catalyst-chicago.org

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

While it may be interesting to pursue this thread and have an interview with Ron Huberman on his pioneering contribution to diversity in big city school leaderships, someone ought to get more on the story of Huberman's growing impact on policy (and his renunciation of a number of Duncan people and policies), which is taking place as people talk about what he does behind closed doors in what should be the man's private life.

Last night was the first of this year's "Reconstitution" hearings. At the beginning of the hearing, the hearing officer (Franczek's Michael Hernandez) noted for the record that CPS officials had changed a great deal about what was being proposed. Specifically, the former CEO (Duncan) had proposed to out-source and privatize what CPS calls "turnaround" utilizing a newly created Chicago International Charter Schools thingy called "Chicago RISE". Chicago RISE was proposed as a "turnaround provider" by Duncan and approved by CPS in October, the month before Barack Obama won the presidency and Duncan's basketball skills and corporate America's vetting carried him to Washington, D.C.

Had Chicago RISE been the "turnaround specialist" for Dulles Elementary School, CPS would have done a "turnaround" with Dulles that would have resulted in the school being reconstituted into a charter school!

Duncan actually sent out the notices to everyone affected to that effect when he scheduled the February 5 hearing on "turnaround" for Dulles.

Flash forward to 3:00 p.m. February 5, 2009. The hearing begins with the hearing officer announcing that the notices have been re-issued. Chicago RISE is out. AUSL is in. No explanation why. But it's also worth noting that the silly corporate branding the Duncan was massively in love with is also being corrected. Last year, the Chicago Board of Education voted (on February 27) to "reconstitute" the six schools on last year's hit list for "turnaround." Legally, Illinois has no such thing as "turnaround" in state law. But to have listened to Duncan, you'd have thought that bit of corporate jargon was enshrined.

Last night the discussion was of "Reconstitution"

A distinction without a difference? We'll see. But already Huberman seems to have dumped the notion that Chicago citizens can be forced to go to a charter school via reconstitution. And from the looks on the faces of some of the people who were Top Dogging around Clark St. while Arne was running the show, Ron Huberman has already caused consternation.

So why not a discussion of the man's policies, rather than his cultural choices, mating habits, and stylistic fetishes?

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

Huberman is the one who pointed out his orientation.

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

How is Huberman's sexual orientation pertinent here?

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

On page 4A in the Metro section of today's SunTimes newspaper there is an article entitled "The Mayor's Man". Ron Huberman- Personal: Four-year relationship with live-in partner. "At 15, while attending Lyons Township High School. Huberman made a declaration that, at first, was difficult for his parents to accept: He's gay."

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

Huberman's wikipedia page is already updated. Ouch.

Has Arne's wikipedia page balanced out yet or is it all still pap?

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

I would like to formally announce my new kickball league.

Please forward this invitation to Ron Huberman.

This league is not limited to males, nor does it require any player to have any real athletic ability.

The only requirements are:

1. You must be in a position of influence
2. You must use your position to help any other league members regardless of their qualifications or background.
3. You must buy the players a round of beers when it is your turn.
4. You must always be looking for other influential people to bring into the league.
5. While not a requirement, it would be helpful if you knew any aspiring presidents.

We will be playing every Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Location TBD.

Alexander, you could play whenever you are in town.

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

"The problem many of us have is it can no longer be business as usual. These are different times. This is not 1995. The times are different. No longer do we have the 'projects' we have Englewood. No longer is Hyde Park, Kenwood or Morgan Park the tops schools. Its Northside, Payton and Jones. We are not meeting the needs of the children today"

That is FOR SURE!

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

The problem many of us have is it can no longer be business as usual. These are different times. This is not 1995. The times are different. No longer do we have the 'projects' we have Englewood. No longer is Hyde Park, Kenwood or Morgan Park the tops schools. Its Northside, Payton and Jones. We are not meeting the needs of the children today.

Arne was brought in to make sure poor kids had a place to feel safe(which is debatable), get a hot meal and maybe some learning will take place. The model of his mother's tutoring program. Huberman is being put in place to clean up the gangs, violence and maybe some learning will take place.

Education is no longer a priority of City Hall when it comes to poor blacks and browns. Education (CPS) operates just like the city council, every school (community) is its own ward.

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

I've been hearing Huberman is only temporary and that he is going to cut staff, especially at Central. Supposedly he did this at CTA? Any truth to these rumors?

Huberman Coverage & Commentary (Day 2)

Am we hearing things?

While I'm as opposed to the Huberman appointment as anyone, what is Linda Lens talking about against Huberman? She was filled with praise in 2001 for Arne Duncan (who was probably more unqualified than Huberman at the time Daley appointed him in June 2001). And Catalyst quickly cuddled up to Paul Vallas in 1995 at the dawn of corporate "school reform" and mayoral control in Chicago. Vallas had spent his career as a political hack for the Democrats, first in Springfield and then as Daley's Budget Mr. Fixit at City Hall in Chicago. But those two were "qualified executives" -- and Huberman is controversial?

Let's at least try to break through the historical amnesia which makes covering the news in Chicago so much fun, especially on the public education beat.

In 1995, Paul Vallas's qualifications as a "private sector" executive had been that he had now and then helped his Dad and brother run the family's Palos Heights restaurant. Although Vallas later claimed to have been a "teacher" (including when he put out a mendacious biography during his run for governor), that was not true (except for some tutoring at Greek School -- maybe).

Then Vallas got Daley angry, so Chicago got another brilliant "executive" to run CPS -- Arne Duncan. In a breathtaking way, Duncan was less qualified by the supposed criteria to run a large school system than Vallas. At least Vallas had run that restaurant (sort of) and had some command experience (albeit in the Illinois National Guard, which, to admit, had protected Illinois from terrorist attacks during Vallas's years in uniform).

Duncan's qualifications were -- none. But Catalyst was wild about Arne in 2001 (in fact, some said Catalyst was promoting Arne).

As to the question of whether a former Daley "chief of staff" is qualified to be a top dog at CPS -- look at Gery Chico. Chico had been Daley's "Chief of Staff" during the years prior to corporate "school reform" Chicago-style beginning in 1995. So naturally Chico was qualified to be President of the newly created "Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees" (1995-2001). Chico's legal experience prior to going to CPS had been, shall we say, limited (to political hacksmanship) until his public sector job (CPS Board president) suddenly made him immensely qualified to become a law firm partner (and rain maker) over on Wacker Drive. (Of course, once Chico was out of political power, the rain stopped being made and the law firm went bankrupt -- so much for "business" experience and its merits here in Chicago before the current collapse of all those business models).

But let's not digress too much.

The people who are screaming about the Huberman selection are the same ones who were either silent about Vallas and Duncan (the Jacksons) or filled with hyperventilated praise for those choices (Lens, Catalyst; other pundits).

Ironically, Huberman has more executive experience that his two predecessors. Now my friends and I will oppose Huberman because (as the offices of the CTU have noted) he's simply not qualified to run a school system -- small or large. But we've been consistent on that since 1995.

Chicago deserves an educator, not a political hack, to run its school system. "Mayoral Control" is as bankrupt as Lehman Brothers and AIG Insurance (which, come to think of it, still has a monopoly on CPS tax sheltered annuity business, thanks to Daley's appointees -- but that's another story).

As usual, Jacqueline Heard's Media Manipulation Central at City Hall refused to inform Substance of yesterday's Dog and Pony show, so I missed the chance to take some photographs and ask some pointed questions of the mayor and his new top educational dog. But that's been typical since the days when Heard left the Tribune (where she'd call me regularly for a quote like the ones above) and went to work (at well over $100,000 per year) as Chief of Spin. So yesterday, the Chief of Spin organized a quiet media event so the former Chief of Staff could become the Chief Executive Officer at the nation's third largest public school system.