Progress Illinois

The Chicago Teachers Union and community activists are enraged that the Board of Education rubber stamped school closings and turnarounds -- they want Chicago voters, not the Chicago Mayor, to elect the board. But if the mayor-appointed board has uncritically adopted Chicago Public Schools policies, the Illinois General Assembly hasn’t.

One year after passing a landmark education reform law that increased CPS powers, some lawmakers now want to rein in the school district’s ability to shut down schools or fire staff. Read more »

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) is proposing a way to improve student performance at Chicago elementary and high schools that doesn’t involve spending taxpayer money.

Ford is looking to offer merit pay to elected Local School Council (LSC) members whose schools show marked academic improvement. If the proposal passes, Ford says the money used for the compensation would come from the Illinois State Lottery rather than a new tax. Merit pay is needed to show the LSC members support for the responsibilities they shoulder, Ford said.
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The Chicago Board Education unanimously approved Wednesday night to close, phase out, or turnaround 17 academically struggling Chicago public schools.

A school slated for turnaround will see its entire staff – teachers, librarians, and principal – completely replaced.

Activists said CPS’s decision targets a disproportionate number of schools whose student populations are made up of predominantly low-income black and Latino students. They warn that turnarounds will destabilize an already fragile learning environment for these students.

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Ten members of nine local school councils Thursday filed a lawsuit with the Circuit Court of Cook County seeking to stop the Chicago Public Schools Board from closing or turning around their neighborhood schools.

With financial and legal backing from the Chicago Teachers Union, the LSC members allege that CPS is targeting a disproportionately high number of schools with predominantly African American student bodies for these actions.

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