Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.
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Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
By: Alexander Russo / July 14, 2009
Some people may want to run an existing school, perhaps improving its
performance or taking it in a new direction. Others are more
entrepreneurial -- they want to start or even invent something new.
This is true of CPS folks, not just randoms and outsiders. According
to CPS, several Ren10 schools -- including Polaris, South Loop, Austin
Polytechnical Academy, Frazier International Magnet School, Disney II,
Pershing West and Team Englewood Community Academy; Frazier Prep
Academy, and Amandla Charter School, Chicago International Charter
Schools, Noble Street Charter School, Perspectives Charter School have
roots from inside CPS.
Maybe it's time to stop bashing any
and everything out there that's new, or assuming that everything new
comes from somewhere else.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
These new schools/charters are in Il. They get public $.
Don't they need tobe accredited?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Don't these schools, esp. HS have to have North Central accreditation? I f they do not meet North Central minimal standards, their students diplomas are worthless and they will not be going to any college. Who is assuring this required accreditation of these ren10/15 schools?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
I heard that Ren2015 is coming. Ren2010 people, depending on their audience, will use the phrase "Ren2010" if the crowd is neutral, or "years to come" if the crowd is full of charter lovers.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
...and the union busting continues.
Ren2010
[i]...and by fall of 2009, 20 additional Renaissance Schools will have opened, bringing the total to 93.
[/i]
15% so far. Only 35% more to go. (No, they don't want 100% new schools. That wouldn't leave any neighborhood schools in which to "dump" the students Ren2010 schools don't want and won't take.)
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
The Chicago Public Schools held a public forum for new school proposals in the Kenwood/Grand Boulevard community. Three design teams, Prologue Little Black Pearl Art and Design High School at Joshua Johnston, LEARN Charter School Campus no. 5 and Bronzeville Lighthouse Charter School College Preparatory Academy, presented a variety of ideas in their proposals for bringing new schools to the Kenwood and Grand Boulevard communities. Prologue Alternative High School, which has a location on the North Side, teamed up with the Little Pearl Art and Design Center to propose a fine arts and design school for 200 students between the ages of 16 and 21 that would be located on the art center's campus at 1060 E 47th Street. The five-member team, which included Little Black Pearl Executive Director Monica Haslip, spoke about how the alternative school would help empower all-risk youth in the community. The school would be an open-enrollment program that serves youth between the ages of 16 and 21 who are at risk of dropping out of school. The school would focus on the fine arts and design, academics and entreprenurial education. LEARN Charter School Campus no. 5, which has three proposals in the city for Grand Boulevard, South Chicago and North Lawndale. Currently LEARN has three locations on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The four member team said its goal is to develop "high performance, college-prep elementary school clusters on the South Side," Rob Dehaas, design team leader and project manager for the LEARN Charter School Network. Bob Dehaas said the students at their current schools have class more than seven hours a day, 200 days a year. Bronzeville Lighthouse Charter School, which currently has an elementary school on the West Side, proposed a College Preparatory Academy that would provide a community center on the campus for students and their families. "We'd offer space to social workers, health centers, dentists, nutritionists or sports organizations," said Kimberlee Sia, Vice-President of Lighthouse Academies Midwest region. Brenda Bell, transition advisory council coordinator for the CPS Office of New Schools said, the Office of New Schools staff is reviewing their notes and the feedback from the community to decide which teams will be able to move on to the next step of submitting a full proposal. To date, 73 new schools have been opened under the Renaissance 2010, and by fall of 2009, 20 additional Renaissance Schools will have opened, bringing the total to 93.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
"The CPS does not begin explusion hearings for each of these students, nor should they." Yes they do where warranted. (You can be sent to altenative school and/or suspended for doing something far away from school!) read the SCC, it is there. Charters still have to send the Il document that the child is in good standing IF they are to be transferred to another IL school.
Again, as stated earlier: any charter that kicks out a student and sends them to a CPS school, or they come to a CPS school after being kicked out call: 773-5531700 and ask for Mr. Rocks.
REPORT ABUSE!
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
As we all know numerous CPS students go to Cook County Juv Detention, or Cook County Jail, for possession and selling drugs off CPS property. The CPS does not begin explusion hearings for each of these students, nor should they. The same applies to the kid who get caught at Rita or Leo with drugs. Since charter schools are public schools the issue is different I think. But I suspect some charters will not tell the recieving school about any of this.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
possession of drugs is in the SCC, and my point was IF the parents wanted to get their former Leo students into a school, after Leo expelled the student, the parents would have to go through the CPS process before the student could be enrolled in the neighborhood CPS HS. If the violation was enough to expel by CPS rules, then said student would be entitlted to alternative school, (up to a certain age,) not the neighborhood school, until the expulsion was over.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Having drugs at Leo high school which is not a CPS school is not a violation of the CPS discipline code, nor is even being arrested for having drugs off a CPS school. CPS could not expel this kid. Since charters are CPS schools CPS could conduct a district level explusion hearing if it chose to and knew about it. But no record no foul.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
drug posession, a charter would NOT take the student, but the CPS neighborhood HS (per student address and parent request) would have to take this student and start the horrendouse expulsion process. Then, if founded and expulsed, CPS would give this students a space in an alternative school. You see, CPS takes care of others' wayward students, since charters or private schools do not.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
We got to Leo High School because I used this particular Catholic High School as an example of a school that will informally expel students and not provide information to the CPS school the student goes to that this took place. In effect there is no record of it just a transcript with classes completed and grades.
The reason I used Leo was that I have seen this happen in the past with students sent to Julian and Harper from Leo. I do not know how many other Catholic High Schools have the same practice, but I know Saint Rita did the same. Many charters act like Catholic High Schools in this respect.
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
See Rod's posting that mentioned Leo. It's the one about expelling students.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
how did Leo get involved with this thread? Is Leo creating a new/charter school with CPS?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Leo High School has an endowment fund thanks to the generosity of its alumni. It's basically runs through donations via fundraisers. It is a Catholic high school not a charter. Its population is low income so whether or not the students get free lunch I do not know. Leo is down the street from Father Phleger's church but I do not recall hearing that he has sponsored any fundraisers for this school.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Thanks Rod!
We have received children from private schools, charters included, with minimal information. Usually, it is the student who tells us he/she got kicked out. The report card grades look wonderful and the records do not contain disciplinary infractions. Parents are not forthcoming about behaviors that could endanger others. It is almost as if we are an experiemnt-let's see what happens at this school mentality. Or the worse ones are the parents who enroll their child and take the child off his/her medication just to see if we notice anything....
Sometimes we have to refer them for special education services. Sometimes the parents need counseling referrals...but this all takes- about a year.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
"Really it is the same thing with the very informal Catholic School explusion process, does the kid come with a note from the Dean of Leo that they threw the kid out for possion of drugs?"
but does Leo Catholic operate with public money? I don't know.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
It is important to recall that charter schools have in many cases different written discipline codes than does CPS. So for the highest level issues drugs, weapons, etc from what I have seen only once by the way, the charter punted the explusion hearing to CPS which conducted it. For the lesser violations which can in charters also lead to explusion the kid is just sent to CPS with no real record of the explusion as far as I can tell based on two or three cases I have been involved with.
Rod Estvan
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
with an Illinois (ISBE) form that states they are in good standing BEFORE the student can be enrolled at another Il school. So, if a charter student comes to school with a gun, the charter does not have to tell CPS? And if the charter expels that student, the neighborhood school HAS to take that student and the school now has to go through the CPS expulsion process--This should be done at the charter school level, not be burdened upon the neighborhood school. That is just so wrong.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Under existing state law charter schools are not responsible for alternative placements when they expel a student. That responsibity legally falls on the local educational agency, i.e. CPS here in Chicago.
Now if CPS believes that the act that the student was expelled from the internal charter explusion hearing was at the level of a district explusion hearing they could instead of enrolling the student formally expel them from CPS. By the way I expect that in the situation of a charter school student bringing a serious weapon into a school that student would not have just a CICS explusion hearing, but rather CPS would conduct a district level hearing.
For the most part charter school explusion hearing information appears not to be sent to the CPS schools that enroll students expelled by charters. Really it is the same thing with the very informal Catholic School explusion process, does the kid come with a note from the Dean of Leo that they threw the kid out for possion of drugs?
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
"CICS schools have their own discipline codes these students subject to explusion may not necessarily have committed an act that would equal to an explusion in a traditional CPS school. Once expelled, these students do show back up a CPS schools."
How does a charter parent get due process representation if the charter wishes to expel their child? Doesn't the charter have to spell out a parent's/child's rights? Is not the charter responsible for alternative placement when they expel a student?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Beth Purvis of CICS comment on firing staff who dumped unwanted charter school students on CPS is probably correct. We need to understand that Beth here is discussing a school under the CICS umbrella that does not hold a CICS hearing for explusion back to traditional CPS schools. Andrea Brown-Thirston conducts CICS explusion hearings from what I understand.
Because CICS schools have their own discipline codes these students subject to explusion may not necessarily have committed an act that would equal to an explusion in a traditional CPS school. Once expelled, these students do show back up a CPS schools.
I would suspect that Beth does not consider this to be dumping. Many in traditional CPS schools would consider this to be dumping. I think what Beth was discussing was a situation where a CICS school simply tells a kid to leave, with no due process at all. In the past there were some CICS schools that did this and to CICS's credit they have attempted to formalize the removal process and provide some level of due process.
I have no idea of how many such hearing are conducted by CICS over the course of a school year. So I do not know how common this level of action is. I do know that it does happen.
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
as school approaches for many of you (8/3) and in Sept. PLEASE remember that if a student gets kicked out or COUNSELED out of a (Chicago) charter school, please call attorney Pat Rocks at 773-553-1700. PLEASE report this abuse asap all the time, everytime. Justice starts with this call. These abused children and parents have rights! (It is abusive when charters kick out students and parents becasue they do not want them there anymore.) Amen.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Last week during one of the hearings ("Riverdale") on the proposed "New Schools," Beth Purvis of CICS said that she would "fire" any teacher or administrator at CICS who dumped out a student and sent that student back to a regular public school.
So for some critics it's now time to put up or shut up. Over several years, we received regular calls from Wells High School staff about how Noble Street Charter Schools (from the original "campus" on) would kick out students after the head count was taken and before testing season began. From time to time other charter schools also were named with this type of thing. But, too often, people were refusing to give specifics (viz., the name of the student and family contact information).
In other cases, instead of kicking out students who were discipline problems or who might bring down test scores, the charters achieved a "choice" decision from the family. The parents "voluntarily" withdrew the child, even if the child were very young. (Why aren't these counted as "dropouts" in charter studies? This slick trick would make KIPP schools the biggest "dropout factories" -- to quote Arne Duncan -- in the USA).
Anyway, it's time to go beyond honest but anonymous anecdotes to clear documented facts, not only here in Chicago, but everywhere charter critics are assembling their information. Now that we have the technology to disseminate the information very quickly, it's time to make it clear and precise -- not just "someone said..." stuff.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
The problem with charter schools is that they ar private entities leeching off the public trust. Education is a public trust and should not be parcelled out to any group that thinks it can "run a school." Innovation in education is a good thing, but privatizing the public trust (be it parking meters, parks, roads or schools) is never a good idea. This is because all CHARTER SCHOOLS lack accountability. How is it that North Landale Charter still exists after three of its students DIED on a school sponsored field trip. WHO pays for the legal liabilities when this sort of thing happens? Norrth Lawndale should be sued for every penny it has, but instead, it will be CPS that foots the bill. Why?
Again, the issue is the privitization of our public entities that I will continue to "bash". The people who create charters may or may not be well intentioned. But the bottom line is, charters lack accountability and, in the end, charters siphon off public money and entities.
Instead of charter schools, all schools in CPS should be allowed to provide innovation in an accountable context.
ACCOUNTABILITY is key as is an understanding that when we (Chicago citizens) give away the public trust to private companies, we lose accountability and we make it very hard to get those public assets back.
Finally, to be clear. I DO NOT BASH well intentioned folks who think they can run a school, but the idea that public schools chould be converted to "private" instiitutions, not accountable to the public, is unacceptable. Review the circumstances and economic outcome of the deaths at North Lawndale to understand that it's not right that private entities are allowed to operate the public trust. Remember that the next time you park on a Chicago public street.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
well, they really ARE, but CPS does not care--it is shrug of the shoulders and do not touch, because ONS belongs to the mayor. You do what the mayor wants.
The charter money belongs to us, the citizens of Chicago--why should CPS share ANY costs with its citizens?
We do not demand that they do. (CORE does try.)
There is a lawsuit that charters are to have LSCs--then all would be forced to be public info--how it the lawsuit playing out--or did Daley get to that too?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Huh. Since charter schools are public CPS schools I followed "look here"'s instructions to find out the annual budget for a few charters.
To my shock, that information isn't listed on the CPS site. Hmm.
So, they're accountable to CPS, just not to the public like the rest of Chicago's public schools. Hmm.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
charter does so well--sad that they assure/enforce that student selection process. Institutional memory: Vallas moved CPS out of 39th Street after millions $$ were spent to upgrade 3 plus huge warehouses, sold it to the city for $1.00. (CPS bought it from the Feds for $1, but remember $$$ spent to upgrade tens-of-thousands of square feet. (Just the phones, wiring, toilets, etc...) Since the 'old man' (this is how Daley is referred to), did not want to see ComEd's building at 125 S. Clark go empty, CPS bought it from Excelon and put even more $$$ just to get the decrepit building upgraded. So now, Excelon (who is the only supplier of electricity to ALL the poor and employed in Chicago,) pays back by opening and paying with OUR (customer) money, a selective charter. There are backroom deals made that do NOT benefit the children anywhere near as it personally benefits Daley and the businesses.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
omb and funky
show the real numbers!
what would be nice is the same type of transparency with the charters.
john kugler
kuglerjohn@comcast.net
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
to find expenditures of a particular school
[b]go here[/b]
[url=http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/Findaschool.aspx new=true]http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/Findaschool.aspx[/url]
[b]find a school[/b](ie prosser)
[url=http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/SchoolSearchResults.aspx?CPSSchoolTitle=prosser new=true]http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/SchoolSearchResults.aspx?CPSSchoolTitle=prosser[/url]
[b]click on the school link[/b]
scroll down and find [b]School Segment Report[/b]
[b]click in the download column for the year you want to see[/b]
[url=http://schoolreports.cps.edu/SchoolSegmentReports_2009/53041-CHARLESALLENPRO.pdf new=true]http://schoolreports.cps.edu/SchoolSegmentReports_2009/53041-CHARLESALLENPRO.pdf[/url]
prosser spent 16,787,244 in (2009)
kugler
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
"plus the 12 million now that is spent on the three new charters is not public anymore either, so in essence the public could loose close to 15 million dollars ever time a big high school flips to charters." ...
Charter schools are public schools. I know that the NLRB ruled tehy were private but they are accountable by and to the state for state and federal funds. They are accountable to CPS for local funds. THe public is not losing 15mil "every time" a big school closes. The monies are redirected elsewhere, intended for programs that can kids a better service than the ginormous high schools that have failed them for the last several decades. Can you turn around a giant HS? Sure, but sometimes kids feel more comfortable in a school that seems more tailored to their needs.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Kugler and Jim,
pass gas and you will smell the smoke that has been blown up your ---!
Hyde park's actual operating budget is about half of what is reported.
As with most schools
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
[url=http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/Financial_information/Documents/FY09_Budget_Book_Online.pdf new=true]http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/Financial_information/Documents/FY09_Budget_Book_Online.pdf[/url]
This is where I pulled my information, your's is clearly more detailed.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
I usually check before i post.
i am not that new to blogging.
[url=http://schoolreports.cps.edu/SchoolSegmentReports/46171-HYDEPARKCAREERA.pdf new=true]SCHOOL SEGMENT REPORT FOR HYDE PARK CAREER ACADEMY[/url]
[b]19,188,493 (2008)[/b]
[url=http://schoolreports.cps.edu/SchoolSegmentReports_2009/46171-HYDEPARKCAREERA.pdf new=true]School Segment Report 2009[/url]
[b]22,067,773(2009)[/b]
by the way it is jim who?
john kugler
kuglerjohn@comcast.net
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
The HPA budget is $16,930,831, give or take a few cents, and that's in the CPS FY09 Budget Book which is available at the CPS website
.
Hyde Parks operating budget is 20 million dollars a year.
multiply that across the district in regards to general highs schools and that is a lot of money to be used to buy people off.
20 million for one school. now take the charter idea. bust up a big high school like hyde park into three schools. give each charter school no more than 4 million to operate that saves 8 million no one ever sees again. in all the school reorganization chaos and grab by the charter operators for the money no one realizes they have just been ripped off for 8 million dollars by the city.
yes ripped off. that is money that is taken away from the community and redirected for other use. plus the 12 million now that is spent on the three new charters is not public anymore either, so in essence the public could loose close to 15 million dollars ever time a big high school flips to charters. That the public will never see again(especially when the charter folds up tent)
The debate is not about new,old outsiders or insiders but the public being tricked and ripped off.
Big time
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
I seriously doubt that Lisa Madigan would work very hard to enforce FOIA rights or Open Meetings law.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
I maintain that the root of all this angst is the flawed IL FOIA statute that Lisa Madigan and the state legislature will have to fix, and soon. It doesn't help that Huberman's PR flack came from the Chicago Police Dept where she learned to wire herself for disclosing as little information about anything.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Bashing "new" ideas? Hardly. New for CPS: Following the law regarding special education, serving nutritious lunches, capping class size at 20, etc. I'd LOVE to see some new ideas, action, and people - if they were doing the right thing! The right thing, for me, does not include killing neighborhood schools for all neighborhood people. I want new ideas (which really aren't all that NEW) applied to regular schools, not charters, not magnets, not all that ballyhoo.
.
I just want to check how many people actually know what we are really talking about here.
Who can tell me what the operating budget is of a large general enrollment high school like Hyde Park?
when we answer this question then the light should go off as to why cps is on this mission to privatize. it is not a matter of good and bad but government resources.
so how much is HPA budget per year?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
[i]how about an exception to the rule -- a new school that you don't object to?
[/i]
I would welcome a new neighborhood elementary school or a new neighborhood high school on the southwest side, especially if it or they received $1 million of start up funds and a greater than proportional share of infrastructure funds like the Ren2010 schools.
But, you see, ONS isn't interested in servicing neighborhood school children in need with new neighborhood schools since they aren't of the private, non-union, selective persuasion. And, equally so, CPS is not interested in supporting its current neighborhood schools, especially high schools, with the kinds of support they require.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
i'm not sure how responding to repeated blog comments is problematic.
as to the issue itself, the proof is in the pudding: how about an exception to the rule -- a new school that you [u]don't[/u] object to?
not all are charters, not all are from outsiders. see anything you like?
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
To me if anything it is the "gifted" schools that hurt traditional schools - more than charters!
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
I'm sorry Alexander, but it's my humble opinion that this shadow boxing with unseen critics that you've pushed in your last couple of threads at best does nothing positive and at worst encourages people to do a full and complete analysis of the current reforms in the school system.
Many of us who are critical of charter schools have spent the last couple years ingesting every piece of material put out by ONS and the various research reports.
I thought our goal for the public school system was to produce thoughtful, critical participants in the democratic society we hope to finally achieve. If we are not critical, these propaganda outfits are certainly not self-critical or introspective.
If data-based critique of such data-hollow programs is "bashing", I fear for our society.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Alexander: [i]which new schools have you hated, and which have you found impressive?[/i]
Now, Alexander, why would I bash those schools in a thread that takes bashers to task?
The one school that did impress me was Noble Street's Exelon/ComEd sponsored Rowe-Clark campus. At the time, at least, they retained staff well compared to other charters. I think that's an indicator of strong staff, effective leadership, healthy learning and working conditions, and an important factor in student success at any school. On the other hand they also had one of the slickest, and most deceptive, promotional campaigns I've seen. The students there were extremely well disciplined to the point that they'd give military academy students a run for their money. The administration appeared to run a very, very tight ship. Rowe-Clark's facilities are second to none especially in terms of technology. Oh, and I was pleased that they freely admitted to the fact that they consciously choose the communities and constituencies to whom they market their school. It was a nice, if rare, bit of refreshing honesty.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
which new schools have you hated, and which have you found impressive?
-- alexander
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
It is not bashing to demand that publicly funded private corporations and organizations tell the truth and be held accountable. The Office of New Schools and those who wish to privatize the public service of education would get a lot more slack if they were honest and transparent about their motives, their data, and their ideology.
ONS and charter marketing schemes are just that, marketing schemes. And, as is the case for products with big time advertising (think beer, soft drinks, fast food) the reality is very different from the commercial that the general public sees. ONS and its proponents have put together a super slick operation, but that doesn't make their claims a reality.
I don't think anything or everything that is new is bad. (I'm a new teacher, and though I wasn't very good my first year or two, I'm pretty darn good now that I'm 4-5 years in!) But when privatization is touted as the solution to the urban education ills of our public schools, well, that's just a farce. Privately run publicly funded schools operate under very different circumstances than do neighborhood schools. But I have yet to hear anyone at ONS or anyone in the charter movement acknowledge that.
Charters may (or may not) do fine for what they are, but they are not comparable to neighborhood schools nor are they a solution to the problems that real neighborhood schools face.
I've visited several charters and turnarounds and at most of them I've been plainly disappointed if not disgusted. But at one or two I've actually been impressed. So, they're not all bad. But, just as Budweiser won't get us the babes like in the adverts, charters and privatized public schools are also not doing "more with less" or "doing better with the same students" as the marketing gurus would have us all believe.
If the public service of an excellent education need only be available for the few - those with supportive families, those who are intrinsically motivated, or those who have the resources to enroll in and attend magnet and charter selective enrollment schools - then maybe privatization is the answer. This "choice" model is dependent on a scarcity of resources and separating out the winners from the losers.
But if the public service of an excellent education is to be equitably implemented for everyone, well, then we all have some more work to do.
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
much of what gets posted in the readers comments on this blog site would qualify as bashing the new schools effort, don't you think?
alas, most of it's anonymous.
- alexander
Not Just "Outsiders" Creating New Schools
Who are all these "bashers of everything," Russo? We want names.