As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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Timeline: Emanuel and Brizard’s First Year
By: Staff of Catalyst Chicago / June 19, 2012
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s first year in office was a rocky one for Chicago Public Schools. As it wrapped up, schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard used a citywide meeting of Community Action Councils to outline his year-one highlights. Catalyst Chicago’s timeline of the first year of Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school leadership is below.
Before he came to Chicago, Brizard said, friends told him the district was a hodge-podge of reforms. To make sense of it all, he’s ventured into the community to listen to teachers, principals and parents.
Brizard touted the new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) schools where students can attend for six years and graduate with associate degrees. In addition, the district is opening more International Baccalaureate programs. “Why is this important?” he says. “Rigor aligns with college persistence. It makes a huge, huge difference.”
He counts his top accomplishment as planning the district’s “fuller” school day, and also pointed to the development of a new teacher evaluation system.
In a fact sheet, CPS notes that the district has revamped its school progress reports and has developed new scorecards for principals that will be used to award bonuses.
The district has also approved 12 new charter school campuses, taken steps to equalize funding between charter and neighborhood schools, created five parent support centers, and put a community outreach position in every school network office.
Brizard ended his speech by referencing the ongoing contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union. Pointing to his two-year-old son in the audience, Brizard said, “All he wants to do is learn to read and write. A strike does not serve anyone.”
At our school we had to give up $70,000 of instructional money
and lose a position just to pay for recess! We got extra money,sure, but budget and Brizard are playing a game with this money--knowing that positions to cover recess wourl cost and others would be lost, JUST to cover recess.
Media story--how much is the new recess costing?--look into it, the public will be outraged. Recess last year cost nothing!
he needs to stop touting his child at meetings-for what?
he does this often--even at the huge princpal meeting. Enough with your kid and deal with and give some substance here. really--IF brizard is here for his child in kinder, will he go to a neighborhood school?--if so, it will be in a wealthy area. watch...
Giving bad ratings to Tenured teachers
Chicago Teacher's Union needs to place in the contract negotiations a demand as to what is happening. Is this an order from CPS or do they know that a Principal at a southwest side school has just thrown out 8 teachers. There was no budget problem; because 4 teachers retired. He is turning the school around himself. This is a red flag that should be investigated. People need their jobs; and he is just doing it because he has buddies that need a job. He is framing teachers who have had Superior and Excellent Ratings and labeling them Unsatisfactory because he can write with a pen. He is very demeaning and shouts opening at teachers. He never listens to what they have to say; unless they are his friends. The Council has been befriended by this Principal. He even submitted a dummy budget to them. He is a one man band. So is it coming from Chicago Public Schools to frame the Tenured Teachers with an unsound Unsatistifactory Rating; and get rid of them?
To Beth
WARNING: First of all, when I write on this blog expect an avalanche of responses from the CTU Education Police Department , who monitor all the blogs and try to intimidate anyone with an opposing viewpoint.
We are not waiting on the CTU to fight our fight. Most fired teachers are no longer union members. The displaced teacher membership idea iI conceived and the union signed on to it. However the membership is so limited and does not give displaced teachers full membership and voting rights. What it allows them to do is volunteer and attend union functions to bolster numbers for the organizing department. Unfortunately, this was not what I had in mind for Displaced Teachers.
So I formed CAUSE we are having a fundraiser today at 5:00 at the Dating Game ( 8936 South Stoney Island Tickets a meager $10.00.)For Displaced Teachers, E-3 Teachers and All teachers being threatened with termination. Come out and hear about what WE AS A COMMUNITY are doing to protect our own jobs. We do not need the sanction of the CTU to fight for our lives. As soon as you can't pay the dues, you are no longer a full fledged member anyway. . Wouldn't it make since to join an organization that will advocate for you in spite of your union status ? Let's organize without CPS, without the CTU Let's get real authentic community voice that addressed the needs of our school communities. Aren't you tired of being used ???I hope to see some of you there. Join CAUSE , "WHERE WE ARE ALL TEACHERS". We also have a parental support group.
Brizard, Shows why he got 95% No confidence Vote in Rochester
Brizard has a script that he has to follow, so he is relegated to pushing the corporate business plan... not the same as a education plan. Brizard is afraid of engaging teachers. That is why his interactions are staged. We knew that when he got a no confidence vote by his teachers in Rochester, NY! Why did Rahm tap this inept person to run CPS? This does not look good for Rahm!
Paying $70,000 for recess
Your Principal is doing a poor job of allocating funds and locating resources if it costs your school that much. IMO your principal is blaming recess on the position because they wanted to close anyway.
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