By Steve Rhodes
“Charter schools are expanding in Chicago, even as the district is closing schools due to declining enrollment,” WBEZ reports.
“Chicago Public Schools officials explain the seeming contradiction by citing a large demand for charter schools. Charter advocates and even the Chicago Tribune editorial board say 19,000 kids are on charter school waiting lists in the city.
“There’s just one problem with that number: it’s not accurate. It significantly overstates demand.”
Significantly.
Click through for the rest of this excellent examination of the false claims trumpeted by the Tribune editorial board and how the numbers really work.
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CPS: Credibility Patently Sapped.
Global Workplace Solutions will handle logistics for moving closing schools. $14.2 mill contract on agenda for wed. bd mtg. #cpsclosings
— Catalyst Chicago Mag (@CatalystChicago) April 1, 2013
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Hope they’re better at logistics than websites: Their last two news entries were from 2010 – one of them introducing their new website’s mission to “provide timely delivery of information.”
Has anyone heard how @chipubschools is addressing the projected 1bill deficit? Scl closings costing 233mill this year per cps.
— Raise Your Hand (@ILRaiseYourHand) April 1, 2013
True enough. CPS says it won’t fully realize the savings from closing schools until 10 years out. Besides the fact that budget projections that far into the future are less accurate than palm readings, how does that solve the alleged $1 billion deficit in FY2014?
“The Chicago Police Department radically underestimated the number of protesters that marched against the closing of dozens of public schools.
“The department and its chief spokesman, Adam Collins, said Wednesday after the march that the number of protesters was between 700 and 900.
“But a Chicago Sun-Times analysis Thursday found that number could not possibly be right, counting 2,750 people in a photo of the protest at Daley Plaza.”
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CPD: Credibility Patently Destroyed.
Seeking Bigger Library, Montclare Residents ‘Check Out’ Hundreds of Books.
CPS might say their library is way bigger than they think.
Seems wrong to say a library is not a library without a certified librarian on staff. A comp lab/media center can’t be considered a library?
— Jimm Dispensa (@PezChicago) March 16, 2013
Dispensa is the Senior Manager of Business Optimization at CPS.
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Also:
@pezchicago @shua123 Our “library” at my CPS Elem was maybe 100 old books laying around the room where we had staff meetings. #NOTaLibrary
— Katie Osgood (@KatieOsgood_) March 16, 2013
Posted on April 2, 2013