Lisa

Wed, 23 Jun 2004 16:36:53 -0600

I'm fortunate enough to have been at a magnet high school on the south side for the past 6 years, but I work with many teachers like the one Amy mentioned. They lost jobs when schools were "reconstituted". It's great to try the small school thing -really- but the idea that the teachers are the reason for a lack of success has got to go. Why can't the board assign those teachers at the closing schools to the new ones? Because new teachers cost a lot less.

amy

Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:04:43 -0600

A friend of mine is a CPS 3rd Grade teacher @ Suder (one of the schools being closed this year). She brought test scores up 15%, they have an award winning music program and a piloted a diversity curriculum with the Children's Museum. And they're closing. The reality is that the neighborhood is gentrifying. Most of the kids at that school are the remnants of the Horner Homes. Yuppies don't want their kids going to school with kids from the projects. Voila - "Renaissance 2010". Close the school for a year. Finish tearing down Horner. Re-open with tuition based (for the right 'income') charter schools with non-union teachers. Bingo - new school for rich kids with no operational cost for CPS - just outsource the school.

Chicagoist: 100 New Public Schools by 2010

Lisa

amy