I work at a CPS school that has been on probation for 2 years, the 1st year for Science, and the 2nd year; Reading was added (just 2% lower). I have commented previously on other coverage that we have no guidance. Tonight, the CTU VP said that the board holds back money from the probational schools. It must be true. This is the first year, our budget was cut. The teachers have to buy their own supplies, pens, pencils, paper, etc. My co-workers and I have been asking where is our money? Now I get it. To those disbelievers, my school is exactly like Mr. Sharkey said, no art or music, a nurse that comes 1 day a week, part time social worker etc. If the board invested in our school now, we would have a chance. Its like we are drowning and instead of throwing a life jacket they are just sitting back and watching while holding the life jacket in our view! Shame on the board! They are not working for the interest of our children! We have some wonderful dedicated teachers. Teachers and parents have to work together to get our students educated. Parents need to know that they are a huge piece in their child's success and must reinforce, talk and quiz their children at home. I'm not sure how we make this happen but until we do, there is a piece of the puzzle missing. Cutting us off is not the answer. Historically, the board changes things up and things look good short term, but the long term results prove to be the same. They change the testing, or how the results are viewed to make things look good for them. It is a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Until that changes and they talk to us, those in the classroom, it won't change.

It's interesting that you have a map up here. Demographics plays a much larger role in selecting schools for turnaround than performance. Marquette Elementary, for instance, is the largest school in its area. The larger the school, the more money turnaround companies like AUSL receive. Schools with lower enrollment are easier to phase out and hand over to a charter organization. All of these private interests are politically connected to the mayor and have been salivating at this opportunity ever since the election. This is about dollar signs for them, NOT children. If it were truly about helping children, they would be following a more effective turnaround model. The consistently most improved schools in CPS are those where the existing teaching staff led the reform efforts. We don't hear much about those efforts; because Rahm's freinds don't make money and committed veteran teachers can't be fired and communities can't have their voice stripped from them when you actually make real improvements. This entire process is shameful and degrading to some of the most vital people in our communities. Tell the Board to stop playing politics with your children and start respecting your neighborhood schools.

PABLO CASALS SCHOOL has seen many staff positions lost in the last few years. We have a Computer Lab, with no computer teacher. We have a fully outfitted Science Lab, with no science teacher. We used to have a Literacy Coach and a Reading Interventionist, both of whom gave extra tutoring to K - 3 students at high risk, and both of those positions were cut. We used to have a 1/2 time reading teacher to give extra support to high risk students, and her position was cut last August. We are named after a famous cellist, but have no music program. We have rugs in classrooms, some of which date back to 1989, and the school only gets funds each year to remove the rugs and replace them with tile for a few classrooms. There are still several classrooms with rugs, a sanitary and health concern for the kids.
STILL , with all these cuts from CPS , Casals has made steady gains each year and in 2011 , 61.5 % of its students were at or above level, a score better than that of over 100 elementary schools in Chicago. Mr. Brizard has called Casals the worst school in Humboldt Park and the city, disregarding all the data to the contrary. Using 'value-added' data that nobody really understands, they can make a horse into a donkey. But the truth is that the proposed turnaround of Casals is only a political move to give AUSL a nice 22-year old building and eventually displace the neighborhood children of Humboldt Park. The parents of Casals know this, and voted 171 - 10 AGAINST the turnaround, even after all the propaganda CPS has been sending them to convince them.
CPS has been doing turnarounds / closures for over 10 years with very little to show for it, and yet they continue doing it hoping for different results. The "insanity" that is CPS needs a turnaround, an elected Board that will answer to the voters, not to the Mayor and his pals.

Back in the 50's and 60's we kids received an excellent education. Delivery of quality education in America has been done successfully in the past. So why not now? What is different? The difference is teachers' unions. Once they took control
education went down the dumper. The hundreds of billions the politicians threw at the problem did not fix it. Teachers bear the responsibility for failing schools,
which will continue to fail until public employee unions are outlawed, poorly performing teachers can be let go and parents have full freedom of choice of schools for their children.