As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
Join the conversation
We encourage our readers to leave comments and engage in dialogue about our stories. But before you do, please check out our "rules of the road."
Recent Notebook Entries
Right Now On Notebook
By:
By:
Subscribe to catalyst-chicago.org by e-mail
Other Blogs
catalyst-chicago.org feeds
Current Issue
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance 2010
By: John Myers / November 04, 2009
CEO Ron Huberman today announced six recommendations for new schools that he will submit to the Board of Education later this month—about a third the number of recommendations made by Arne Duncan in previous rounds of the Renaissance 2010 proposal process.
CEO Ron Huberman today announced six recommendations for new schools that he will submit to the Board of Education later this month—about a third of the number of recommendations made by Arne Duncan in previous rounds of the Renaissance 2010 proposal process.
District officials say they are scrutinizing the proposals more closely, hence fewer schools made the cut. But cash, or rather the lack of it, appears to be a factor: The district has no money to pay start-up costs for new schools. Also, the goal of Renaissance 2010—to open 100 new schools—will easily be reached next year.
This is the first year that every new school submitted to the board is located in one of the communities identified as most in need of better schools.
The district keeps budgetary considerations in mind, says Jaime Guzman, acting director of Chicago’s Office of New Schools. The district faces an estimated $700 million deficit next year and each new school costs roughly $170,000 to launch.
But Guzman won’t admit that the district has plans to slow down the number of new schools opening.
“The bar gets higher every year as we refine the process,” says Guzman, noting that all six new school recommendations are from operators that have been through the process before. “We have a better sense of what it takes to create a quality school.”
Illinois lawmakers recently lifted the cap on charters, adding another 45 slots for Chicago alone. But Guzman suggests the lifting of the cap came too late for many new proposals to be drawn up and submitted this year. With just one charter available at the start of this year’s vetting process, few charter providers stepped forward with plans, says Guzman.
The one charter slot that was open last May became available after CPS closed the Choir Academy.
The district plans to announce another round of school “turnarounds” in January.
Five of the six schools recommended by Huberman will open as charters—all by operators who already run schools in Chicago. Also, some contract schools are converting to charters.
One of these conversions is Urban Prep’s East Garfield Park campus. Tim King, the founder and CEO of the all-boys’ school, says that he would have preferred to open the East Garfield Park as a charter.
“We do not have the same freedoms as charter schools,” he says. Among the big differences is that all contract school teachers must be certified and principals must have Type 75 credentials. In charters, however, principals do not need Type 75s and some teachers can be non-certified—a distinct advantage when schools look to hire career changers.
While charter and contract schools get the same amount per pupil from the district, schools have more leverage to raise money for charters, King adds. Some foundations only give to charters, and there is some federal funding reserved for charters.
Another contract school that is converting is Rowe Elementary in West Town, run by the Northwestern Settlement House, a social service agency. Lorena Gomez, the school’s communications manager, says Rowe also wanted to open as a charter, but plans to join as part of the Noble Street Charter Network fell through. She says Rowe educators jumped at the chance to convert to a charter.
A public hearing on the proposals is scheduled for Nov. 9, 6pm, at the CPS board chambers.
Fall 2010 and 2011 Openings
• Another Noble Street charter in Englewood (Fall 2010)
• Another Chicago International charter in Riverdale (Fall 2010)
• Two LEARN Charter schools, one in South Chicago (Fall 2010) and the other in South Shore (Fall 2011)
• Roseland Preparatory Academy, modeled after Frazier Preparatory Academy, in North Lawndale (Fall 2011)
• Another UNO Charter school (Fall 2011)
Contract Schools Converting to Charters
• Academy of Global Citizenship (Garfield Ridge)
• Catalyst Circle Rock Campus (Austin)
• Chicago Talent Development High School (West Garfield Park)
• EPIC Academy High School (South Chicago)
• Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy (Near Southwest Side)
• Rowe Elementary (West Town)
• Urban Prep Academy for Young Men (East Garfield Park)
• Urban Prep Academy for Young Men (South Shore)
Sarah Karp contributed to this report.
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago�s Renaissanc
Does the Catalyst know which EMO will run the CICS Riverdale campus?
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago�s Renaissanc
To really understand the flawed Charter School application process the press should be reporting on the schools that completed the RFP process and made it to the bitter end. These schools fell vicitim to a changes in leadership at the Office of New Schools and Mr. Huberman's reluctance to move forward with new and innovative proposals. I agree with State Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, chair of the Illinois Senate's Education Committee "Across Illinois, timid politicians of both major parties have declined to demand significant education reforms.....The politicians shy away from tough education reforms because they fear retribution from teachers unions, which in many locales have the power to make or break a candidate's bid for public office." Can someone please actually do some investigative reporting, instead of rephrasing the press release from CPS. If you care about real school reform, I beg you do your job and put some leg work into your investigating, instead of buying a very slick argument put out by a very powerful organization- CPS.
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
It is good to see Mr. Guzman's comment that "we have a better sense of what it takes to create a quality school." How wonderful it would be for CPS to issue a document fleshing that thought out. I suspect that many principals, LSC members, charter school providers and others would read it with great interest. I suspect it would go well beyond the capacity to post good scores.
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
Can someone please find out why the Schools report card that was due out in October has not been issued. Why has nobody noticed this?
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
While I am not against charters, I am very much against how these tools could be potentially used to undercut traditional public schools. As a resident of North Lawndale, I have observed first hand the damage done by the manner in which the Renaissance 2010 policies for school reform have been implemented.
• Every school that has been closed and re-opened as a charter has (1) been in an area of a real estate development plan sponsored by people who have significant influence with the Chicago Public Schools and formulation of policy. These actions have undermined the control of local residents of their schools in favor of corporate boards. Rather than being controlled by local school councils, the schools are controlled by boards that by and large have little, if any, representation from North Lawndale.
o Moreover, these policies have effectively used schools as anchors for community development. While this is not a bad thing in and of itself, these policies could effectively be used for gentrification rather than uplifting current community residents, if left unchecked.
• Every school that has been closed and re-opened has received millions of dollars (one school got over $30 million) from Chicago Public Schools or TIF funds, for major renovations right before closing. The millions never benefitted the school under whose capital plan the dollars were drawn, but the charter school that replaced the school. Imagine telling third graders that their school will be closing, but they can’t come back after it re-opens, because the school will only go up to second grade. Then imagine sending them to a school where they have to cross a major street, which is actually an interstate highway.
• Proponents of Renaissance 2010 like to boast that charter schools are better because they outperform their neighborhood counterparts. If 90% of the neighborhood schools are failing, it should not be too hard to outperform them. However, if you compare the charters to citywide performance, and national standards, they do not do nearly as well as the claims. For example:
• North Lawndale has 22 elementary schools. Five of these are charter schools. Four of the five schools were created under Renaissance 2010. The charter school that was created under normal conditions, has consistently performed as well as or better than schools in the City of Chicago in reading and math. Another charter school created under Renaissance 2010 performs as well or better than Chicago public schools in math. Two of the charter elementary schools perform as well or better than North Lawndale schools, but not as well as schools city wide, in reading and math. Two of the charter elementary schools perform worse than the North Lawndale average, ranking 18 and 21 out of 22 schools in reading.
• North Lawndale no longer has any regular high schools. (How’s that for school choice?) Every one of our high schools is a charter school. The top rated high school is a charter, and IT HAS NEVER, EVER, ACHIEVED AYP in its entire 12 year existence. In spite of this fact, the State Legislature voted overwhelmingly to approve the expansion of the number of charters in the state, and this school was granted permission to take on another site. This school operates in two sites. In both instances, this school “shared†space with an existing public school; CPS poured tens of millions of dollars into the traditional school; closed the traditional school, and the charter school reaped the benefits. It should be noted that one of the schools that closed was performing at a higher level than the charter school that remained open.
• The US Secretary of Education has placed this charter high school on the highest negative sanctions for performance . In spite of this, the school is being touted as a national model for educating African American children.
I don’t see charters as the solution to our schools problems. Like any other tool, they are only as effective as the leadership and strategies that support their use.
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
I'm glad I am able to see this information because downtown has not said a word about the new school being built in south shore and what will happen to the small schools as soon as the building is complete. I think I know now without being told what I will see when the 100 million dollar construction is finished in.... You guessed it fall2011
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
The four small schools on the South Shore campus will be phased out once the new building is completed! The Learn Charter School in South Shore will be located at 70th & Coles and not on the South Shore campus. The new school on the South Shore campus will be called the new South Shore High School! The remaing four small schools will be housed in the south building (original building) until they are phased out! The alderman doesn't want any of the principals, teachers, ESP's or present South Shore campus students to be in the new building!
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
Where did you hear CICS was opening a charter school in Riverdale. This is ridiculous! They get to open a school in Altgeld gardens and they did not make AYP for white and black regular ed students in reading! They have never been able to educate special needs students!
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
"Where did you hear CICS was opening a charter school in Riverdale. This is ridiculous!"
It's called reading the article...
Fall 2010 and 2011 Openings
• Another Chicago International charter in Riverdale (Fall 2010)
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
I heard the new school on the south shore is reserved for the Chicago Academy of Advanced Technology (CAAT) - a new high school that started this year. The Center for Polytechnical Education (CPE) runs CAAT in addition to Austin Polytechnical Academy - a Renaissance School that started in 2006. Based on the report published by SRI International which reviewed all the schools funded under Daley's initiative, Austin Polytech is the worst performing of all Renaissance 2010 high schools (see http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:VAPyWHGS1y0J:policyweb.sri.com/cep/p...). Ironically, Obama was talking about this school on the campaign trail as being a great example of innovation that his administration would seek to fund. It doesn't make much sense, and maybe I am missing something else... given the data demonstrating that the Center for Polytechnical Education is clearly failing in their attempts to manage ONE school successfully, on what basis would anyone give them public funds to run another school? The executive director for CPE - Matt Hancock - looks like he is still in college. Is he really qualified to run two high schools or is this another instance of Chicago politics at its finest? The data clearly point to the latter. Given the way things work in this city and with the Daley's in particular, it's probably a family matter... In principle, CAAT sounds like an innovative school, but my guess is it won't be much more effective than Austin Polytech given the same people are in charge. You wonder why last year's report hasn't been published on time? It's probably because the outcomes are embarrassing, but the funding is still needed for present and future schools... In other words, the surface topic may be about education, but its not about the kids learning, it's about the money.
Fewer new schools planned next year under Chicago's Renaissance
Alderman Harris met with the LSC president of SOE and other members of the South Shore community in 9/09 about the new building. It boiled down to: 2 schools (1 neighborhood, 1 magnet), phase in the new school so that the current students don't affect the new school climate. Otherwise, not much had been decided at that point, at least not that she let the group know.
Noble Street has a location at 7200 S. Ingleside now (opened 2008), and Urban Prep's new location in South Shore community is still to be decided (to open fall 2010). So while the new building is supposed to house neighborhood students, it will also have to have a magnet component in order to be filled (or house UP).
Add your comment