catalyst-chicago.org

The Chicago Teachers Union issued a news release on Monday contending that, based on a Freedom of Information lawsuit it filed, Chicago Public School diverted about $70 million to avoid paying teachers a promised 4 percent raise last school year.

The money instead was given to the Chicago Police Department, mostly as payment for services previously rendered under prior agreements. The union also says CPS "lied" to the public about the Police Department payments.

Chicago Public Schools is holding three simultaneous hearings Wednesday evening to get feedback on its proposed budget for next year, but some parents say the public wasn’t given enough notice. The district released its $5 billion budget on Friday. (WBEZ)

A Sun-Times editorial says the CPS budget, which is draining nearly $400 million from its reserves, does little to deal with the school system's underlying fiscal crisis.

Despite raid on CPS reserve funds, Emanuel says he's "not kicking the can down the road." (Sun-Times)

A new website, SchoolSparrow, helps parents search for Chicago schools and homes for sale (or rent) within their budgets. The site's integrated data includes school performance, school boundaries and current real estate information, "all together in one place for the first time."

The Lend Lease team will be the construction manager for CPS' Capital Improvement Program, responsible for renovation and life safety work at more than 100 schools. Lend Lease is an international property and infrastructure group.  (PR Newswire)

IN THE STATE
The Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Board of Education approved the preliminary $43.57 million budget for the 2012-13 school year. (Tribune)

IN THE NATION
New York Times columnist David Brooks contends that schools, by emphasizing and praising diversity, have become "culturally homogeneous," thereby shutting out many boys who don't fit the ethos.

According to a recent international study, the U.S. is becoming less innovative. After ranking 7th in 2011, the U.S. is ranked 10th in this year's Global Innovation Index, a report published by Insead, an international business school, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, an agency of the United Nations. (Education Week)

Professors from colleges and universities in Georgia have written an open letter to the governor, Nathan Deal, and other officials involved with education policy to express opposition to a new teacher evaluation system that depends largely on student standardized test scores. (The Washington Post)