Schools and Youth Hot Topics

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State schools budget gap only partially plugged (by 75% and not affecting the class size incr. to 37) ieand only gimmicks are being thought of. Our schools are in deep crisis, with budget cuts threatening to undo all the efforts of the past several years. Students and teachers have been marching from the schools to the offices of elected officials. Details and takes in the School News page.
June 17, Thursday, 10:30 am. School and teacher advocates incl. from Hyde Park against increasing class size and for more funds including from the ciity marches from the Thompson Center to City Hall. More info http://www.NoTo37.org.

June 28: CPS AT THE END OF JUNE BACKED OFF 35/37 CLASS SIZE AND WENT BACK TO 2010 although high schools will still have to go from 31 to 33. Separately, Supt. Huberman wants the teachers to surrender this year's 4% raise (a third of the value of remaining deficit if the following happens). Huberman indicated CPS MIGHT get enough from the state board of ed "categorical" funding (such as special ed) to return to 28 per class for K-3, 4-8th to 31, and high school to go up "only" from 31 to 33 and full day Kindergarten may be restored. This would be from an additional $57 million plus $18 million in new cuts. For things to really get better, Gov. Quinn would have to sign a bill to pay the $352 it owes CPS and pay future bills on time.

Murray gets 7th and 8th grades back. Implications for a neighborhood school plan? And cuts there and at Ray, Harte are severe. See in School News page.

Kenwoood Assistant Principal Michael Boraz has been selected principal of Lincoln Park High School.

The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research and Urban Education Institute have recently put out important findings - see UC Research. and Organizing Schools. Visit ccsr.uchicago.edu.

Find out about running for your Local School Council. CPS phone number- 773 553-1400. Find our the stats and details on any public school at www.cps.edu.

See below what matters of concern could or should be hot topics for parents and the Hyde Park community.

To our Schools and Schools Committee homepage has the navigator to our extensive materials on schools and education and lists key meetings and from there visit our school and education subject material: Local School Councils, Education and School News, News of and from Schools and Kenwood Academy, School and Education Resources in the Community, School Directory with descriptions, Community Schools, Promise Zones, Developmental Asset-Building, Defining Excellence-- and the linked connection guide to After and Out of School Programs including our own Youth Programs Database. Link also to information on school tests scores and rankings and on University of Chicago school and education programs, resources, and research.
To brochure About the Schools Committee's vision and program. To Youth Programs Database page.

The Committee next meets May 11, Tuesday, 7 pm at 1448 E. 53rd (Blackstone entry)

(See report on Feb. 23 LSC Ceremony and talk on school turnaround).

Kenwood Academy SIPAAA plan subject of concerned town hall meeting Saturday, May 1, The Council approved on it May 4. Read about in Kenwood page.

The CPS school budget for 2010-2011 is out and it is not a pretty one. Most schools face substantial cuts, and there are battles, likely in each school over the SIPAAA (which they are all racing to finish by May 7) all over Chicago and sometimes pitting teachers vs community, over using as much discretionary school money as possible to minimize loss of teachers and hence unmanageable class sizes. This played out at Kenwood Academy, with a likely compromised being commitment to review after the SIPAAA becomes a living document July 1. See in Kenwood Academy or School News takes on how to deal with the cuts.

For parents and students, their own school has top priority, and only a limited number of people in Hyde Park consider the neighborhood's schools or Chicago schools as a whole to be a "hot topic." Yet having good schools-- and widespread satisfaction with the schools and feeling that our children are respected and have a full suite opportunities to grow into successful adults-- has been shown to be a key prerequisite for strong and sustainable communities. There are in fact some structural and perceptual challenges in Hyde Park School, of which the late 2009 placement of three elementary schools on "academic probation" may be symptomatic. Outside the immediate area there is much more widespread dissatisfaction with many Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policies particularly on school closings and transformation, and hence many activist organizations that seek to hold schools and CPS accountable and provide training and networking services. The Woodlawn Children's Promise Zone program, heavily supported by the University of Chicago, seeks to re-make schools in the area into not just as a network of high-performing schools but as community service and building centers, and create winning strategies that can be scaled throughout Chicago including Hyde Park. Notable among those actively providing and seeking services, programs, tutors, curricula and training is the University of Chicago including, to name three, Urban Education Institute, Neighborhood Schools, and University Community Service Center- involving many student organizations. South East Chicago Commission has an active Schools Committee and many local organizations and institutions have programs in schools.

HPKCC's Schools Committee is among those with a strong interest in promoting high quality schools (- and not waiting for wide reforms to get underway), networking of best practices in schooling and school governance (including promotion of and services to good working Local School Councils), and seeking to rev up a full suite of programs and activities in and out of school across the child development spectrum so each child can grow in the skills, life assets, support, and experiences needed. We hold annual networking and awards dinners for LSCs/PTAs and principals and occasional public forums on schools topics and other informational and schools-support outreach in the community. Thus we continue Hyde Park's long tradition of making education its "mission" and of school (public and private) promotion, defense and activism and the commendable record of the HPKCC Schools Committee from the 1950s until the era of local school councils..

Our Schools Committee believes that while Hyde Park has many very good schools, LSCs and parent support groups, and programs, some schools are struggling and all lack optimum resources and conditions identified by experience and many studies (including from the University of Chicago's Consortium for Chicago School Research/Urban Education Institute). Afterschool and out of school programs are uneven--indeed, the Schools Committee is exploring a consortium to support such programs and a platform for connecting programs, parents, educators/partnering schools (find links to description in the Schools and Schools Committee homepage). A consortium would also continue and expand the above Schools Committee initiatives and education and involvement of the public. Already online is our Youth Programs Database.

Just starting in 2010 and likely to heat up are contests for Local School Councils that hold their biennial elections in April 2010. Learn about elections, what LSC's are and who's on them, and a schedule of their monthly meetings in the LSC page. The Schools Committee strongly encourages parents and community members to run and serve.

Some matters and occurrences that could be considered candidates for a schools "hot topics" list