Against a backdrop of horns and marching bands, thousands of teachers, parents and students streamed into Daley Plaza in Chicago on March 27. Chanting “Save Our Schools,” they demanded that Mayor Emanuel stop the closing of 54 elementary schools and they stood up for public education in the face of hostile corporate forces. The marchers occupied the street outside the Mayor’s office. More than 100 were arrested as they sat down and linked arms blocking the street. After pleading with authorities to keep their schools open, they are recognizing that the hearings are kangaroo courts and the outcome already decided. More and more the focus of political responsibility has shifted to the Mayor, who appoints the puppet school board and the CEO of the schools.
Dr. Todd Alan Price, Professor of Education at National Louis University interviewed some of the rally participants. He asked Jesse Jackson, Sr. about mayoral control of the school board. Jackson responded: “The elected school board is a step in the right direction . . .This fight’s for freedom in our community. This is a top-down oligarchy.”
A recently graduated high school student told Dr. Price: “I think Rahm Emmanuel needs to see the student standpoint on this. He’s thinking for himself, he’s thinking about his billionaire buddies, . . . Closing schools and merging schools you’ll have students . . . you’ll have 5, 6, and 7 years olds that will now have to cross these gang lines to get back and forth to school everyday . . . why would you subject someone so young to that danger . . .?”
Why is this, the largest mass school closing in the country, happening? Free, public education is one of the last “entitlements” to which people feel they have a right. Such schooling came about as a government subsidy to the industrial capitalist, to prepare the workers for disciplined jobs. Industrial jobs have shrunk and office jobs have become more automated. Now public education is being destroyed. We are being groomed for (mostly) low paid jobs—or prison.
Especially in the Midwest, where industrial economy was so strong, dispossessed workers refuse to accept the cutbacks. This includes many parents living in the communities affected by school closings. The largest sector of still organized workers subject to these changes is among public workers including teachers.
Chicago is a Democratic Party town. Mayor Emanuel is taking the lead and made clear in his election campaign his intent to attack public workers unions. Nationally, Democrats have elaborated a plan, based on the Bush era No Child Left Behind, to further privatize schools with aggressive promotion of charter schools, standardized high stakes testing, and a common core curriculum intended to further the difference between education for rich and poor.
The movement is escalating its tactics in the fight to stop the school closings. That’s why 100 people got arrested March 27. As tactics escalate further, we are keeping our eyes on the national political battle. To thwart the local closings and privatization we’ll need to fight for a national plan to fund all public schools equitably.
