What a Joke!

Over the past month, exhaustive and lengthy hearings have been conducted by highly regarded retired judges concerning the 54 CPS school closings.  Those judges, given the title of hearing officers, concluded that 13 of those schools should remain open because of a whole host of issues.

From my vantage point, it is best to listen to the wisdom of the judges.  These are an impartial group of people acting in the best interests of everyone involved.  And the 'powers that be' aren't going to heed their advice.  How shameful.

But Mayor Emanuel, yesterday, left little doubt that those recommendations are likely to go for naught.  He commented that "the board will take what they've said [and] work through it, but do what we need to do as a city because this...has been deferred through the years."  One can read through the lines to see what is bound to happen on May 22nd.  All 54 schools will close and others will be made turnarounds.  We should not kid ourselves.

I thought one of the other comments, made by the Mayor, was most laughable (though of course it isn't).   He said, "We haven't addressed it in the past - both on the academic side and the financial side."  I have been to hearings where schools have demonstrated improved test scores and by not making schools - like Barton - a turnaround, CPS would save money.  As I said, what a joke!!

Dick