Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:10 AMBy: Kinzie School Candidates Last Chance To Tell Us Who To Vote For We attended the LSC forum at Kinzie on April 08th. Approximately 75 people attended. There are 10 candidates running for the parent representative position. This is definitely an election to watch as most candidates have run unopposed in past elections. The people on our slate are fighting hard to get on. We are being met with negativity from the incumbents. They feel we have a personal agenda. Guess what? We do have a personal agenda and that is to improve the school,increase parental involvement,make the school safer etc. I feel we are being unfairly labeled as outsiders who are just bitter. Bitter because we are concerned about the children? Ok, then GUILTY. Bitter because we thought it was wrong for the school door to remain unlocked for over 10 days while the security guard was doing administrative duties? Then GUILTY again. I can go on and on but I will not give anyone the satisfaction of being able to disect my words. This is an election and we have the same rights as the other candidates to run. If you want to candidates who will involve you, inform you and make you feel welcome then please vote for us. Kinzie is a school where no one goes to these LSC meetings. They only go when there is controversy and that was twice this year so far. I have gone to 2 meetings where I was the only parent there. The meeting is held in the teacher's lunch room where I was seated at a table off to the side while the LSC members sat at a rectangular table with most of their backs to me. How do they expect parents to feel welcome in this type of setting? If you elect us we promise to not make you feel like an outsider. Parental involvement and new ideas for improving the school should not be dealt with by turning your backs on people. It's time for change and if you feel the same vote for

Marc Luikey
Irene Luikey
Thorpe Schoenle
Nick Cortesi

However if you do not agree PLEASE at least vote for someone-get involved! It's time parents are heard at this school-ALL parents not just the chosen few.

You can contact us at lscforinvolvedparents@hotmail.com

Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 9:39 PMBy: ms g Last Chance To Tell Us Who To Vote For Funny thing happened on the way to the..podium.

Just started grad school--in public policy. I was NOT a political science major, so I don't know exactly what I'm doing. But! As a few of you may know, I'm pretty interested in CPS and how things are going down.

First paper assigned. Students were asked to write about a current policy we felt passionately (for or against) about. I wrote that my paper would be about the fact that Chicago needs an elected Board of Ed (I had watched the uber-depressing board meeting as I painted my living room--the one that had big, burly gang-knowledgeable community activists speak downright eloquently and the Edison soccer moms shooting looks that would kill and tiny grandmothers come speak at the podium in Spanish with wavering voices for hours (along with the lady who wants Swahili as the second lanugage of CPS) and then the board just ok'd every damn thing--ONE female board member asked a few questions). Personally, I'd have been pissed if I'd been the one collecting 100s of signatures or waiting for hours to speak. Actually, I was pissed and I HADN'T done a thing to protest.

As we hand our topics in, however, our professor tells us, "Oh, one little thing--that policy position feel passionate about? You have to advocate for THE OTHER SIDE."

Damn.

But--and this is where it relates to the LSCs--it wasn't hard to start believing in my own BS about the mayor-appointed board being a good thing. Why? Because we all clamor for being given the chance to have a "voice"--exactly what the LSC elections are about--when the reality is there is VERY LITTLE TURN OUT.

Except in the schools that have parents who give a shit. And George, I know you'll defend the schools with low turnout. On this blog back in March of '07 (I'm fairly certain--I'm no professional) you wrote "turnout measures little". I cry BULLSHIT. It means everything.

The paper I had to write gets its fire from the facts that a.) the majority of families that CPS serves takes very little interest in the system (so that allowing the school board to be elected would, in fact, be detrimental to them, as the "elite"--aka, parents who give a hoot--would vote in members who would serve their interests and b.) households with children under the age of 18 are only about 28% of the households in Chicago--and WHY would the other 72% vote for anything that didn't affect them personally, (ie financially) positively?

I admit I am very new to the issues (and welcome debate), but even on Cataylst's reform history pages, there is NOTHING about LSC turnout rates until you go back to '98, where it says there was a drop of 23%. From what? Wait, there IS a comment in '04 about there being the "lowest number of candidates ever".

I am ALL about the power being within the people. But what if the people don't show up? Are some of our voices supposed to count for the 100s who don't say anything? I think I've written here before that teaching my own kid tenacity--and that sometimes just showing up is the hardest part--has been the toughest lesson to teach ever. But that I know that's what will make her successful--NOT other people (me, in my kid's case at this point) fighting her battles for her.

I'm still not a fan of the BOE. But I also have a lot less interest in fighting for the downtrodden when my own choices are limited by bs policies. If I'm going to fight, and fight hard, it's going to be with others--and for causes--that affect familes who are willing to fight with me.

(One other thing--Kugler back in March of '07 wrote that there would be an increase of violence if CPS continued to close schools. Pretty dang depressing...)

Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 11:46 PMBy: LSC candidates Last Chance To Tell Us Who To Vote For Thanks for the information regarding a candidate at Drummond. Interesting how some schools do not have enough people running and others have so many it can be confusing to know who to vote for. Hope all schools have a good turnout for the LSC elections tomorrow.