Chicago school occupation reveals rifts in school reform

[Hannah Bell]

For nearly two weeks, dozens of parents at Whittier Elementary School in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood have occupied “La Casita”, the fieldhouse and community space adjacent to the school that’s divided parents against administrators for over a year. In 2009, they learned that $350,000 of the $1.3 million in tax money the City of Chicago was using to renovate the school had instead been allocated to the building’s demolition. The saga started seven years ago, when parents and community members started lobbying Alderman Danny Solis to cull money from city coffers in order to fund a school expansion for the already-crowded campus.

When parents saw that La Casita was slated to be demolished, they were appalled. “The fieldhouse is a great space to have,” Lisa Angones, mother of students in 6th and 7th grade at Whittier, told ColorLines on Friday. Angones plans to spend this weekend sleeping in La Casita in protest. “The funds that they want to use to knock down the school could easily be spent to make it into a library.”

While the city maintains that La Casita is structurally unfit to safely handle occupants, inspectors hired by the community say that with the exception of a leaky roof, La Casita is perfectly safe.

Parents and community supporters have secured dozens of volunteer contractors, day laborers and other folks willing to lend a helping hand to ensure that the community institution stay intact. Book donations have started flooding the school, and supporters stood in solidarity with parents as they marched from La Casita to Alderman Solis’ office on Friday morning.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/09/chicagos_fight_over_la_casita_reveals_rifts_in_school_reform.html

[Jim Sagle]

1. KNRNFNA.

:thumbsup:

Shame on whoever is unreccing this.

[madrchsod]

3. hannah has a someone who unrecommends everything she posts

[Greyhound]

6. Several "someones" actually. n/t

[Tatiana]

2. These parents are true activists and I support them!

My sister took them coffee and donuts last week. All the poor mothers want is a library for their children who attend the school.

It would cost maybe $100K to fix the roof on the Casita building to bring it up to code. CPS (Chicago Public Schools) wants to spend over $300K to tear down the building down and conveniently give the space to a nearby charter school.

I hope these parents don't back down. Thank God someone is standing up for public education!

[madrchsod]

4. Pilsen......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_West_Side,_Chicago

http://www.newcommunities.org/news/articleDetail.asp?objectID=739

[izzybeans]

5. This reveals more about city politics in general than anything to do with schools.

The good Alderman just wants his buddy's architectural firm and/or construction company to get the money so that he can be reelected and the residents just want to fight off growing gentrification pressures in Pilsen. It's the new Logan Square.

[Greyhound]

7. Not in Chicago, surely!

:rofl: