Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 8:47 AMBy: George N. Schmidt February Board Meeting Here is the title of Board Report 08-0227-EX16.

RECONSTITUTE NICHOLAS COPERNICUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND REMOVE AND REPLACE THE COPERNICUS STAFF, INCLUDING THE PRINCIPAL, AT THE END OF THE 2007-2008 SCHOOL YEAR.

The exact same title (changing each school's name) is for

Board Report 08-0227-EX8 (The Orrs: Moses Vines; Excel-Orr; and AASTA; plus Orr Campus, unit 1830)...

Board Report 08-0227-EX17 (Robert Fulton Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX18 (Julia Ward Howe Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX19 (William Rainey Harper High School)

Board Report 08-0227-EX20 (Morton Career Academy elementary school)...

Additionally, there are the same schools on the list that were slated for the other stuff since last month ("Relocation" and all that stuff):

Board Report 08-0227-EX4 (Close Miles Davis Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX5 (Close Gladstone Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX6 (Close Johns Academy)

Board Report 08-0227-EX7 (Close Midway Academy Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX9 (Relocate Roque de Duprey into Von Humboldt Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX10 (Relocate Edison to inside Albany Park Middle)

Board Report 08-0227-EX11 (Consolidate Abbott into Graham Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX12 (Consolidate Carver Middle into Carver Primary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX13 (Consolidate Irving Park Middle into Marshall Middle)

Board Report 08-0227-EX14 (Adjust the Attendance Area of Andersen Elementary and Pritzker Elementary)

Board Report 08-0227-EX14 (Adjust the Attendance Area of De La Cruz Elementary and Whittier Elementary)

The total number of attacks comes to 19, as reported, because Orr counts as three "schools."

At noon yesterday, I went to the CPS Office of Communications (6th Floor). David Pickens had told me that Malon Edwards, one of the many people staffing "communications" would have the hearing officers' reports on all 19 of the proposals. When I left at 1:00 yesterday afternoon, the hearing officers' reports had still not arrived there. Malon Edwards stated that Pickens was telling everyone to go to him for copies of the reports, which have been requested by many people.

The Board agenda (the long agenda, with the complete wording of each of the Board Reports -- those cited above and all the others) was available at 11:30 at the Board offices, and was faxed around town (short version). It was also on the Board's web site.

But since those hearing officer reports are part of the Agenda and should be available to the public, the Board failed to comply with the Open Meetings Act. The complete agenda was not available to the public 48 hours prior to the beginning of tomorrow's Board meeting.

We (Substance) covered a couple of the events yesterday and have some notes on others, and from several schools.

I will have more to add later, especially regarding the Chicago Teachers Union's press conference (10:00 a.m.) and their proposals.

See you tomorrow.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 9:21 AMBy: Kugler - The Law February Board Meeting (5 ILCS 120/3) (from Ch. 102, par. 43)

Sec. 3. (a) Where the provisions of this Act are not complied with, or where there is probable cause to believe that the provisions of this Act will not be complied with, any person, including the State's Attorney of the county in which such noncompliance may occur, may bring a civil action in the circuit court for the judicial circuit in which the alleged noncompliance has occurred or is about to occur, or in which the affected public body has its principal office, prior to or within 60 days of the meeting alleged to be in violation of this Act or, if facts concerning the meeting are not discovered within the 60‑day period, within 60 days of the discovery of a violation by the State's Attorney.





GENERAL PROVISIONS (5 ILCS 120/) Open Meetings Act.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 9:24 AMBy: Kugler - Court Costs February Board Meeting (d) The court may assess against any party, except a State's Attorney, reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred by any other party who substantially prevails in any action brought in accordance with this Section, provided that costs may be assessed against any private party or parties bringing an action pursuant to this Section only upon the court's determination that the action is malicious or frivolous in nature.
(Source: P.A. 88‑621, eff. 1‑1‑95.)

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 10:07 AMBy: Rod Estvan February Board Meeting I attended a meeting at Orr last night sponsored by the community organization Blocks Together. Attendance was not huge, but some of things that took place were rather astounding. Ted Dallas CTU Vice President was at the meeting and he recieved stinging comments from the teachers at the meeting.

One teacher informed the crowd that CPS had not formally notified any of the three schools on the Orr Campus of their status as being eligible for being reconstituted until December 2007 and by January 2008 the schools were being told they would be reconstituted. Another teacher told the crowd that the day after CPS made it public that all Orr small schools would close the attendance in his classes fell by 50% and his attempts to get parents to push their children's attendance was in many cases met with cynical comments about what does it matter you will not be there next year and my child may not be either.

Ted Dallas made several comments that upset teachers, the first was that a grivance the Orr teachers were filing would fail he said. This set off one teacher who denounced the CTU as not even providing legal advise about the grivance, and another teacher who said the CTU completely refused to return phone calls and emails from CTU members. Yet another who wanted his dues back. Ted Dallas simply said he assumed the messages had been sent to the CTU President and that if they had been sent to him he would have responded.

Ted Dallas went on to tell teachers that they had to make their own union accountable to its own members. He said the closing was a done deal, when he said this he faced massive boos.

A CTU delegate from Orr then spoke and stated openly that there was a split in the CTU and Ted was not the problem, the problem was the Stewart who sold them out to AUSL and was a complete lacky to the city governement.

I got into a disagreement with an Orr math teacher who openly blamed families for not making their kids study, do home work, or even attend school. As I recall I said we have to teach the student in front of us, if we turned over every student from the west side who comes from a less than functional family we would be on the phone to DCFS far to often.

I also spoke about the high percentage of students with disabilities at the school and the lack of additional special education supports for these students.

Rod Estvan
Access Living

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 11:03 AMBy: Kugler - Silence! February Board Meeting Open Meetings 10:46 AM

Do not tell people what is wrong!

Do not write about the law!

Do not show what is wrong!

You are not doing anything useful!

Stop Writing, Stop Posting, Stop Talking!

What is next are you going to blame me a PAT teacher at a probationary school, that it is my fault that the BoE is closing the schools because I do not file a complaint?

You are ridiculous and silly.

You are the problem, NOT me. I am at least bringing out the truth and the law.


This is exactly the format of a blog to bring out issues and infom the general public of specific topic for discussion.


Here is the definition to help you understand what this is that you are participating in.

BLOG


Are you also a law breaker or believe you are above the law like the BoE?

or just an office Troll

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 12:30 PMBy: Charlie February Board Meeting Kugler: You're called to act on the views you hold and that is your comeback ... give me a break.

"Open Meetings" you're right and I'll be the first to admit I don't act enough on the things that I say and that in the end writing my opinions on this blog is about as useful as scrawling it on a wall in one of the bathrooms at 125 S. Clark.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 5:10 PMBy: edison hearing report February Board Meeting thanks to a kind reader, here is a copy of the edison hearing officer's report -- FYI

edison

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 5:40 PMBy: Kugler - Just Me February Board Meeting I am sensitive that all.

It takes more than one teacher or one person with some great social justice ideas on a blog to create change.

It takes action and that takes more than one or two people.

I can not do everything.

One reason is that I get many people that label me as a trouble maker or someone that rocks the boat.

I have plenty of communications of people attacking me and saying I am the one who is the problem.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 6:11 PMBy: Kugler February Board Meeting Looks like his is not making any recommendations, but he did put the people who want the move to happen towards the conclusion of the report.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 6:31 PMBy: Great Minds February Board Meeting --Coonley Word on the street -- agenda says: new regional gifted center for Coonley -- translation: old Bell gifted is getting new digs. new relocation in disguise for this month's meeting? guess all will find out tomorrow........stay tuned.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 9:49 PMBy: AitchPe Tribe February Board Meeting Live at the old Chicago Stadium... And the New Lightweight Extreme Champion of the Blog is .... KUGLER!!!! Can you here the chilluns chanting his name? KUGLER!!!!KUGLER!!!!KUGLER!!!!

In all fairness I applaud my fellow HP'er for telling the truth and showing the educational community how it really is. He has probably the most advanced and technologically superior vocational arts classroom in CPS. Lane and CVS have nothing on the Kug-Dawg. We have lots of challenges at HP, from young men and women who decide on a daily basis to disrupt the educational process for their own gang's interest to students who openly walk the halls with philly blunts filled with you know what, smoking and toking. Last week I remember at least hearing of 15 fights in which kids got 10 day suspensions. We are dumping ground for all the closed down schools and all of their problem kids who dont last a day in a charter school because they can simply kick em out. We are underfunded, understaffed, low on resources, and above all else we have the highest administration turnover in the region. In all fairness I think our new group will last for a while, they will hold down the fort until 2010 when we are reconstituted and rebuilt by this neo liberal theory of school privatization. For real Arne lives around the corner.. he is thirsty as the kids would say for this place. Can you say the future home of the newly enlarged U of C Lab School?
Okay I am done, somebod.y paint my room before the AIO sees the graffiti on friday

Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 9:58 PMBy: Attention Kugler February Board Meeting Mr. Kugler you need to step in and help get rid of Merilyn Stewart and take over the reins! Thank you for caring!

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 5:49 AMBy: George N. Schmidt February Board Meeting "...please contact the states attorney's office. They are already investigating CPS for a violation of the opens meeting act.
kdimond@cookcountygov.com
Cook County States Attorney Office..." (Parent, yesterday night)

Let me be the skeptic with a little historical context.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office has had the duty to enforce the Open Meetings Act for CPS since 1995 and has not done so. Who is going to believe that they will begin to do so today, just because CPS is in the middle of a "business as usual" monthly iteration of that serial violation. These guys and gals are serial killers of democracy, and one of their enablers is the State's Attorney of Cook County.

Now for the long version, including some speculations on the "Why" in this long-running illegality.

Mayor Daley became Chief Everything of the Chicago Public Schools in July 1995, when the Republican Illinois General Assembly passed a bill called the "Amendatory Act" giving him dictatorial control over Chicago's public schools. That law gave Mayor Daley the power to appoint a "School Reform Board of Trustees" (replacing the school board for four years) and the "Chief Executive Officer" of CPS. Like most of the deregulation and privatization legislations of that era, it also mandated massive privatization and deregulation. The rest, as they say, is history.

Beginning in 1995, most of the people here began getting force fed the hoax that Mayor Daley was "saving" the schools from a disaster. The hoaxacious mythologizing had been launched during the 1980s by the Reagan People (Bill Bennett; Chicago Tribune Corporation) with all that stuff about Chicago being the "worst" public school system in the USA.

Not the most segregated.

Not the most underfunded.

Not the one with the largest class sizes.

Not the one facing the most enormous drug gangs (which Daley as State's Attorney had somehow failed to do anything to stop).

Nope: The "worst" public school system in the USA. Meaning, scapegoat the kids and the teachers (and the principals if they got in the way of the hoaxacious myth).

Thanks to Chicago's corporate media, the hoax is now in its 13th year. (I've already discussed how the Tribune has devoted 13 years to that Big Lie; two Tribune reporters -- Jacqueline Heard and John Kass -- have become wealthy by promoting that lie). Much of the disaster had been imposed by Daley's billionaire buddy "Mike" Koldyke, who from 1990 to 1995 head of the School Finance Authority. By manipulating the demand for a cash reserve (then called the "restriction calculation" for those who want the technical details), Koldyke and those he represented were able to prove each year that CPS had a "deficit" and couldn't spend any money on the schools.

The results were predictable. The infrastructure was crumbling. All of us working in the schools were facing shortages and forced austerity. These strictures hit the poorest schools hardest, because they didn't have the "social capital" to make up what the children weren't getting anywhere else. But through the SFA those guys were able to blame the victims, while they prepared for the nonsense of "standards and accountability" (for all of us and the kids; never for them) since.

Once Daley was in control, public meetings of the Chicago Board of Education went from two to one per month, and virtually all committee meetings stopped. Prior to 1995, there were between 10 and 20 public meetings every month, all on the record and conducted under the Open Meetings Act. Once the corporate junta took power in CPS, the number of meetings slowly declined, first to three or four (they still had the Desegregation Monitoring Commission and a thing called the Academic Accountability Council that were required, and so met now and then), then to one.

At the same time, the Board of Education stopped having any on-the-record public discussions about any of the items on its agenda. That process was fairly easy, since all of the Board members answered to one master: Daley. Daley in turn answered to the Koldykes and Eden Martins, along with their neighbors on the editorial boards. So it was fairly easy for this situation to continue. They did it to Chicago. Chicago slept in the comfort that there was a miraculous transformation of the city's public school system going on. As long as the louder mouths of the privileged classes were assuaged (not all; just the majority) and the unions were junior partners in the scam, it continued down to this day.

One small detail of how it worked was that every few months -- for the past 13 years! -- the Chicago Board of Education has passed a Board Report continuing the secrecy of all of the "Executive Sessions" of the Board. The Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Acts require that the minutes of the Executive Sessions be kept, and that a Board periodically review and make public those.

So CPS simply votes now and then to continue violating the Open Meetings Act, and as long as nobody but me questions it, let alone challenges it, they get away with lying (in the sense of covering up everything) in plain view of everyone.

There are always a few other things necessary for this type of systematic illegality on the part of the wealthiest public officials in Illinois to continue. One is that the Inspector General now and then feed a media bone (usually through the Sun-Times) of scandal (or "corruption") to everyone. Last month it was that poor clerk who was caught rigging the magnet school lottery. Nine years ago it was me (I supposedly has stolen $1 million in CASE tests from CPS; the Sun-Times and Tribune both demanded -- in editorials on the same day -- that I be fired).

It's a neat system, and common to all totalitarian regimes. Scapegoats, bread and circuses. Massive propaganda.

Now for those 13 years that CPS has violated the Open Meetings Act thousands of times, the State's Attorney of Cook County has had the obligation to enforce these laws, and when the State's Attorney doesn't, the Illinois Attorney General has had that obligation.

Pardon me if I'm not impressed. Both those offices are held by people who are in the business of grabbing headlines chasing down kids who sell small amounts of dope, not going after the biggest white collar criminals in Chicago and the suburbs.

They've known that CPS has been violating the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act for more than a decade. When you ask them in writing to enforce it, their gnomes help CPS spin the story, often simply forwarding the official CPS screw you letter enclosed with some boiler plate from the State's Attorney or Attorney General.

The day the members of the Chicago Board of Education and the top executive officers of CPS are indicated for criminal violations of state statutes I'll be glad to begin revising our unofficial histories of what has been done to the children of Chicago during the 13 years we've all suffered under the "miracle."

But that day has not arrived yet.

Later today, CPS will commit about a dozen violations of the Open Meetings Act.

And neither the Illinois Attorney General nor the Cook County State's Attorney will be there to note those violations, let alone investigate anyone for them.

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 9:59 AMBy: changes February Board Meeting the trib and sun times have some changes to the 19 -- abbot gets a reprieve, and some consolidations become phaseouts and vice versa --
check it out here
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-school-closings_27feb27,0,862730.story

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 6:21 PMBy: so I have heard February Board Meeting The report I received is that the Board sat at the meeting with blank stairs and could care less The decisions were made behind closed door months maybe a year or two ago. Of coarse the Board manipulates things and lets the schools and staff know about their plans at very short notice. As you can see in most cases, Abbott excluded it was a "Done deal." In other words, business as usual.

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 7:53 PMBy: Retired Principal February Board Meeting To the Orr family, you are being kicked out of your building because AUSL wanted your building! Your crime is that you have a nice building. Look at the PSAE scores of all Chicago Public School High Schools and you don't have the worst! But you do have a building with several gyms and cafeterias! But remember, this is CPS!!!

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 9:40 PMBy: Notes from Catalyst February Board Meeting Here are some early notes and observations from Catalyst associate editor Debra Williams, who went to the press conference preceding the Board meeting, and intern Brett Marlow, who went to public participation portion of the meeting:

At the press conference, Schools CEO Arne Duncan said a partnership with Jane Addams Center would preserve daycare center and health clinic at Orr, programs that parents worried would be shut down in the turnaround process. Duncan then defended the board’s decision to shut down the relatively new small high school at Orr by noting that the average student there is absent two months a year.

At the board meeting, Terrence Williams, a recent graduate of one of Orr’s small schools spoke in favor of the turnaround. As an Orr student, he said he compared the school climate to what “you would see in riots,” noting that he had witnessed students setting lockers on fire and breaking glass in hallways.

But another group of as many as 15 Orr students walked out of school to attend the board meeting and speak out against closing and reopening the high school. Most of them were not allowed to leave the lobby, however, and Board President Rufus Williams did not allow one of the students who did gain entry to speak because she had not signed up in advance. “Be respectful,” he told her.

The Orr student said they had collected 1,000 signatures against the proposed turnaround.

There was praise and skepticism for the Academy of Urban School Leaders or AUSL, the group that is slated to take control of Orr and two of its feeder elementary schools next year. Catonya Withers said her four children attend Harvard Elementary, which AUSL took over this year. Before the turnaround, she says her children did not feel safe at Harvard. Now they do, and her 4th grader is on the honor roll, she says. Withers stood at the podium at the press conference with Duncan and Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins and later testified to the full School Board.

Another parent extolled the improved climate and academics at Sherman Elementary, where his two children are enrolled and he chairs the LSC. Duncan says the district did a security audit at Sherman to make sure the drop in violence was real.

But Mary McGuire, an officer of the Chicago Teachers Union, wondered whether those who worked for the board have ever had to reapply for their jobs, and suggested that Board President Williams reach out to communities and include them in the decision-making process. ““It’s time you question people outside of [the board office] so the correct and right decision can be made.”

Also expressing disapproval of school closings was Charlie Walker, chair of the LSC at Mose Vines, a small high school at Orr that is slated for consolidation. “It’s a lot easier to train little kids than teenagers,” he says, referring AUSL only having a track record in turning around elementary schools.

Thanks to Debra and Brett for these observations.

-- alexander

Sun Mar 2, 2008 at 11:01 AMBy: more on coonley February Board Meeting thanks to a reader for passing along this email from "friends of coonley"





Friends of Coonley School

Announcement


Coonley School Named Regional Gifted Center

February 29, 2008 - U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Alderman Eugene Schulter (47th Ward) announced this morning that John C. Coonley School has been named a Regional Gifted Center by the Chicago Public School Board of Education at its February 27 meeting.


Regional Gifted Centers provide an accelerated instructional program in core content areas and include a world language or Latin, laboratory science, computer science and fine arts. A differentiated and enriched curriculum allows for skill development commensurate with student abilities and interests. Through inquiry based learning, students develop research skills and work collaboratively in small groups.


"Designating public schools like Coonley as a Regional Gifted Center magnet school will keep families with young children right here in the neighborhood instead of moving to the suburbs," said Emanuel. "Coonley has a diverse student population, engaged parents and neighbors, and a motivated faculty and administration. It is a perfect example of a neighborhood school that goes toe-to-toe with any private school in the city."


The Regional Gifted Center program at Coonley will begin in Fall 2008 with one Kindergarten and one First Grade class. The neighborhood program at Coonley School remains in place.


The Friends of Coonley Board would like to thank Congressman Emanuel, Alderman Schulter, Principal Kartheiser and the rest of the Coonley administrative staff for their hard work in making this happen - as well as the tremendous support from the neighborhood and local business community in continuing to make John C. Coonley School the neighborhood school of choice!


For more information, contact the school directly at 773-534-5140.