Thursday Morning News
Gladstone 'family' backs school Chicago Journal
In spite of the outpouring of support for Gladstone at the meetings, CPS officials said they cannot justify keeping the school open. "The reality is they just don't have kids in the neighborhood," said David Pickens, deputy to CPS CEO Arne Duncan. "There are no homes, no apartments, no buildings. This is not a residential area anymore."
Museum move to Grant Park back in spotlight Sun Times
Eager to avoid a City Council showdown with Mayor Daley, rebel rookie Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) has presented the Children’s Museum with a list of two dozen alternatives to the mayor’s controversial plan to build a $40 million Children’s Museum in Grant Park.
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Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 9:21 AM
Thursday Morning News
My understanding that most of Gladstone's students are from the southwest side, near midway. If the school closes, do the parents know they will end up in an overcrowded school or worse, be bussed out to low performing schools out of their neighborhood? CPS should play straight with these parents and let them know that they don't have an alternative for them
Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 9:36 AM
Thursday Morning News
There is one: De la Cruz! Students can come to this school, which was on the way to Gladstone.
Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 9:42 AM
Thursday Morning News
Good point "there is a school". However, you make too much sense to make it as a policy person for CPS. There closing de la Cruz also.
Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Thursday Morning News
What's interesting to me is that Hurley which was so crowded last year that they put it on year round is now going to be a selective K-12 school which is going to displace about 500 students. All the schools around it are terribly overcrowded. I wonder what the board is up to?
Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Thursday Morning News
It doesn't matter. Those kids are black and hispanic.
Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Thursday Morning News
"What's interesting to me is that Hurley which was so crowded last year that they put it on year round is now going to be a selective K-12 school which is going to displace about 500 students."
Says who?
Says who?
Sat Feb 23, 2008 at 4:36 AM
Thursday Morning News
Anyone who wants to drive a one-mile tour from the site of the old Riis (Taylor and Lytle) back east to Halsted, south to Roosevelt, then back west to Gladstone can see why Gladstone is the next target on the gentrification bulls-eye. Gladstone should be kept open for all the reasons reported. But, then, so should most of the schools that Arne Duncan has closed down, on each of every year's flavor-of-the-month pretext and by cooking the books like an educational Enron.
The whole thing's been a scam since Williams and Dodge in 2002. This year's just the latest example, with Gladstone and 18 other schools (staffs, children, families) the latest set of victims. As long as the public buys the mayor's nonsense about the miracle and the corporate media keeps repeating the propaganda handouts from CPS and the other tentacles of Daleyland, this will continue.
But do take the tour from the ruins of Riis to Gladstone, by that circle route. Don't even bother with the Jackson detour (which is only a block) unless you want to go there when the children are being dropped off in the morning. Count the number of BMWs and Volvos there. Then count the number at Gladstone. The sociology and political economy of these attacks on public schools are not even being hidden. Only in Chicago could the city's rulers get away with this stuff for 13 years -- back to the days before Sam Zell, when Conrad Black's people were ordering their "reporters" never to write anything nasty about Paul Vallas or Arne Duncan.
The whole thing's been a scam since Williams and Dodge in 2002. This year's just the latest example, with Gladstone and 18 other schools (staffs, children, families) the latest set of victims. As long as the public buys the mayor's nonsense about the miracle and the corporate media keeps repeating the propaganda handouts from CPS and the other tentacles of Daleyland, this will continue.
But do take the tour from the ruins of Riis to Gladstone, by that circle route. Don't even bother with the Jackson detour (which is only a block) unless you want to go there when the children are being dropped off in the morning. Count the number of BMWs and Volvos there. Then count the number at Gladstone. The sociology and political economy of these attacks on public schools are not even being hidden. Only in Chicago could the city's rulers get away with this stuff for 13 years -- back to the days before Sam Zell, when Conrad Black's people were ordering their "reporters" never to write anything nasty about Paul Vallas or Arne Duncan.
Sat Feb 23, 2008 at 3:37 PM
Thursday Morning News
Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart this morning told the union's members to attend the February 27 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education to oppose the school closings proposed by CEO Arne Duncan.
In a speech of less than ten minutes long at the beginning to the weekly PUSH meeting, which was also broadcast on TV, Stewart criticized the Board of Education's members for ignoring the hearings that took place between February 4 and February 16 on the closings. She also told the audience that she wanted people to attend the Board of Education meeting Wednesday, February 27.
Stewart was speaking to an audience of more than 200 people, most of whom had been brought to PUSH by the union. The schools represented at the PUSH meeting included Harper High School, Copernicus, Elementary School, Fulton Elementary School, Miles Davis Elementary School, and some of the schools slated for closing under proposals expected to come before the Chicago Board of Education at its monthly meeting on February 27.
Stewart and her staff apparently neglected to inform teachers and other staff from a number of schools that are also facing closing about the need to attend the PUSH event. Among those schools which had produced large turnouts in opposition to the closings were Edison, De La Cruz, Irving Park Middle School, Roque de Duprey, and Andersen elementary schools.
Stewart has also scheduled a press conference for 10:00 a.m. Monday at the union's Merchandise Mart headquarters. in a press release, the union said that it would produce a report cticial of the closings and be available along with community, parent, and clergy who are allied with the CTU. However, several community and parent organizations (including PURE) said they had not been contacted by Stewart about the Monday media event.
In a speech of less than ten minutes long at the beginning to the weekly PUSH meeting, which was also broadcast on TV, Stewart criticized the Board of Education's members for ignoring the hearings that took place between February 4 and February 16 on the closings. She also told the audience that she wanted people to attend the Board of Education meeting Wednesday, February 27.
Stewart was speaking to an audience of more than 200 people, most of whom had been brought to PUSH by the union. The schools represented at the PUSH meeting included Harper High School, Copernicus, Elementary School, Fulton Elementary School, Miles Davis Elementary School, and some of the schools slated for closing under proposals expected to come before the Chicago Board of Education at its monthly meeting on February 27.
Stewart and her staff apparently neglected to inform teachers and other staff from a number of schools that are also facing closing about the need to attend the PUSH event. Among those schools which had produced large turnouts in opposition to the closings were Edison, De La Cruz, Irving Park Middle School, Roque de Duprey, and Andersen elementary schools.
Stewart has also scheduled a press conference for 10:00 a.m. Monday at the union's Merchandise Mart headquarters. in a press release, the union said that it would produce a report cticial of the closings and be available along with community, parent, and clergy who are allied with the CTU. However, several community and parent organizations (including PURE) said they had not been contacted by Stewart about the Monday media event.
Sat Feb 23, 2008 at 4:05 PM
Thursday Morning News
Marilyn sent out this memo the other day.
What does this mean that only she can go out and save the members from what is happening?
She wants to be the only hero?
If I were in her position I would send as many people out to anywhere to cause lots of noise.
It seems suspicious what she is doing?
On the one hand talking against school closings, but then stopping any officers from going out and addressing the issue with members?
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION
Office of the President
MEMORANDUM
TO: Executive Committee of the Chicago Teachers Union
FROM: President Marilyn Stewart
DATE: February 1, 2008
SUBJECT: School Visits
Because of the sensitive nature of some current relations with the Chicago Board of Education and the desire not to have different messages given by various individuals at various times, I am directing that no Officer of the Union is to make a visit to a Chicago Public Schools to speak with school personnel, including members of the Union, facility without my authorization.
This directive is effective immediately.
where is laughable to talk about "phonies"
strange indeed.
What does this mean that only she can go out and save the members from what is happening?
She wants to be the only hero?
If I were in her position I would send as many people out to anywhere to cause lots of noise.
It seems suspicious what she is doing?
On the one hand talking against school closings, but then stopping any officers from going out and addressing the issue with members?
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION
Office of the President
MEMORANDUM
TO: Executive Committee of the Chicago Teachers Union
FROM: President Marilyn Stewart
DATE: February 1, 2008
SUBJECT: School Visits
Because of the sensitive nature of some current relations with the Chicago Board of Education and the desire not to have different messages given by various individuals at various times, I am directing that no Officer of the Union is to make a visit to a Chicago Public Schools to speak with school personnel, including members of the Union, facility without my authorization.
This directive is effective immediately.
where is laughable to talk about "phonies"
strange indeed.
Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 4:30 AM
Thursday Morning News
All I know at this point is what I heard and saw yesterday at PUSH.
Marilyn Stewart said that people should be at the Board of Education meeting Wednesday. Whether she is actually organizing anyone to be there is another question entirely.
She also said at PUSH that she had been at the hearings on the school closings, but I was at ten of the 16 hearings (Orr was counted as three schools; Davis as two) and she wasn't there. In fact, no one from the union was at some of them (e.g., Harper High School). At other ones, union officers (Mary McGuire; Mark Ochoa) from Stewart's faction delivered these little poems or fairy tale stories (Ochoa's was a meditation on "It takes a village", McGuire likes to default to irrelevant -- and bad -- versification; actually to call it doggeral would be to insult the genre).
What the official Marilyn Stewart union officers did not say -- STOP THESE CLOSINGS, ALL OF THEM NOW! -- gave a bigger message to the "Board" than anything they did say.As everyone here knows, Stewart has apparently used her authority as "CEO" of the CTU (give someone the "CEO" title and fantasy and watch the power trips erupt like boils against the saddle) to ground most of the CTU staff, thereby leaving everyone in the schools at a loss for leadership, except the leadership they already have locally. Anyone who watched the hearings knows that the teachers, staff, students and parents at most of the schools under attack did a better job defending themselves than Marilyn Stewart and her $10 million office hirelings.
Ted Dallas apparently broke his leash and spoke out at the hearing on Andersen. Unlike in previous years (when, for example, he told the teachers at Englewood High School the union couldn't do anything to stop the privatization of Englewood), Dallas is now talking militantly in opposition to the closings. But to what purpose, and with what mandate?
One thing is certain. Marilyn Stewart is not sending out everyone from the union offices to organize every school with a consistent message. Although she did say Wednesday's Board meeting is important, as of today that's not the message on the union website, and she hasn't e-mailed union members with anything -- anything!
What if the CTU were to say: "If they can close some of Chicago's best schools -- and how else can you describe half the schools on Arne Duncan's Daleyized hit list when it includes Edison -- they can close anyone! Show some solidarity and get to the Board meeting"?
No. Instead, she's grounded the entire paid union staff like a petulant nanny. And she seems to have all of her energy devoted to a couple of irrelevant media events (PUSH Saturday; a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. that has excluded most of the organized community groups, instead of including them) while everyone waits to hear something specific.
Yesterday, one of the most amazing things about the PUSH event was that the leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union apparently forgot to invite some of the best organized schools that have opposed the closings. No Edison. No Andersen. No De La Cruz. It was like Stewart and her inner circle really believe there are three or four Chicagos, and if it's at PUSH it's only for the black Chicago.
If this stuff weren't so deadly serious it would be a bad joke.
Marilyn Stewart said that people should be at the Board of Education meeting Wednesday. Whether she is actually organizing anyone to be there is another question entirely.
She also said at PUSH that she had been at the hearings on the school closings, but I was at ten of the 16 hearings (Orr was counted as three schools; Davis as two) and she wasn't there. In fact, no one from the union was at some of them (e.g., Harper High School). At other ones, union officers (Mary McGuire; Mark Ochoa) from Stewart's faction delivered these little poems or fairy tale stories (Ochoa's was a meditation on "It takes a village", McGuire likes to default to irrelevant -- and bad -- versification; actually to call it doggeral would be to insult the genre).
What the official Marilyn Stewart union officers did not say -- STOP THESE CLOSINGS, ALL OF THEM NOW! -- gave a bigger message to the "Board" than anything they did say.As everyone here knows, Stewart has apparently used her authority as "CEO" of the CTU (give someone the "CEO" title and fantasy and watch the power trips erupt like boils against the saddle) to ground most of the CTU staff, thereby leaving everyone in the schools at a loss for leadership, except the leadership they already have locally. Anyone who watched the hearings knows that the teachers, staff, students and parents at most of the schools under attack did a better job defending themselves than Marilyn Stewart and her $10 million office hirelings.
Ted Dallas apparently broke his leash and spoke out at the hearing on Andersen. Unlike in previous years (when, for example, he told the teachers at Englewood High School the union couldn't do anything to stop the privatization of Englewood), Dallas is now talking militantly in opposition to the closings. But to what purpose, and with what mandate?
One thing is certain. Marilyn Stewart is not sending out everyone from the union offices to organize every school with a consistent message. Although she did say Wednesday's Board meeting is important, as of today that's not the message on the union website, and she hasn't e-mailed union members with anything -- anything!
What if the CTU were to say: "If they can close some of Chicago's best schools -- and how else can you describe half the schools on Arne Duncan's Daleyized hit list when it includes Edison -- they can close anyone! Show some solidarity and get to the Board meeting"?
No. Instead, she's grounded the entire paid union staff like a petulant nanny. And she seems to have all of her energy devoted to a couple of irrelevant media events (PUSH Saturday; a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. that has excluded most of the organized community groups, instead of including them) while everyone waits to hear something specific.
Yesterday, one of the most amazing things about the PUSH event was that the leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union apparently forgot to invite some of the best organized schools that have opposed the closings. No Edison. No Andersen. No De La Cruz. It was like Stewart and her inner circle really believe there are three or four Chicagos, and if it's at PUSH it's only for the black Chicago.
If this stuff weren't so deadly serious it would be a bad joke.
Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 4:55 AM
Thursday Morning News
AFL-CIO
Codes of Ethical Practices
Ethical Practices Code VI
Freedom and democracy are the essential attributes of our movement. Labor organizations lacking these attributes . . . are unions in name only. Authoritarian control...is contrary to the spirit, the tradition and the principles which should always guide and govern our movement.
AFL-CIO Code of ETHICS
Codes of Ethical Practices
Ethical Practices Code VI
Freedom and democracy are the essential attributes of our movement. Labor organizations lacking these attributes . . . are unions in name only. Authoritarian control...is contrary to the spirit, the tradition and the principles which should always guide and govern our movement.
AFL-CIO Code of ETHICS
Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Thursday Morning News
George schmidt - You are absolutely correct - Andersen knew NOTHING about this Push meeting and what Ifind very interesting is that at least to my knowledge - Marilyn Stewart and her PUSH meeting got media coverage! - Watching a glimpse of it on Channel 2 news last night. Isn't that interesting?
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