catalyst-chicago.org

CPS officials have told a state legislative committee that they will expand the criteria for closing schools this year to include under-utilization, not just long-term academic failure.

Officials also have been going out to community action councils—CPS-organized groups of community stakeholders—and giving them lists of under-utilized, low-achieving schools, as if to prepare them for what might happen.

If the Chicago Teachers Union goes on strike, CPS has plans to open about one-third of public schools for a half-day, serving meals to students and offering some activities--but no instruction. Meanwhile, community groups are scrambling to see if they can pull together their own plans for students if teachers decide to walk out.

A coalition of community groups pushing to get an elected school board believes they have enough signatures to get a referendum gauging public support on the November ballot in 204 precincts, about 9 percent of the precincts in Chicago.

About 70 people, including students, teachers and parents, were on hand Monday morning as organizers walked the petitions with about 9,700 signatures, into the Chicago Board of Elections office. Phil Cantor, a member of Teachers for Social Justice and a CPS parent, said the group expects to have the petitions challenged.