Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Time will Tell

With the nearly 50 CPS school closures, the time is drawing near for the start of the school year and to examine the extent of the impact of those closings.   Many questions will be out in the open.   Among them; how safe will the students be?, how will the students adjust to a new school?, will the 'welcoming' schools really welcome the children with open arms?, and how successful will the students be in their new environment?   These are but a few of the questions that must be answered.

I can tell you this...too many of the schools (larely due to the closings) will have way too many students when classes resume.  Our charity examines the number of students attending the various schools we serve so that we can apportion supplies accordingly.  For example, DeDiego has 1,000 students, Yates has 750 attendees, Haley will welcome 760 students.   These numbers are far too high to meet all the need of so many children.

The CPS brass may have closed 'underutilized' buildings but, in the process, may have well created overcrowding, overcrowding to the detriment of the kids and learning. 

Time will tell!!

Dick

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Fool Me Once, But Don't Try it Twice

With August just around the corner, school is about to commence all around the country in a matter of a few weeks.  That is true for many of the schools we work with in the city.

Today's Chicago Sun-Times carried a massive piece on the 'extra cash' going to some 135 schools in the public school system.  Plenty of material was provided on the guidelines for doling out the money.  Fortunately, a good portion of the funds will go to the schools with the greatest needs.  Sounds good.

But wait, a majority of the schools are getting a paultry $35,000 or $70,000.  Some schools will get as much as $100,000.  Let's be honest, that is a very small amount of money to help schools that operate on a budget in the millions of dollars each school year.  Besides that minimal additional funding, a smaller article on the same page raised the point concerning the amount of classroom funding that was CUT for the coming year.  That amount is a staggering $68 million! 

So when one takes a look at what appears to be the windfall accruing to the schools in need, you shouldn't be surprised that the 'extra cash' isn't so 'extra' after all.   Of course, the real reason the 'extra cash' is being provided is because the schools aren't properly funded in the first place.

I see the big splash in the Sun-Times article (page 9) as little more than the CPS brass putting a positive spin on their workings, working which included shutting down four dozen schools this spring! 

Dick

Thursday, July 11, 2013

At First Glance

It sounds promising.  CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett is doling out supplemental general state aid money early so that various CPS schools can "offset some of the negative impacts."   These state funds don't usually find their way to the buildings until October or November but the decree, with the BOE's blessing, will get to building principals right away.

Sounds good right?   Wait just a second. 

This year the CPS brass has implemented a student-based budgeting system meaning that each school receives a fixed sum of money per child.  The school can spend the money as they see fit.  So what's the problem? 

The concern is that some wealthier schools and those in poor neighborhoods will get less funding this coming year than last year under this system.  Also, the overall amount of funding provided to the district is lower than last year.  The parent group Raise Your Hand says that districtwide cuts will amount to some $84 million.  Not small change.  No wonder Byrd-Bennett is getting the state money to the building principals so quickly.

Dick

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Let's get Real

However one wants to parse it, explain it or otherwise comment on what it is like for a child to live in Chicago and attend the neighborhood public school, it is absolutely wrong that a five year old, seven year old or sixteen year old has to endure the amount of violence in certain parts of the city.

I am tired of the rants about teachers, school reform, the CTU, the CPS Board of Education, the mayor, the police and others who profess to either have the answers or are right on the scene when it comes to handing out advice while not really even coming close to living in such a frightening world.

Kids deserve a chance and they deserve a shot at a better life than what they are facing right now.  On the one hand, there is the very real crime of shootings and other violence.  Just as critical as these crimes are the ones where the entire community - city at large - allows children to exist in such a state.  The latter is just as heinous of a crime as the former.

I hope the day comes when we see the imperative of helping students gain an education knowing that the kids won't have to cringe each time they hear a 'bang' as they walk to or from school.

Dick

Monday, July 1, 2013

Here We Go Again!

Detroit, Chicago and now Philsdelphia.  That's the mounting number of U. S. cities shuttering schools and slashing budgets and needed programs.  The Syracuse Post Standard, last week, carried a piece about the massive cuts in Philly.

The school system of Philadelphia is facing a budget deficit in excess of $300 million.  No doubt, measures had to be taken but the ones being enacted are simply draconian.  Besides, why on earth did the city wait so long to work at rectifying this situation?

The district has laid off 20% of its staff.  In addition to cutting music, the district has also eliminated, yes I said eliminated, art and the sports programs.  

But many of the district's teachers, staffers and parents are not taking the news lightly.  As of June 25th, many of these individuals are protesting the massive cuts by going on a hunger strike.  It will be most interesting to see if some of the programs are put back on the books in addition to seeing how the hunger strike progresses.

This is just one more example, one more city, one more district in which public education is taking it on the chin.  It seems that this is a continuous dreambeat down the path of harming public education in both the short term as well as the long term.  Anyone who thinks public education isn't in jeopardy is kidding themselves.

Dick

Girls Singing at IMN

Classes Singing at IMN

IMN School Opens

Driving into Port Au Prince

IMN School Welcome

Tour of IMN School

IMN School