The "Justification" for Closing Schools in Chicago

To be honest and straight to the point, closing a neighborhood school means the city has failed that neighborhood. It should come as no shock then that all the school closures in Chicago over the past decade have been in black and Latino areas of the city. Many of these neighborhoods, like Englewood, where I teach, have been ignored, underfunded, and blamed for their own problems for decades.

Logic says that CPS should be trying to help improve struggling schools, but using logic and CPS in the same sentence is a fallacy. As CPS Chief Operating Officer Tim Cawley said publicly, "If we think there's a chance that a building is going to be closed in the next five to 10 years, if we think it's unlikely it's going to continue to be a school, we're not going to invest in that building." So CPS admits that if a school needs help there is no way that they are going to fund that school. Since the vast majority of underperforming schools are all in poorer communities, CPS has, through its own policies, decided to give up on the schools in those communities. They look at a school as a business investment, not a community investment.

This city has consistently failed communities. Instead of trying to improve, fully fund, and help communities and their schools, Rahm and Barbara Byrd-Bennett, following the previous policies put in place by Mayor Daley and "CEOs" Vallas, Duncan, Huberman, Mazany and Brizard (wow that is a lot of turnover), believe to really "help" a community it is best to close their schools. It's like a doctor saying that you're really sick, but it's better for your family if you die.

We are currently in the most violent year in the history of the city of Chicago. Chicago has significantly more deaths than any other major city. If we apply the "logic" of school closing to violence in Chicago then we should close the police stations too? I mean the police must be failing our citizens right?

more ... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-stieber/chicago-school-closings_b_2233440.html