Duprey Elementary School's Fight to Stay Open


The Ana Roque de Duprey Elementary School is one of 62 schools caught up in the battle over school closings. Elizabeth Brackett reports on the efforts of parents and teachers at the Humboldt Park school to keep the schools doors open.

Like many schools on the proposed CPS closure list, the Duprey school insists its students would be better off staying right where they are. Duprey shares space with the Von Humboldt grade school in the nearly 100-year-old Von Humboldt building. CPS proposes closing both schools and sending students to the nearby Jose De Diego school.

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“It would definitely be sad first of all because it’s such a good school in a place where a lot of kids need the school to be open,” said parent Veronica Martinez.

“Since I was a little kid, I go to this school and I don’t want to lose it because I learned my math from here, and I had a good opportunity of me coming here,” said student Jayda Collazo.

If the Duprey school closes, it will be the second time many of the students will have had to move. Five years ago, the Duprey school was located in another building. But CPS closed Duprey and the students moved to Von Humboldt. Then CPS leased the building to a charter school.

After the move, Duprey students struggled and the school was placed on probation. But the students made steady improvement, and moved off of probation with 75 percent of the students now at or above grade level.

Duprey school counselor Alexander Stewart Roi says it has taken a lot of hard work but both Duprey and Von Humboldt have shown success.

“Currently, we’re off probation. And I know that Von Humboldt is on the rise; they’ve been getting some really good test scores; they’ve been getting some really good data,” said Stewart Roi. “They are now a level two school where they were at a level three. Most schools should be able to maybe merge and work together to have another viable school in the location.”

CPS says all welcoming schools must be higher-performing than closed schools. The Diego school is on probation. Stewart Roi challenged the decision to close Duprey at the CPS public hearing on the school.

“Duprey is not on probation, and you cannot explain to me that CPS is willing to create a new category of what good and bad is, when all along the guideline has always been if a school’s on probation, it’s not better than a school that is not on probation,” he said.

But CPS’ Adam Anderson says the CPS definition of a higher performing school has expanded.

“We really looked at a holistic picture. On or off probation doesn't really give,” said Anderson. “In that moment of time, which is what we are evaluating today, the full picture of the school. And so based on that definition that what we are using, De Diego is the higher performing school of the three schools.”

Duprey parents and teachers say the school’s success has come because of its small size. 

“We’re a small school. We were built as a small school, and we’ve had success built on that small school principle,” said Stewart Roi. “And there’s a lot of data out there that will tell you smaller schools do outperform larger schools, specifically when the poverty gets so high. My poverty level in my school is 99.8 percent.”

Diego is a much larger school. It was built as a high school at the turn of the century. It has a current population of 776. With Duprey and Von Humboldt students, it could top 1,000. Tearful parents and students told the hearing officer their fears.

“I am a parent who works every day, who gets up every morning at 4:00. And I feel comfortable with my child in Duprey school because I know it's a small school,” said Anna Elizabeth Castro at a community meeting. “The principal can know each family, and that is going to be a lot different in a big school. A thousand kids means many families. How can they care about every family? At Duprey, we have resources. I know every teacher, they know my daughter’s name. And I feel good with that.”

“There is a lot to learn here at Duprey,” said a student. “I am already planning colleges for me. Duprey was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

But CPS says the numbers show that Diego will not become overcrowded.

“The CEO has proposed that the students from Duprey and Von Humboldt be welcomed at Jose De Diego Community Academy. If either or both of these proposals are approved by the Board of Education for the city of Chicago, the resulting space utilization will not exceed the Diego facilities enrollment efficiency range as defined by CPS base utilization standards,” said Patrick Payne with CPS.

CPS says Duprey students will benefit from a proposed new IB program at Diego, along with upgraded science and computer labs. But Anderson says he understands the concern.

“It’s difficult and it’s emotional, but at the end of the day, I believe in it,” he said. “I believe that as long as we do it well and we do it in partnership with the communities and with the students, that it will be the right thing in the long run.”

“At the end of the day, I truly believe my kids will be better served where they’re at, so I have to fight for that to happen,” said Stewart Roi.

The School Board will take the final vote on the fate of Duprey and all the proposed school closings on May 22.

The last round of public hearings on school closings will be held this Thursday night. CPS says it will have then held nearly 230 community meetings and public hearings to discuss school closings.

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