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National Day of Action!
UNO: Politics and Corruption: Our Children Deserve Better!
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Sat. 11/30/13, 1pm - 2:30PM West Belmont Branch Library, 3104 N. Narragansett Ave., Belmont Cragin
Mon. 12/2/13 5:30PM - 7:30PM Archer Heights Library, 5055 S. Archer Ave.
Mon. 12/2/13 5:30PM - 7:30PM Archer Heights Library, 5055 S. Archer Ave.
Learn how a political group has effectively transfer our children's educational funds into the hands of wealthy investors who are making significant returns on their "investments".
The educational model implemented by UNO has nothing to do with a curricular reform or a creative/alternative teaching methodology for students, but it is a “ponzi” financial scheme supported by corporate and political interests.
UNO does not have high performing schools as they usually claim, they have at least two underperforming schools and their charter was already revoked in New Orleans in 2011 due to poor academic results.
UNO favors investors rather than educational support services, and the quality of instruction is severely affected by this type of model that has already asked for a "bail out" in 2008 and it is just a matter of time before they go bankrupt.
Lessons from the 1963 Boycott: The Struggle for Quality Education
Join us on October 22nd, the 50th anniversary of the 1963 Boycott of Chicago Public Schools, when an estimated 250,000 Chicagoans – mostly CPS students – protested segregation and inequality. The evening features a screening of in-progress documentary '63 Boycott from Kartemquin Films (The Interrupters), a panel discussion with education activists from then and now, and a spoken word performance by Malcolm London of Young Chicago Authors. The panel includes Karen Lewis of the Chicago Teachers Union; 1963 Boycott leader Rosie Simpson; Fannie Rushing, a young organizer of the 1963 Boycott; Elizabeth Todd-Breland, a historian at University of Illinois in Chicago; and Jasson Perez from Black Youth Project.
740 E 56th Pl
Chicago, IL 60637
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (CDT)
Co- Sponsored by Kartemquin Films, Chicago Teachers Union, Education for Liberation Network, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture at the University of Chicago, Crossroads Fund, Grassroots Collaborative, Black Youth Project, Young Chicago Authors, Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce, Human Rights Program at University of Chicago, Chicago Freedom School, Chicago Area Women's History Council, Teachers for Social Justice, Save Our Schools
TSJ MEETING OCT. 12TH - JOIN, GET INVOLVED, THE CALENDAR IS FULL!
Recognition of Indigenous People's Day (Oct 12)
TSJ plans for the year-If you loved the Curriculum Fair, if you volunteered for the Curriculum Fair, if you want to get involved-the calendar is full! Find out how to get involved with TSJ in the many activities in which we're involved! We'll lay out our whole year--Inquiry to Action Groups, the Elected Representative School Board Campaign, People's Board Meetings, Movie Nights, TSJ Popular Education Forums, the Campaign to Strengthen Local School Councils, Neighborhood Schools Fair, work with the Grassroots Education Movement (CTU and others), and more!
New TSJ Membership Structure
MEMBERSHIP
We are starting a paying membership program, of $20/year (t-shirt included), and $10/year for students, renewable each year on Labor Day. And that's a sliding scale, as needed.
Join TSJ, get a TSJ T-shirt and button, and learn more about how we can work for education justice in and outside the classroom!
Bring cash or checks to the meeting, we don't take credit cards!
UIC College of Education
1040 W. Harrison St
Room 3233 (3rd Floor "Commons")
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Free-All are welcome!
First People's Board Meeting Held In Chicago!
First People's Board Meeting Held Wednesday, Sept 25, 2013 at Mount Carmel Missionary Church on Chicago's South Side
Notes from a participant:
Wednesday night was a terrific People's Board Meeting. It was excellent. I counted, and we had about 100 people, but it wasn't about the numbers. People lined up and spoke, and though some folks probably could have been shorter, everyone who went up there spoke, and they said all kinds of insightful, powerful, moving, and hopeful things. The Board listened and responded, and Adourthus McDowell from KOCO chaired it (as the Board chair) and ran it like the hundreds of LSC meetings he's run over 20 years—fairly, decently, with dignity and seriousness, noting important things for us to do and be.
It was a great example of us trying to live what we want to be. We don't often get to practice that kind of people's democracy, and although we do not have democracy (people's or otherwise!), it is important to envision it and practice it when we can. We have to become the people we want to be, in the process of changing the world. As one speaker said, we are authentic and transparent, and are engaging in a bottom-up process to change our children's education. You could feel it Wednesday night. Everyone there seem to take it very seriously. People spoke from the heart and others listened, and it felt powerful.
And Jessica Suárez spoke on behalf of TSJ, and spoke from the heart (as always) as a mother and to-be-teacher about how you have to know the students' community and have passion for their struggles.
(Photos by Rousemary Vega)
Notes from a participant:
Wednesday night was a terrific People's Board Meeting. It was excellent. I counted, and we had about 100 people, but it wasn't about the numbers. People lined up and spoke, and though some folks probably could have been shorter, everyone who went up there spoke, and they said all kinds of insightful, powerful, moving, and hopeful things. The Board listened and responded, and Adourthus McDowell from KOCO chaired it (as the Board chair) and ran it like the hundreds of LSC meetings he's run over 20 years—fairly, decently, with dignity and seriousness, noting important things for us to do and be.
It was a great example of us trying to live what we want to be. We don't often get to practice that kind of people's democracy, and although we do not have democracy (people's or otherwise!), it is important to envision it and practice it when we can. We have to become the people we want to be, in the process of changing the world. As one speaker said, we are authentic and transparent, and are engaging in a bottom-up process to change our children's education. You could feel it Wednesday night. Everyone there seem to take it very seriously. People spoke from the heart and others listened, and it felt powerful.
And Jessica Suárez spoke on behalf of TSJ, and spoke from the heart (as always) as a mother and to-be-teacher about how you have to know the students' community and have passion for their struggles.
(Photos by Rousemary Vega)
People's Board Meeting:Wed, 9/25, 5:30 PM
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Milwaukee Schools Under Attack-Need Our Help!
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Brought in for reform, UNO Chairman Martin Cabrera Jr resigns after 3 months! "UNO: Corruption, profit and public accountability"
After joining UNO as Board's Chairman, Martin Cabrera Jr. resigns. During his short time, Gov. Pat Quinn restored the $98 million school-construction for UNO to complete construction of a new high school in the Southwest Side.
Letter to Tribune's editorial team
"UNO: Corruption, profit, and public responsibility"
We are very disappointed by the Tribune’s June 6 editorial, “UNO scrambles to save itself” supporting Juan Rangel as UNO’s CEO, even though, as the Sun Times reported, many Latino community organizations and leaders are demanding that Rangel step down in order to have a transparent investigation of UNO and its real transformation.
UNO is a publicly-funded institution and should be accountable to the public and taxpayers who support it. The crisis in UNO reinforces the need for ALL schools that receive public funding—including charter schools—to have elected Local School Councils. This is particularly so for UNO which has received more public funding than any other charter school operator. Only an elected LSC of parents and community members can restructure and hold accountable an organization that has misused public funds with the consent of the current UNO Board.
What is the real reason Juan Rangel wants to remain the UNO CEO and Cabrera the new Board chair? Rangel admits that he failed as CEO, as he knowingly signed inappropriate millionaire contracts with "people he trusted." He put family members on the payroll, and made significant donations (through UNO staff) to political campaigns for candidates who are likely to protect UNO practices. This corruption and politicking secured UNO roughly $70 million in public bonds (that UNO Board President, Martin Cabrera and his financial firm helped sell to wealthy investors). If the Tribune were to investigate the economic interests at stake, it would find that investors can double their investments in charter schools in only seven years by using New Markets tax credits. But this depends on UNO continuing to grow and get money from CPS. Is UNO helping investors to profit from our children's educational funds?
The Tribune’s claim that UNO runs “excellent schools” needs fact checking. The consequences of UNO’s financial schemes and its flawed education model are already felt at some UNO Schools, at least two of which- UNO Tamayo and UNO Las Casas—perform at the lowest level. We predict that it is just a matter of time before more taxpayer funds will go towards paying UNO’s investors, rather than addressing the educational needs of Latina(o) students. This is a disservice to our community and our children.
Byron Sigcho,
Vice-President
Hispanic Literacy Council and Teachers for Social Justice
Pauline Lipman,
Professor Educational Policy Studies,
UIC and Teachers for Social Justice
Popular Education Pieces are Available for Download - Spread the word!
TSJ has created Popular Education Pieces that set forth a vision of what public schools should look like while connecting the dots of between many of the corporate style "reforms" that are in opposition to that vision. These 10 page booklets can be downloaded and printed for use at meetings, in classrooms and other gatherings where people are fighting for social justice in education. They can be used as full booklets, or as individual issue fact-sheets. Please distribute widely.
Download the English version here. (revised 9.11.13)
Download the Spanish version here.
(Note: The Spanish version is missing some of the cartoon images while we try to locate Spanish language versions.)
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Download the Spanish version here.
(Note: The Spanish version is missing some of the cartoon images while we try to locate Spanish language versions.)
Education as a Human Right Day-Boycott CPS August 28!
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CPS has demolished Whittier Elementary's "La Casita" parent center and library
URGENT:
La Casita at Whittier school was demolished today around 9:30 am without notice or previous meeting with the community, as Alderman Solis and CPS promised. The construction crew with police support broke a side fence to avoid dozens of protesters who were blocking the main entrances, and they started to demolish our children's library so that a private high school near by can build a soccer field. PLEASE come at a vigil today at 4:30 pm (1900 W. 23rd) to demand that Alderman Solis honors his word to build another library for our children, and more importantly, to demand CPS and the mayor to stop giving public funds and/or subsidies to private institutions at the expense of our communities. If you can't come, please call Alderman Solis at 312-952-0581 or 773-523-4100 and demand that at least have the decency to come and explain what is happening.
More photos of today's demolition are at http://m.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/17/1231888/-PICS-La-Casita-Demolished-Saturday-Morning-By-Rahm
Sun-Times Story about the demolition:
Read more at: http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/21984396-418/whittier-fieldhouse-razed-protesters-arrested.html
La Casita at Whittier school was demolished today around 9:30 am without notice or previous meeting with the community, as Alderman Solis and CPS promised. The construction crew with police support broke a side fence to avoid dozens of protesters who were blocking the main entrances, and they started to demolish our children's library so that a private high school near by can build a soccer field. PLEASE come at a vigil today at 4:30 pm (1900 W. 23rd) to demand that Alderman Solis honors his word to build another library for our children, and more importantly, to demand CPS and the mayor to stop giving public funds and/or subsidies to private institutions at the expense of our communities. If you can't come, please call Alderman Solis at 312-952-0581 or 773-523-4100 and demand that at least have the decency to come and explain what is happening.
More photos of today's demolition are at http://m.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/17/1231888/-PICS-La-Casita-Demolished-Saturday-Morning-By-Rahm
Sun-Times Story about the demolition:
“We were told that we could have a meeting with Danny Solis and CPS this morning,” activist Carolina Gaete said. “But when we came for the meeting this morning, this is what was waiting for us,” she added, pointing to the worksite and demolished building.”A group of angry parents marched to nearby Benito Juarez high school, where a summer fair was being held, in the hopes of confronting Solis. But Solis is “out of town, on vacation,” staff manning a stall at the fair for Solis said.
Gaete vowed that protestors would fight on despite the demolition of the building, saying they’ll try to stop CPS from laying a soccer field at the site of the field house, and try to find a new home for the volunteer-run library, English language and Dance classes that the field house hosted.
“We’re not defeated,” she said. “We just have to work out our next move.”
Read more at: http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/21984396-418/whittier-fieldhouse-razed-protesters-arrested.html
Help restore the CPS budget cuts. Two things you can do this week to get Mayor Emanuel to return money to CPS Schools.
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ALEC Protest, City Council Education Committee Meeting and Bud Billiken Parade
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CPS budget cuts are another attack on schools, but communities are fighting back.
Chicago Public School leaders got an earful Thursday night at a public hearing about next year's budget. - Photo via ABC Chicago
The Chicago Sun Times covered the budget hearing in Englewood where TSJ member Byron Sigcho called out CPS for de-humanizing students and doing absurd things such as shifting art and physical education to online classes:
“When you yourself refer to our children as seats, it’s hard to believe that you think of our children more than seats and of our communities more than spreadsheets,” he said. Sigcho, a grad student at University of Illinois at Chicago, continued to vent. "You’re really proposing that our children take P.E. and art classes online? To me that’s a joke. That’s not investing in our youth. . . . Why does CPS keep funding corrupt charter networks?” he said, referring to the UNO Charter Schools."
WBEZ reports that "A top school official at the North Side hearing said at the start of the meeting he didn’t just want to hear complaints about cuts. He wanted solutions for closing the district’s $643 million gap between revenue and expenses."
“Tell us the things you think we’re spending money on, that you think we ought to cut,” said Chief Administrative Officer Tim Cawley. “You can’t just say, ‘Give us more.’ Tell us what you think we should cut.”Speakers were happy to comply.“Ask the 20 charter schools that are opening after 50 public schools have closed—ask them to do more with less,” said Dan Phelan, who worked as a teacher in the writing center at Schurz High School until he was laid off last month."
According to this Chicago Tribune Article, CPS claims that they are "only" cutting $68 million from classrooms, but other estimates are much higher - closer to $162 million causing massive cuts to art, music, physical education, libraries and core teaching positions.
Parents at the budget hearing at Truman College on the city's north side "railed at CPS": "I'm angry that the mayor sold the idea of a longer school day and only funded it for a year," said Janet Meegan, a parent at Mitchell Elementary in the West Town neighborhood...Meegan said her school has lost a specialized reading teacher [one of the 500 positions Rahm promised as part of the longer day] and a librarian. Parents, she said, will be pitching in with increased student fees to help pay for art and music programs. This was not what we were promised," Meegan said at a hearing at Truman College in Uptown attended by about 200 people.
Progress Illinois reports that at the north side hearing CPS Chief Administrative Officer Tim Cawley (who lives in a north-shore suburb on a waiver of CPS's residency policy) "...really struck a nerve while discussing various investments the district is making for next year, including a $7.7 million expansion of its Safe Passage program. The program is being ramped up with 600 additional Safe Passage workers to cover routes for the 51 welcoming schools.
“You probably don’t have to worry about Safe Passage up in these neighborhoods,” Cawley said, which caused an uproar.
“How would you know,” one person at the meeting asked Cawley. Others said: “How insulting!” “How dare you?” “Oh my God!” and “Where are you from?”
“My son was shot and murdered near here. Don’t even go there,” said local resident Carol Keating-Johnson. “You don’t know what’s going on in these communities.”
Via Bob Simpson "Action Now led a walkout of the Chicago Public Schools budget hearings at Malcolm X College tonight (Friday Aug. 2). Decrying the undemocratic CPS public hearings that have so far not been attended by Barbara Byrd Bennett or Mayor Emanuel, they led about 2/3 of the audience out of the auditorium." - This walkout was not covered by any media outlets. TSJ Solidarity with TAG Philadelphia Statement about Trayvon Martin Verdict
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Our City, Our Schools, Our Voice
Please sign up to march with TSJ-we will be marching on both the South and West sides. And you can march 20 minutes, or the full three days, your choice! And all TSJ marchers get a new, TSJ "activist" t-shirt that looks just like our logo w/ an orange background! Nice!
The march ends with a rally at Daley Plaza, Monday, May 20 at 4 PM!
March starting point:
Lafayette Elementary, 2714 W Augusta Blvd.
Saturday, May 18, 10:00 AM
Saturday, May 18, 10:00 AM
Final South Side march route and times here;
March starting point:
Jesse Owens Elementary Community Academy 12450 S. State
Saturday, May 18, 10:00 AM
Saturday, May 18, 10:00 AM
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To help provide logistical support, please email Rebecca at the CTU. Tasks include (and some of these can be done while marching)
___Trouble shooting Floaters
___Marshal
___Communicator (media liaison)
___Chant Leader
___Chant Leader
___Pass out Flyers/Signs
___Registration table
___Food duty
___Set up/break down
___Set up/break down
___ Driver
WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO CONSIDER TAKING A DAY OFF WORK ON MAY 20 TO MAKE SURE IT IS A STRONG FINISH TO THE MARCH ON A WORK DAY (Monday, May 20).
Stop School Closings: What You Can Do!
TSJers: What You Can Do to Organize Against School Closings:
1) Petitions for a moratorium on school closings (attached, Spanish and English). Each sheet has room for 10 names. These are NOT online petitions, but are old-style real signatures (remember those?). Once done, they need to be delivered or faxed to CTU, or scanned and emailed (all contact info on petitions themselves). Then email us and let us know how many actual signatures you collected!! Help get as many signers as we can!
2) Go to Report Card pickup at a school near you that is affected by the closings (133 schools). Elementary schools are Wednesday, 4/17, and High Schools are Thursday, 4/18. Usually, report card pickup is 12:00 to 6:00, but check w/ the school. The best times are 12-1 and from 5-6.
* Hand out attached fact sheet, available also at our website
3) Speak at a faith community near you (see flyer; this is an initiative to reach out to faith communities to fight the school closings).
4) Lobby in Springfield for a moratorium on school closings, and for the Elected Representative School Board. A bus is traveling to Springfield each Wednesday. CTU/GEM is working to fill it with parents and people who work at the school action schools, but others are welcome. Please urge parents and others from closing/turnaround schools to get on the bus. Next Wed. 4/17 there are a number of empty seats. Contact Carolyn to reserve a space.
5) Use and share the school closing curriculum-available here, created by Cyriac Mathew, Uplift HS.
6) Check out the calendar of events, school closing hearings, etc.
7) Attend CTU President Karen Lewis' talk at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, this Wednesday the 17th at 7pm.
8) Keep reading your TSJ emails to stay abreast and active!
School Closings Curriculum - Teaching For Social Justice
Curriculum Created by Cyriac Mathew, a TSJer at Uplift Social Justice High School:
Teachers & Educators: Have your students learn about school closings and implement a related service-learning project! This is a two-week, work-in-progress curriculum to get our students to better understand some of the issues related to school closings and then make their voices heard.
March 27 Rally
March 25 Students March
Whether you are a HS teacher or not-this curriculum is really important because it not only serves as a model of how to prepare young people to understand and change their world, but it also shows what teachers can do inside the classroom as well as outside! It's a great model and we urge ALL teachers to try to do similar work to what Cyriac is doing.
Download the curriculum here:
1. Unit Plan
For further info, email Cyriac directly.
Also, a whole host of pictures by TSJer Sarah Jane Rhee and her ever-present camera:
March 25 Students March
Please make sure you give credit to Cyriac and/or Sarah if you use their materials!
Help Organize Against School Closings!
Join TSJ, GEM, and CTU in organizing against school closings.
Help us gather TSJ folks to prepare for the March 27th STOP SCHOOL CLOSINGS Rally!
On March 27th, GEM will host a rally at Daley Plaza (Clark & Washington) to demand NO SCHOOL CLOSINGS! We are meeting at 4PM! Please come out for this important action!
In preparation for this rally, there are several ways to get involved:
- Pilsen-Little Village (Mon 3/18, 6PM); contact Rosi or Byron
- Fulton (Tue 3/19, 6:30PM); contact Phil or Pauline
- Lake Calumet (Wed 3/20, 4PM); contact Rosi
- Englewood-Gresham (Wed 3/20, 4:30pm); contact Tonya
- Pershing (Wed 3/20, 4:30pm); contact Byron or Rico
- Rock Island (Thu 3/21, 3:30pm); contact Kelly
- Ravenswood-Ridge (Thu 3/21, 6PM); contact Katie
3. Attend the ART/BANNER making party for the March 27th Rally. Hosted by Jobs with Justice, Monday and Tuesday, March 18 & 19, 6-9PM, 333 S. Ashland Ave. All are welcome!
