Tense Times

The CPS Board of Education meeting yesterday was anything but calm and placid.  Tensions were high and nerves were raw.  When charges of racism are thrown at CEO Barbara Burd-Bennett you know things have spun out of control.

Though I disagree with a fair number of actions that are leading to the closing of 61 schools, I don't think for a moment that Byrd-Bennett is a racist.  People need to be a lot more thoughtful and careful when throwing around such insults.  Judging people is a risky business.

Back to the tensions...plenty to go around.  Not only were many of the schools slated for closing furious but a good number of other school personnel voiced their concerns.  Many of them deserve merit.

For example, Barton Elementary isn't slated for closure yet they are to be a turnaround (everyone is replaced).  The folks at Barton were left out of any discussions regarding their future.  Speaking of their future and turnaround status, Barton has already made some great progress over the past two years.  Just what CPS is looking at with regard to this school is puzzling.

Some representatives of schools, who will be taking in many more students in the fall, showed up to voice their concerns that their schools may well be overburdened with the additional students.  Again, these schools felt that they were left out of the discussions.  The fact of the matter is...they were!!

Too much happening, way too soon and it's bound to create problems.

Dick