South Chicago's community hearing was held across the street from the school at the Russel Park recreational center. The meeting was held from 5-7pm, by the end 60 parents had arrived. Typical of the "underutilized" schools being closed, consolidated, or phased-out, South Chicago is an amazing school with much student success. Also contrary to CPS Board testimony, the forty current pre-schoolers are an indicator that the six-year old schools numbers are significantly increasing. Parents also made a call out that if under-enrollment was truly the problem,the boundary lines could be enlarged to take students from overcrowded Heroes Ninos and the "new" Sullivan. South Chicago has the full support of their 7th ward alderwoman Jackson and voiced their commitment to fight.
For full picture story and captions go here.
Community Hearing on South Chicago closing, Feb. 11, held across the street from the school at the Russell Square Park building. 75-100 people, mostly African American and Latino with a few White, attended. Neighborhood group brought food since the hearing was dinner hour, 5:00-7:00. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteHearing Officer, Respicio Vazquez—usual blah blah
Luis Rodriguez, attorney from CPS law department. CPS will present later and wants 10 minutes.
Joniann Jones-Cheney, CVCA teacher—turned mic around to speak to group. If this school closes, who is next? How will the neighborhood adapt to change? There have been enough changes. Our community has been through enough changes. The Board should disclose everything to us. If they are going to make it a charter school, I am against that. My taxes go for CPS public education. Our leaders come from this community and schools. Please let us know what is going on. Our school, CVCA is supporting the community here.
James Dispensa. CPS guy who does demographic and enrollment studies. Closing due to space utilization. Recent enrollment trends: S. Chicago enrollment declined to 211 students. Students from outside neighborhood used to come to S. Chicago but not so much now. When S. Chi. closes, students can go to their neighborhood schools. District supports cluster program for students with autism. They will identify appropriate schools and move students. Other disabled, IEP, homeless students transition to neighborhood or other schools.
(Comment: His testimony made me sick. He talks about moving children around like they are objects, not people. What about the relationships they have formed in the school? What about the trauma a new situation can cause, the loss of familiarity, etc.?)
Susan Vega. Community member Bush Homeowners and Tenants Association. Announcements not in local papers. Aldermen informed? (yes) Utilization—what would you use the school building for? (H.O. We’re not here to debate). One of the rumors is that it would be turned into a high school. If so, look at another model—like k-12 under same roof. Leave children where they are, where they’ve found an educational home and been nurtured. This school has been a vital center of learning for years. Community has had rough times. Not a lot of positive places, but S. Chicago school is. Money spent to refurbish it. Closing it without information is a problem. It is a good school. They should not be disrupted.
Sylvia Ortega. President Bush Homeowners. We have been working with S.Chi. School for several years. We have many after school programs. The catch program, Illinois Dept. of Health. Health and nutrition program, cheerleaders, we are doing a lot. A lot is happening in the school. The children here are passing—97% rate. New Sullivan not doing as well. Maybe they are passing because of low enrollment, one on one. Why would you want to close a school that is working? We had 300 people at end of year celebration.
Kelli Parker. Parent of pre-schooler. Didn’t know you wouldn’t answer questions. One concern is safety. The schools you want to send our students to are not safe. Ninos had a gun brought to school. That is not safe, not an option. We are in a gang-infested area and you want a high school here? My pre-schooler would have to go a mile a way. Ninos is crowded and so is Sullivan. Why send our kids to failing schools? Those are my options?
George Smith, Jr. community member. Against closing of this school and Las Casas. If you destroy the village, who will raise the child? Why can’t the board tell us face to face, show up in person, why have lawyers here? If you tell the kids to go to the desert fishing, you might as well tell them to join gangs. This is telling kids that their mind is something to waste.
(Mr. Smith was a compelling speaker and was interrupted by applause many times. My notes don’t fully capture what he said.)
Marcos Ayala gave time to Ms. Walker, because she had to leave.
Michelle Walker. Parent and lived in community over 24 years. I do not want a high school in my community. South Chicago school is a safe haven. We have kids right here on my block who can go to south Chicago. Why are we underenrolled? It took 2 months to find a special needs program for my kid. I volunteer at the school, do what’s needed to be done. Son is getting skills, walking to and from school, basketball, social skills, mainstreamed into other classes. Keep S. Chicago open.
(note: I asked someone about the kids on the block who go to Sullivan, about 10 blocks east. South Chicago is set up as an Options for Knowledge school, so parents have to apply to go there. One of the suggestions was to set it up as a neighborhood school and redraw the boundaries so that students in the neighborhood would all go there.)
Marcos Ayala, principle. Opened 2002-3 to service overcrowded schools in area. Why put so many kids in a school that the classes are overcrowded? You can redraw the lines and provide services the community needs. All the schools need opportunity. Community and parents should have the right to get school that is right for their children. We have bonded with the parents and students at South Chicago, made it a safe school, provided programs; with autistic kids, we are very sensitive and have a nurturing environment. We have success and have gotten support. Allow us to continue to provide the services to the community. Why tear up a model that works?
Genoveva Mejia. Teacher. Sad day in Chicago when you close quality schools and think of dollars and cents instead of children. They are not conveying the right message to the children. Plenty of programs not taken into account.
Gloria Torres. Teacher’s Assistant. South Chicago is small and doing a good job. Great asset to the community.
Faia Wilson. Parent of two. Children previously attended another school. Now son transformed into the student I knew he could be. They are part of the school family.
Rose Marie Stewart, teacher’s assistant. Small classes. They say no child left behind, but in reality many are left behind. That CPS would consider closing is unacceptable. Enrollment has increased, not decreased, especially with advantages we offer, special ed and autistic children doing great—love, car devotion from teachers.
Carol Caref, CORE. I don’t have notes on what I said. I made the point about Dispensa treating children like chess pieces that can just be moved here and there without regard to the relationships they’ve formed. I spoke to the audience, not the hearing officer, and urged them to come Feb. 25. I said that the corporations are behind these plans to close schools and they and CPS care about the bottom line instead of caring about what happens to children.
Kirk Mangum, parent. Just heard about this tonight. Enough is enough. You need to stop shuffling the kids and stop treating them like they are chattel. These are human beings. If you need to shuffle, shuffle the administrators. This is a safe haven. Why do we have to send our kids elsewhere, create new relationships…enough is enough. If you want to do some shuffling, inform Duncan to shuffle the administration to come up with new solutions. I can’t put my 10 year old kid on a bus. Why should I have to do that.
Jessica Jassel?, parent. My son was in Sullivan for 2 weeks with 40 kids, didn’t learn anything. He had homework but didn’t know what to do. They didn’t know if they would have a preschool. My daughter knows so much from her teachers and son learned more than at Sullivan. I do not want to put my kids into overcrowded schools like Sullivan or Ninos. Why would I want to put them in a school where they won’t learn?
Sacheen Thomas. Son is student. He’s already been shuffled around from school to school, closings, archdiocese closings. His teachers are his friends, he is at home here. You cannot take this school from us. This is our home. You cannot just take our home. This is what we want and need. He has progressed amazingly, from a class of 45—insane for CPS—to a class where he gets more than enough attention. He can understand what’s going on, doesn’t have to worry about the hoodlums. This center (Russell Square, across from the school) makes sure he is ok. I want him to graduate from here. In 7th grade this year.
Paula Bullard. My children just started there. Their grades have come up tremendously. In the other school, my 7th and 8th grade boys had substitutes, one of them told them her husband sold crack. The school had a man with a gun in it and didn’t tell any of us. Another principal referred me to South Chicago. My kids have thrived at South Chicago. Kids who have dropped out of high school are already roaming the streets—we don’t want a high school here.
Elizabeth Quintana, teacher. We have 21 or 22 students in a classroom. I was teaching in the building when we had 35. We have pre school now. What will happen to them? They will go to an overcrowded school. We have an autism class. Special ed teachers are wonderful. I have had brothers and sisters, it’s breaking my heart that the school might close. They would have to cross 87th street or Coles, or train tracks to go to school. We cross the street with the kids after school so they have a place to go if their parents are working. Having a high school in between Ninos and Sullivan will cause a lot of problems. Enrollment has not decreased. Next year we will have more. We can do it if given the chance.
Tina Kelly, teacher “rookie” from the suburbs with 150 kids a day. Would not go back to that. This is a family. Together with teaching partner we meet together and figure out problems. My 6th graders were going to be my 7th and 8th graders. I can assess my growth by looking at their growth. High standards. Kids complain about “too much work”. Principal always installed rigor. Teachers care. Never complain. They are solution focused. Absurd to close school because classes are small. The small group of 8th graders are graduating but there are two first grade classes so the school will grow. The reputation is out there that the teachers and school are great. If the school stays open CPS will be very proud of it.
Bob Regan, engineer. When it first started, we got the kids the other schools didn’t want. Now we have bonded together, even though we have 5 classes from Ninos. Ask Mayor Daley if he remembers community schools.
Faia Wilson authorized her son Marvelo Wilson to speak. He had written an essay but was too shy to read it so she did. I only got part of it. Obama said we can change the world but you can’t do that if you don’t change yourself. Stop our school from being closed. Please don’t close our school-- give me a chance to change the world.
Charles Barnado parent of Arianna Brown authorized her to speak. What if you got a new toy and you loved it and learned a lot from it and then a bully snatched it away. That is what is happening to me. Elementary school is a time to make friends. You don’t have to worry about fights and rumors here. I am shy and it takes time to get used to a new environment. I have great teachers. Even though I hate long lectures, I listen. Most of us try our best. We have small classes and feel safe and protected. Not a lot of fights and problems. If you put a child like me in a big classroom, it would take a long time to adjust. I’m glad to go here and I hope the bully doesn’t take our school.
Sandy Jackson, Alderperson. No meeting more important than one discussing the future of our children. Feel strongly about this issue. Our children are our future. Where and how they are educated is paramount. If our children are not educated to be leaders of next generation, then we are in trouble. We have asked for a cessation of the closure of schools across the board. Need thorough examination of everything going on in CPS. Resources not being spent fairly, wisely.
I am not an educator and would not be equipped to head a system as complicated as this. We should have had a nation-wide search for the best person possible. This is not a period to engage in musical chairs. This doesn’t happen in LA or NY. Something is terribly wrong here. Knuckleheads don’t give one iota about what is wrong. We need a slowdown, thorough examination by unbiased body. Why is a school with fewer children a bad thing? Big classes can’t give every child what they need. They deserve one-on-one attention. I told CTU I support efforts to stop closures. The system is rigged against parents and officials who care. You came out to let your voices be heard. I hear you loud and clear. I will do everything within my power to support your desires. Took questions.
Joni Jones: I’m at a school where students have arrived from over-crowded classrooms. We want children who have experienced small classes. If we could get all of your kids, we would be happy as clams. When you don’t get the support of parents and community—it is about dollars, not about the kids. They don’t care that your child will be shuffled to another school. Then they drop out. If the board keeps doing what they’re doing, our system will collapse.
Carol Caref: Will you provide buses for community members who want to protest at the Board meeting on February 25? Answer: yes, call my chief of staff, Bonita Parker, 375-9180.
Shiquila Richardson, parent. I have 2 children attending South Chicago, kg and 3rd grade. Not a good thing to close the school. They are safe there. Where will we send our kids? The other neighborhood schools are overcrowded. If you close that school, my kids have to walk a mile. We need to keep South Chicago school open. My neighbors say their kids have to go to Sullivan. CPS is keeping South Chi. underenrolled. You need to change the policies.
Rosita Chatonda. Was teacher, came from Williams, school that closed under ren2010. Came to South Chicago because it was a new school. Special administration, I bought a house here and enjoy going into stores and seeing students. Academic achievement. I had a 3rd grade class that achieved over 30 points in reading and math in one year. In a small setting, you can achieve the goals you set. We need school like South Chicago, staff that is attentive and caring. CPS has lost respect for community. Schools on south and west side closing. Why? We’ll get you students—we can fill the school up.
HO said no one else can speak. Outburst from crowd. Luis Rodriguz said there was opportunity to sign in and it was closed. HO: Rules are rules Principal: you made exception, so rules are out.
Note: parents who have to work late couldn’t possibly get there before the 6pm cutoff for officially signing up to speak. Disgusting disregard for parents on the part of hearing officer and CPS—closing their school and not even letting them have their say because they didn’t fill out the piece of paper within the arbitrary time limit.
Meeting adjourned. Several urged people to stay around. Passed around sheet to get everyone’s name and phone # and email (many didn’t have email). I encouraged people to go to GEM meeting the next day. People there wanted info on how to get press (I said people at GEM meeting could help them) and want to make Sandy Jackson keep her promise to get bus(es) and they want to make sure bus is filled for Feb. 25. Many angry at hearing officer and process.
dont close the best school you got you want to put more fights and more people geting killed so dont close are school this school had the best teacher but just not the right princle so dont close our school
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