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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Parents, activists rally for more education funding
About 500 parents, kids and teachers protested outside the Thompson
Center on Wednesday morning for more school funding, noting their fears
about the impact on students if officials are forced to impose drastic
budget cuts.
The Thompson Center event coincided with Lobby Day in Springfield,
where thousands rallied in favor of a state tax increase to prevent
budget cuts, including massive cuts to school districts across
Illinois.
About 500 parents, kids and teachers protested outside the Thompson Center on Wednesday morning for more school funding, noting their fears about the impact on students if officials are forced to impose drastic budget cuts.
The Thompson Center event coincided with Lobby Day in Springfield, where thousands rallied in favor of a state tax increase to prevent budget cuts, including massive cuts to school districts across Illinois.
In Chicago, the protesters’ main concerns include class sizes increasing to as many as 37, preschool cuts and the growing achievement gap between high and low-income areas.
“Our children are our future, and if we don’t educate them we will continue to have problems,” said Silvana Wolkowicz, a parent with one son at Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center.
Wendy Katten, a CPS parent and one of the women who organized the protest, noted that the state has under-funded schools for years.
“We’ve known for a long time that our funding system in Illinois hasn’t worked,” Katten said.
Alderman Scott Waguespack agrees that city leaders aren’t doing what they should be to improve education. “We spend hundreds of millions on big-ticket projects that look good but don’t provide for our kids,” Waguespack said.
Participants came from all over the city, but most were from higher- performing schools.
“It’s very telling that this crisis hits everyone,” said Amy Smolinsky, a CPS parent who also helped organize the protest.
On Tuesday, participants in the Latino Policy Forum’s Lobby Day traveled to Springfield to argue against Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed 17 percent budget cut for state preschool programs. State preschools suffered a 10 percent across-the-board cut this year.
“Our goal is to bring more Latino voices to Springfield to speak on behalf of the children,” said Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Latino Policy Forum.
Latinos would be especially affected by the cuts. One in four Illinois children under age 5 is Latino, according to the Forum. Preschools are in especially short supply in Chicago’s predominantly Latino communities.
The lack of preschool may aggravate the existing achievement gap among Latino children, who are behind other children as 4-year-olds and have a 43 percent high school dropout rate.
Leaders from seven organizations met Monday for an advocacy training session. They learned how to effectively communicate their stories and opinions. Puente explained that one of the Latino Policy Forum’s main goals it to teach the Latino community how to speak for itself. The training session was one part of a larger effort to educate parents about the importance of early childhood education.
Parent Hector Llort has two kids who went to preschool and two who are in preschool now. “I’m trying to tell [officials] that a mind is a terrible thing to waste,” Llort said.
Boo on the turnout
We were there today - and there should have been more of us.
www.highglossandsauce.com
Parents, activists rally for more education funding
I was down in Sringfield, and here's a summary of what I can tell you all:
1. There will be no money coming from Springfield in the next 6 months. If any does come, it will be after the election. The 1% tax hide is Dead on Arrival.
2. I spoke with two Democrats, one senator and one state rep. It was clearly evident that the Democrats are not unified. There's so much blame and infighting.
3. The Democrats will not show any spine to support funding for schools, and basically expect us teachers to vote for them in the fall because, the Republicans would be worse. The funding might come in November, after 20,000 teachers are laid off.
4. The Republicans have one plan: Cut, Cut, Cut....and cut some more if there's any left.
Parents, activists rally for more education funding
With the lack of transparency in Daley's city hall and CPS and the Monique Bond run around , we don't trust CPS. No one should. After the Chicago Reader interview exposed that the published budget is NOT accurate according to Bond and the reporter needed to petition for the "truth", no one can trust these Daley Machine folks. After the Washington DC school district controversy of a surplus budget after they fired teachers, I have less trust in these "neo-con" School District CEO's! http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/D_C_-schools-budget-controversy-...
Parents, activists rally for more education funding
We need a forensic audit! No question, we need a forensic audit! Let's get everything on the table. We need to clean the air big time. We need to look at how schools are organized, instructional time or lack thereof. If it is truly about the children then we all deserve to look at the vision and priorities that are guiding the spending. We need to look at all the contracts. If we love our children, we are at a time to open up the conversation with real data! I am for a strike if there is no real open process to save our schools. I have a kid and college and bills up the * but we need to save public education and get it back on track!
Parents, activists rally for more education funding
Strike if necessary. The corruption and top down silly mandates, etc... enough...
Parents, activists rally for more education funding
I was there, too. And I was also disappointed by the turnout. I had to take an hour off work to be there, but felt it was very important for us to be visible as CPS parents.
I do hope, however, that whoever was taking participants' names does something to keep us "together."
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