PHOTO/SARAH JANE RHEE
CHICAGO, IL — An ominous specter is haunting Chicago Public Schools (CPS) this fall and winter, the specter of scandals, budget cuts and layoffs. The latest shoe to drop in the ongoing travails of “Crook County” is the federal 23 count indictment of former schools CEO Barbara Byrd Bennett, accused of taking gifts and kickbacks throughout her 4 year tenure. Her conspirators, SUPES Academy, promised her hundreds of thousands of dollars, to be hidden in relatives’ bank accounts, and high paid employment for her upon her retirement from CPS. She even emailed her conspirators, “I have tuition payments to make and casinos to visit.” Bennet has resigned and Mayor Emanuel replaced a number of members of the School Board. The School Board had unanimously approved Bennett’s proposal for the SUPES contract.
It has been reported that Bennett will plead guilty October 13. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but if previous corruption cases are any indication, it’s likely that other heads will not roll, and that Bennett will ultimately find comfortable employment elsewhere. The real significance goes beyond a few corrupt individuals. This is a system that privatizes and thrives by lining the pockets of corporations with public money, money which should be used to guarantee children’s education.
This follows months of chaos in CPS, as announcement after announcement of budget constraints accompanied cuts in programs and layoffs of teachers and other personnel. On Tuesday, July 21, Chicago Local School Councils (LSC) held a press conference to denounce CPS cuts in public education. One after another LSC member from across the city denounced slashed budgets that have forced nearly every school to lay off teachers and cut after school activities. Special education services have been gutted. Meanwhile, Mayor Emanuel blames the state of Illinois for withholding $500 million from Chicago schools, without which CPS will lay off as many as 5,000 more teachers after Thanksgiving. In the face of these threats and a state budget stalemate, students walked out in protest in four Chicago high schools in early October. The Chicago Teachers Union, faced with intractable CPS demands, may strike if they are unable to reach an agreement soon.
Every year gets worse and worse. Anxious parents, who cannot make ends meet, crowd the spaces where school supplies are given away by charitable organizations. Community supporters hold toilet paper drives to assist schools in meeting the needs of the students. Teachers tell us they can’t teach because of the endless testing. When our kids graduate from school, they find themselves deep in debt, competing for jobs that don’t exist. The 1% is telling us in every way: there are no more reforms.
What’s the first step for us? With a mayoral appointed school board, it looks like we’re living under a Michigan style “emergency manager” dictatorship! Open up the process and get a democratically elected, representative school board! As far as cutbacks go: no more finger pointing! Full education funding must be guaranteed nationally, for all. It’s time to pool our scattered, school-by-school struggles and focus on a government that should be providing education for all.
