As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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Bill to give more cash to charters moves forward
By: Jim Broadway / May 09, 2012
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois House Executive Committee voted 10-1 Wednesday afternoon to approve a bill that would significantly increase the amount of funding that school districts have to provide for charter schools.
The vote came despite a furious campaign against the bill by the Chicago Teachers Union and others who fear the bill will divert millions of dollars away from neighborhood public schools.
HB 4277, as amended, raises the minimum support for charter schools from 75% to 95% of the district’s “per capita student tuition, multiplied by the number of students residing in the district who are enrolled in the charter school.”
The tuition is a dollar amount that a district would charge a non-resident student to attend a school in the district. It is based on the district’s operating costs per student.
Rep. Daniel Burke (D-Chicago), chairman of the committee, sponsored HB 4277 and the amendment that turned the bill essentially into an income producer for charter schools. Although charter school laws apply statewide, by far most charters are a part of CPS.
Burke said the bill is aimed at achieving “equal funding for our charter schools, equal funding with the public schools.” It is “an issue of fairness,” Burke argued, adding that his main concern is the disparity in the salaries of teachers. “They start out fairly equal, but by five years [on the job] you see a great difference in their sala4ries.”
In a last-minute effort to get its members and supporters to lobby legislators against Burke’s bill, the Chicago Teachers Union argued that it would “force school districts to divert more funds from neighborhood public schools to charter schools. While public schools are funded almost entirely by taxes, charters receive private money from corporate privatization proponents.”
Jim Broadway is founder and publisher of State School News Service.
rahms pension speech?
Obvioulsy we need to adjust our pension payouts. However, exactly how many teachers who retired in 1995 made 90,000 a year (=30 year service in 1995) Mr. emanaul? Maybe that was your salary your back then.According to Chicago magazine the maximum salary was 49k for a cps teacher, making their 30 year service pension 32,000. Today their pension would make about 52k. Which, as most basic economic students, equals about 32k in 1995. In other words, they make the same salary as they did in those dollars. Please show me one teacher who made 90k in those days Mr. Emanual? With millions in the bank from your own political connections, it's now time to blame the very unions that put you in power? I find it to be a bit hypocritical. If you became a Republican I could respect you. However, calling yourself a Democrat makes me a bit sad and ill. Social security patments are given cost of living adjustments. Maybe you could start by tying them to that. If you dont, there pensions very soon will be eaten away by inflation and they will make less than social security benefits. How would you feel if you lived on 32k for the rest of your life? After ten years it would be worth about 22k while your millions will still be worth millions!! after 20 about 16k.
corruption
More and more, I hear friends and acquaintances talking not just about moving out of Chicago b/c of the mayor's disastrous ed policies, but moving out of Illinois as well.
On the bill
It is completely understandable why charter schools are asking that the minimum support for charter schools be increased. They are going broke along with the school districts themselves. The fiscal crisis of our state is undermining all forms of public education. This bill will not solve that problem.
Rod Estvan
Charter schools a scam on the people
Charter schools along with UNO schools pretend that the children are doing better than regular Chicago Public School students because they can pick and choose the students they accept, they can expel a student for little reason, they can refuse student with discipline problems. There by their students look stellar! Where as CPS must take anyone coming to the schools system. The charter schools have UN certified teachers who can be fired at a drop of a hat, do no testing of students. Their schools are state of the art, very beautiful buildings and the ignorant parents are attracted to that. Charter schools and UNO is Chicago's Mayor Rahm boy way to bust the unions to "save money". You want to know how to save money? Stop feeding the kids, thats the parents job not the schools, they dont eat the food at school anyway at least 80% of the food is thrown out. Have the parents pay at least $100 a month tuition. If they can have cell phones and expensive SUV's and feed their kids the junk food off of the pushcart vendors around the schools at the end of the day they can afford $100. Plus check to make sure students are LEGAL citizens of the US and are living in a Legal, un crowded house or apartment with only one family per unit. Racist? no, just sick of being taken advantage of by illegals and the politicians letting them get away with it.
Charter Schools A Scam on the people
Walter Payton, Northside Prep., Whitney Young, Jones College Prep....."pretend that the children are doing better than regular Chicago Public School students because they can pick and choose the students they accept, they can expel a student for little reason, they can refuse student with discipline problems."
If CPS intends to push minority children into 60 more Charters over 5 years then some of them need to be selective. We pay property taxes as well and should have high quality schools!!!
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