Local Schools Safe from CPS Closure
Out of 129 schools named to a preliminary school closing list, none are in Lincoln Park or Lake View.
More than 100 schools could be closed for the 2013-2014 school year, according to a list released by Chicago Public Schools Wednesday evening.
Of those schools, many are on the North Side, but none are in Lincoln Park or Lake View. Four are in Uptown and Buena Park including Brennemann, Stewart, Stockton and Trumbull elementary schools.
UPDATED STORY:
Local parents and teachers can take a breath, but tough times are still ahead for Chicago Public Schools.
No neighborhood schools were on the preliminary 129-school closing list released on Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be impacted by more students or co-location, CPS officials said.
Nearby Trumbull Elementary in Andersonville and three Uptown schools weren’t so lucky. Those schools have until March 31 to change the minds of CPS decision-makers.
“We are going to take these 129 and continue to sift through these schools,” said CPS schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett told the Chicago Tribune.
Five local schools were spared from the chopping block. Those were on a list of “underutilized,” CPS schools, meaning they are below 80 percent of their ideal population. The Inter-American Magnet and Hamilton Elementary in Lake View, and Alcott, Mayer Magnet, Prescott Elementary in Lincoln Park narrowly escaped consideration for closure.
Out of the district’s 681 schools, 330 of them are below the 80 percent target. Almost 40 programs are on the North Side.
Many of the schools targeted for closure are on the South, West and Southwest sides of the city.
In December, CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett gathered a commission to develop a method of choosing schools for closure. The Commission on School Utilization has been hosting meetings to get feedback from parents and teachers.
The community meetings got rowdy.
The first hearing at Truman College brought parents shouting ‘Save Our Schools,’ preventing officials from showing a presentation. Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) was booed offstage by parents at one of the meetings in Logan Square.
Chicago parents gathered on Tuesday to protest the way CPS choose the schools for closure, the Huffington Post reports. The parents—part of the group Parents 4 Teachers—filed a complaint with CPS Inspector General James M. Sullivan accusing the commission of having conflicts of interest.
The school closures stem from a $1 bill budget deficit expected in 2013-2014, according to CPS.
After this year, no more schools will close until 2020, Byrd-Bennett said.
See full list of proposed school closings:
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Austin-North Lawndale |
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ARMSTRONG, L |
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CHALMERS |
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CROWN |
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DE PRIEST |
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EMMET |
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HENSON |
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HERZL |
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HUGHES, C |
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KEY |
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LAWNDALE |
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LEWIS |
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MASON |
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MAY |
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MCNAIR |
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PENN |
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POPE |
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Burnham Park |
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ATTUCKS |
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BURKE |
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CANTER |
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CARTER |
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DRAKE |
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DUMAS TECH ACAD |
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FERMI |
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FISKE |
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FULLER |
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KOZMINSKI |
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MAYO |
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MOLLISON |
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OVERTON |
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PERSHING MIDDLE |
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REAVIS |
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ROBINSON |
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ROSS |
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SEXTON |
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TILL |
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WADSWORTH |
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WELLS, I |
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WILIAMS MIDDLE |
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WILLIAMS ES |
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WOODSON |
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Englewood-Gresham |
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ALTGELD |
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BANNEKER |
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BONTEMPS |
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COOK |
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DAVIS, M |
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EARLE |
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GOODLOW |
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GRESHAM |
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HENDERSON |
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HINTON |
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HOLMES |
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JACKSON, M |
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LANGFORD |
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MAYS |
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MORGAN |
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O'TOOLE |
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RYDER |
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STAGG |
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WOODS |
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Fullerton |
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BRENTANO |
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JENNER |
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MANIERRE |
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Fulton |
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BROWN, W |
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DETT |
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DUPREY |
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HERBERT |
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KING |
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LAFAYETTE |
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LOZANO |
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MONTEFIORE |
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NEAR NORTH |
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PEABODY |
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SMYTH |
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VON HUMBOLDT |
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Garfield-Humboldt |
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BEIDLER |
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BETHUNE |
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CALHOUN |
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DELANO |
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ERICSON |
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GARFIELD PARK |
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GOLDBLATT |
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MARCONI |
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MELODY |
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PICCOLO |
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RYERSON |
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TILTON |
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WARD, L |
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WEBSTER |
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Lake Calumet |
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ALDRIDGE |
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CARVER , G |
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GOMPERS |
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LAWRENCE |
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METCALFE |
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OWENS |
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PULLMAN |
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SONGHAI |
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WEST PULLMAN |
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WHISTLER |
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Midway |
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CLAREMONT |
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Pershing |
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DEWEY |
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GRAHAM |
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HENDRICKS |
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LIBBY |
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MCCLELLAN |
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PARKMAN |
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SHERMAN |
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Pilsen-Little Village |
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JUNGMAN |
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PADEREWSKI |
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PILSEN |
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Ravenswood-Ridge |
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BRENNEMANN |
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STEWART |
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STOCKTON |
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TRUMBULL |
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Rock Island |
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FERNWOOD |
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GARVEY |
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GREEN |
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HUGHES, L |
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KOHN |
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SHOOP |
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Skyway |
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ASHE |
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BUCKINGHAM |
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MADISON |
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NEW SULLIVAN |
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O'KEEFFE |
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PARKSIDE |
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POWELL |
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REVERE |
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WARREN |
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YALE |
The Drickster
8:37 am on Thursday, February 14, 2013
Yes but what would the closing of Brennemann, Stewart, Stockton and Trumbull mean to neighboring LV schools? More crowding?
Gunnery Sgt Hartman
9:28 am on Thursday, February 14, 2013
Only in chicago would you have the situtaion where the schools in the wealthy areas are ancient and overcrowded (Bell, Burley, Blaine, Lincoln, etc) and the ones in many of the poorer areas are underutilized.
Sgt. USMC
12:06 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013
We need to spend more on education and less in other areas. Maria Pappas throws "multi-cultural" parties at the treasurers office every month on the tax payers dime. This is one of many examples where funds are wasted.