Hey, here's a little tidbit from CPS:Mayor Daley today accused state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) of selfishly and destructively using children as pawns by leading an opening day boycott to protest the school funding disparity between rich and poor districts.
“Why don’t you do it in June? Why don’t you do it in July when they’re out? Why do you tell them not to go to school today? It’s very selfish,” Daley told reporters after ringing the ceremonial bell at the new Sir Miles Davis Academy, 6740 S. Paulina.
“Children have to be in school….You should not use children dealing with a political issue of all Democrats in Springfield [who] can’t make up their mind…You can get frustrated. But you cannot use children in any capacity to get some political decision made.”
Daley said opening day attendance sets the tone for student achievement for the entire school year and establishes the level of state funding to the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools.
“If any child doesn’t go to school, we lose money….If they come the fourth or fifth day, you can’t make it up….You pay state taxes. And when they don’t show up, you lose it. It doesn’t come back next week,” Daley said.
Read the whole thing, there is even a political component to this. Especially with an eye towards the governor's race in 2010.“Yes, we need to challenge the funding formula. Yes, we need to challenge the huge inequities. But anyone who tells children the answer to their problems is not going to school is leading them down a path that is absolutely self-destructive,” he said.
School Board President Rufus Williams warned boycotting students they would pay a price.
“If you miss more than nine days of school, you will have to go to summer school to be promoted. So anyone who is not in school today, know that you are directly affecting your future.….If you’re not here, get here right now,” he said.
In 2006, Daley decided to use the bonanza of revenue generated by tax increment financing to go on a $1 billion school construction spree, the largest in Chicago history.
Sir Miles Davis Academy, 6740 S. Paulina, is the first of those 20 new schools to open its doors. The West Englewood school is also Chicago’s first to offer a children’s engineering program.
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