Chicago Board of Education votes to destroy eight more public schools..

[tonysam]

'Turnaround' approved for five schools at the end of five tumultuous weeks of protest

Central Falls, Rhode Island, isn't the only system facing mass teacher firings:

"This is a sad day for public education," said Alderman Pat Dowell, who sponsored a one-year moratorium resolution in the City Council. "I don't think neighborhood schools should be punished." Although one school in Pat Dowell's third ward (Mollison Elementary) had been removed from what critics called the 'Hit List', two others, McCorkle Elementary School and Phillips High School were still on the agenda when the vote came in late afternoon.





Bradwell, Curtis, and Deneen Elementary schools and Phillips and Marshall High Schools will fire their entire staff under "turnaround." Although the original agenda called for all of the schools facing "turnaround" except Marshall High School to go to the controversial "Academy for Urban School Leadership" (AUSL), the Board deferred consideration of the Board Reports that would have given the schools to AUSL. All the turnaround schools except Marshall were supposed to be outsourced to the AUSL management company to run the schools.

CPS communications officials confirmed at the time of the vote that some of the AUSL turnarounds had been postponed but had no explanation. Not all of the schools are facing "turnaround." Schneider Elementary School will be phased out, and McCorkle Elementary School will be consolidated into Beethoven school. The De Las Casas Occupational High School will be closed and the students sent to private operators.

Seventh Ward Alderman Sandi Jackson (above) asked the Chicago Board of Education not to subject Bradwell Elementary School, in her ward, to "turnaround." Alderman Jackson had earlier joined teachers, parents, students and the principal of Bradwell in presenting a case that the school should not be subjected to "turnaround" based on the Board's own criteria. Nevertheless, the Board of Education ignored Alderman Jackson's plea and voted unanimously and without debate to approve Ron Huberman's "turnaround" proposal. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.

...

In January 2009, Huberman announced a list of 22 schools facing various kinds of termination. That list had been prepared by Huberman's predecessor, Arne Duncan, who had been selected by President Barack Obama to become U.S. Secretary of Education. After hearings, Huberman reduced the number of schools on the 2009 Hit List to 16. Schools that protested loudly and effectively last year include Holmes Elementary School, Peabody Elementary School, and Las Casas Occuptational High School. Holmes and Peabody were still off the 2010 list, but Las Casas was back on this list, this time with a different reason for being closed.

LOTS more in this article.

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[FBaggins]

1. Notice the difference?

THIS looks more like "no negotiation" - they failed to meet a defined standard (whether it was fair or not) and now they're being fired. No union negotiation. Every school on the list ended up with one of the three options that fires every teacher. None were selected for a restructuring.

I'd bet the teachers there wish they had been given the opportunity to work a few more hours a week for little extral pay.

[FBaggins]

2. "That list had been prepared by Huberman's predecessor, Arne Duncan,"

What a surprise.

[madrchsod]

4. it`s huberman`s baby now.....

[FBaggins]

6. Oh... no question about that...

I just found it interesting. They seem well "ahead" of most of the country in this process.

[madrchsod]

3. chicago is still a very segregated city

when over 50% of the students from 1st to 12th grade experience violence going to,in school,and after school it`s no wonder students have a hard time learning. throw in the underfunding of these schools,lack of parent involvement and the surrounding environment they live in......

[Catshrink]

5. That doesn't matter. It's still the teachers' fault.

Just in case --> :sarcasm: