Parents Protest Proposed Closing of Six Schools
January 13, 2009
More than 500 people met at a public hearing to voice their concerns against a plan that could affect as many as 25 schools through closings, consolidations, phase-outs and turning around struggling schools, according to a preliminary district list. The group accused CPS of shutting schools only to reopen them as Renaissance 2010 schools under private control and without the same accountability as regular district schools. CPS wants to close underenrolled schools in the city and improve struggling schools through a "turnaround" process that requires staff members to reapply for their jobs. The critics of the Renaissance plan accused CPS of trying to weaken teachers unions and displace students, arguing that the new schools often are charter or contract schools that can exclude students and don't have to hire union or certified teachers.
More Information
- Dana Fattore Crumley
dfc@franczek.com
312.786.6583 - Darcy L. Kriha
dlk@franczek.com
312.786.6569 - Colleen F. O'Keefe
cfo@franczek.com
312.786.6179