CPS Asks For More Time To Draft School Closure List
By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 2, 2012 3:35PM
Chicago Public Schools released their draft guidelines for community feedback on school closures Wednesday. On Thursday CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said the school system will ask the Illinois Legislature for an extension of the Dec. 1 deadline where they’re required to submit a list of school closures and consolidations.
Byrd-Bennett said school officials want until March 31 while the nine-person commission established to engage the public for feedback on school closings can do its work.
"This is not designed to delay tough decisions," Byrd-Bennett said. “Our goal is to give the community the respect they deserve in this process, rebuild trust with CPS and create a path for right-sizing our district so that we can better invest resources in every child and every school in our city," she added.
Byrd-Bennett also said the extension would allow schools to focus on preparing students for upcoming ISAT testing and “avoid distractions to student learning.” (Isn’t this all mutually exclusive? CPS set up the guidelines and feedback protocols already. We don’t see how public feedback on school closures and consolidations will distract teachers from their jobs.)
The panel established to encourage public feedback will include former Chicago Police Supt. Terry Hillard, state Sen. Iris Y. Martinez, former ComEd chairman Frank M. Clark, pastors, retired teachers and principals, and a CPS parent.