Turnarounds. Acceptance letters. The Consortium defends its integrity. Spending. Sick (and vacation) days. These are some of the topics addressed in today's education news. See also the ongoing debate about Noble going on in comments.
SPENDING
Memories of Whitney Chicago Sun-Times: PAT QUINN will announce Thursday around $115 million in funding to improve Chicago Public Schools. ALSO: Gov. Quinn Echoes President: Raise School Dropout Age
Union: Increase school spending by $713 million Catalyst: Despite a sea of red ink in the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union is calling for $713 million in new spending to beef up local school staffs, plus more changes that the union has not yet priced out.
TURNAROUNDS
School report informs decision makers Sun Times (Elaine Allensworth): We neither release findings nor hold them back at the request of the district.
Emanuel Defends Charter Discipline Fox: Mayor Rahm Emanuel defended a charter school's use of fines to maintain student discipline in after protests Monday.
The Noble rules Tribune (editorial): As the Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Legislature grow less tolerant of failure in education, as they push for status-quo-shaking change in schools, the defenders of the old ways of education get more nervous.
Look closer Chicago Journal: But we think it's a bit dishonest for Chicago Public Schools brass not to own up to the fact that the school they want to shut down for its poor performance has a disproportionate number of kids who need extra help.
Numbers don't tell the whole story Chicago Journal: Chicago Public Schools has plans to close the school at the end of the year.
Is CPS abusing probation? CMW: Probation was one of two main methods of getting rid of democratic school governance, according to the report. The other was establishing new schools without LSCs under Renaissance 2010.
ACCEPTANCE LETTERS
On Chicago's West Side, school teaches character. Math, too. WBEZ: Chicago area high schools send out their acceptance letters starting this week, and the topic is on every 8th grader’s mind.
CPS changes selection metric after deadline for selective-enrollment applications Crain's Chicago Business: CPS quietly has changed one of the calculations used to place students into Chicago's elite selective-enrollment schools, prompting an outcry from some parents. The controversial “tier” system, in which students are categorized .
SICK DAYS
CPS Wants to End Costly Sick Day Policy Fox: Chicago Public Schools want to revise the district's sick day policy that costs them about $37 million a year.
CPS on pile of unused days: Can’t take them with you Sun Times: Principals and other non-union Chicago Public School employees would only be able to cash out a maximum 30 days of unused vacation days upon retirement — less than half of what is now allowed — under a proposed CPS crackdown on excessive farewell payouts.
CPS looking to tighten vacation policy as well Tribune: A day after Chicago Public Schools officials announced plans to revise a sick day policy that's allowed employees to accumulate sick days over multiple years, district administrators said they want to reduce the number of vacation days that can be accrued...
Cayne Collier: Does Arne Duncan need a parent teacher conference? WBEZ: Comedian Cayne Collier takes a look at a new investigation by the Better Government Association that reveals that the city is losing money handing out back...
Filed under: Daily News Roundup, Events & Deadlines, Parents and Parenting
Another reason not to trust Crimanuel.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2012/0215/Chicago-area-called-most-corrupt-in-US.-Why-Rahm-Emanuel-is-under-fire
Mega-rich venture capitalist Bruce Rauner who helped Mayor Rahm Emanuel become a millionaire and tossed tons of money into Rahm's mayoral election campaign is eyeing the Chicago Public Schools. Bruce is a member of the Board of the Renaissance Schools Fund, chairman of the Education Committee of the Civic Committee, a major contributor to the Academy of Urban Schools Leadership (AUSL), chair of the ACT Charter High School board of directors and has his own charter school, the Rauner College Prep Charter High School, one of Noble Street Charter Schools. Bruce Rauner recently garnered attention as a prime mover of the education reform legislation that passed Springfield, smashing teacher's right to strike and paving the way for longer school days in chicago. Bruce Rauner, principal in and chairman of GTCR Golder Rauner LLC, reportedly is proposing to sell empty and near-empty academic buildings to a privately capitalized venture fund that he and perhaps some other well-connected types like the Gates Foundation would put together. Those same building then would be leased to charter schools. There is $200 million in equity, $600 million in debt and 100 school buildings. CPS owns at least a dozen empty buildings now and with 100,000 plus fewer students than it had three or four decades ago. If CPS doesn't have 100 buildings, the Archdiocese of Chicago might be able to provide the rest. Now we know the real reason why CPS wants to close, consolidate, turnaround and phase out CPS schools.
What do journalism teachers say? "Follow the money."
Dear district299reader, there is more. P.S.- Hint, how do you say Resolute Consulting and Stand For Children. Stay tune.
Tele-Town Hall On Longer School Day « CBS Chicago http://ow.ly/978Se 6:10 pm tonight
Regarding the Rebecca Harris report in Catalyst
great commentaries by both George Schmidt and Rod Estvan at
http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/notebook/2012/02/16/19854/union-increase-school-spending-713-million
I thought the Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE) Presentation at UIC would have been noted. Educational researchers, follow the research data and show CPS as not using the "DATA" ( as CPS loves to say they are doing) to inform their budget and educational priorities. Yup! CPS runs on policies that lack research. http://createchicago.blogspot.com/ Search for Brief 1 to download.