beg, but demand” that the Board respect the neighborhood schools and communities. He encouraged people to attend CORE regional meetings and to boycott McDonald’s and Walgreen’s because both corporations have contributed funds to the current plan. He said teachers are ready for a work action and to look for that in the next few weeks.—[THE HEARING OFFICER PIPED IN AND SAID THAT ALTHOUGH HIS NORMAL RATE IS $425/HOUR, HE WASN’T CHARGING THE BOARD “HALF THAT” FOR HIS TIME. JACKSON REPLIED “EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS.”]
38. Mathias Sherman, a White teacher from Jenner Elementary who looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s, said that he was there to honor Schiller’s impending loss. He said he feels the hurts for the old schools in the neighborhood that were previously shut down and that he wants the transition of Schiller students into Jenner to be smooth. He said he’s had daily conversations with his students about the consolidation plan and he is confident they can make it work for the education of the students. He said “children will follow our good example.”
[FINALLY, THE H..O. SAID THAT SINCE OVER ½ OF THE PEOPLE NOW PRESENT WERE NOT HERE AT THE BEGINNNING, HE WANTED TO, WITHOUT REDOING HIS OPENING STATEMENT, SAY THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE HEARING WAS NOT QUESTION AND ANSWER, BUT TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. IT WAS HIS TASK, PURSUANT TO STATE LAW, TO MAKE A WRITTEN REPORT FOR THE CEO OF CPS AS TO HIS RECOMMENDATION AS TO THE PLAN FOR SCHILLER AND A SUMMARY OF THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HEARING. HE SUSPECTS, “BARRING ILLNESS” THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THIS REPORT BEFORE THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. HE THEN STATED THAT IT WAS 4:55PM AND BECAUSE ALL 41 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK HAD SPOKEN, THE HEARING WAS CONCLUDED.]