catalyst-chicago.org

The big news from yesterday’s Board of Education meeting: A collective of Englewood pastors protested a decision to award $5 million for mentoring services to the Pennsylvania company Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. The Tribune broke the story yesterday, noting that the pastors felt “purposely disrespected” and cut out of the bidding process by CEO Ron Huberman.

You can hear Huberman defend the move on WBEZ. Linda Lutton will also be on Eight Forty-Eight talking about the Board meeting, followed by Alex Kotlowitz, who will talk about his research on violence in Chicago.

Related: Mary Mitchell laments that Mayor Daley has poured more energy into the Olympics bid than Huberman’s anti-violence initiative, but makes no mention of the yap over YAP.

* The big news from yesterday’s Board of Education meeting: A collective of Englewood pastors protested a decision to award $5 million for mentoring services to the Pennsylvania company Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. The Tribune broke the story yesterday, noting that the pastors felt “purposely disrespected” and cut out of the bidding process by CEO Ron Huberman.

You can hear Huberman defend the move on WBEZ. Linda Lutton will also be on Eight Forty-Eight talking about the Board meeting, followed by Alex Kotlowitz, who will talk about his research on violence in Chicago.

Related: Mary Mitchell laments that Mayor Daley has poured more energy into the Olympics bid than Huberman’s anti-violence initiative, but makes no mention of the yap over YAP.

* Fran Spielman serves up some choice quotes from Mayor Daley as he tried to put a positive spin on the clout investigation into selective schools.

“They can take a C student and that C student can all the way go to a B or an A student. If everybody’s an A student, then you’re not gonna improve learning at all in any education system. You have to have confidence in principals in giving opportunities to young people and young families.”

Daley was speaking at the dedication ceremony for the new Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School on the city’s Near West Side.

More from NBC Chicago.

* From PURE: Judge Sophia Hall to issue ruling in LSCs/alternative schools case on Oct. 6.

The Board of Education has argued that the Illinois School Code allows for LSC exceptions in small and alternative schools and highlights advisory LSCs in place at four schools: Williams Preparatory School of Medicine, Pershing West Magnet School, Suder Montessori School and Carver Military School. One source of contention: an amendement added to state rules in May 2009 may allow for LSC exceptions, but it was added nearly a year after the initial complaint was filed.

* A Sun-Times story spotlights 2,000 letters from third graders sent to Mayor Daley, including calls for potholes to be filled and a solution to the parking meters privatization fiasco.

"I think Chicago would be a better place if all the parking was free," Ben writes. "If you choose to read this and put my plan into action, you would need to take out all the parking meters. You would also have to make all parking lots free and ban parking tickets. If you want, you can make a speech about this, but you don't have to."

* Feds award $109 million in Early Reading First grants, including a $4 million cut to CPS.

* Alexander Russo takes a peak at the new Prieto Academy in Belmont Cragin.

* At CPS Obsessed, a look at a new book on the Nettelshorst “turnaround.”

Across Illinois

* Chicago International makes ‘good on its promise’ to hire a local leader to run the charter organization’s new Rockford school.

* A new state law requires districts to disclose pay for top administrators and The Journal Star reports the salaries of 66 employees in District 150. Substance News regularly reports salaries of top administrators here in Chicago.

* The State Board of Education is in financial straits, but the Southtown Star says Charles Flowers has hired another administrator for the Suburban Cook County regional office.

* In case you missed it, U of I President Joseph White has resigned in the wake of the school’s admissions scandal.

Across the country

* The National Center for Education Statistics, the research wing of the US Department of Education, has updated graduation rates for 2007, estimating that some 73 percent of high school freshmen graduated on time with their peers. Illinois’ graduation rate is around 80 percent, toward the front of the pack.

* USA Today’s Greg Toppo details the build up to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Sec. of Ed Arne Duncan will today assemble a “stakeholders” meeting to discuss potential changes.

* Speaking of Duncan, he was in New Hampshire yesterday prodding fathers to play a larger role in their children’s education.