catalyst-chicago.org

Cries of “Why?” and “For the 1 percent!” greeted CPS Chief Administrative Officer Tim Cawley as he outlined plans to expand the system’s investment in charters, which receive public dollars but are allowed many of the freedoms of private schools.

Chicago Public Schools' proposed budget for the coming school year drew boos and hisses from more than 200 teachers and community activists who packed a public hearing at Malcolm X College's auditorium, according to the Tribune.

At hearings Wednesday night, teachers voiced disappointment with the proposed CPS budget, criticizing the district’s continued investment in charter schools at a time of financial peril. (Catalyst)

In a letter to the editor, a CPS parent calls the monthly Chicago Board of Education public meeting "a farce."

CPS officials this week launched an interactive site that allows the public to “build their own CPS budget” — even if it’s an illegal one. (Sun-Times)

IN THE NATION
Boston Consulting and the private philanthropists supporting its work are part of a coordinated effort, critics says, to privatize Philadelphia's public education system.

Bill Turque, The Washington Post's D.C. Schools Insider reporter, has stepped down to accept an assignment helping out with The Post’s presidential campaign coverage.

While summer school still serves as grim remediation for many students who fail courses during the academic year, more school districts now view it less as a last-resort than as an inexpensive ounce of prevention, a way to head off failure and reduce the achievement gap. (USAToday)

Los Angeles school officials are fighting a court order, which took effect Wednesday, that would set aside more classroom seats for charter schools — even if that means traditional schools will lose space for parent centers, computer labs, academic intervention and other services. (Los Angeles Times)