New Schools Plan Leaves Some Voices Out

CPR:

The Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote today on 13 new schools. They’re part of a four-year-old effort by the district to create small, niche schools across the city. But some activists on Chicago’s West Side are complaining they’ve had no say on proposals for new schools in their area. We report from our West Side bureau.

Ambi: Young people.

These young people in Garfield Park don’t have many good school options. That’s one reason the Chicago district began planning for new schools in that part of the city last spring. When it did, it turned to Mildred Wiley of Bethel New Life, one of the West Side’s largest community-service organizations.

WILEY: East Garfield will receive two schools, and West Garfield will receive one.

Wiley was the main link to parents and other community members.

WILEY: My role was to try to find them, recruit them and facilitate the biweekly meetings.

Called Transition Advisory Councils (TACs), the groups helped the district evaluate proposals from nonprofit groups competing to design and run the new schools. Jaime Guzmán of Chicago’s Office of New Schools says the district also held neighborhood forums and public hearings.