Why
LSCs-- and good, trained and attentive members--matter and are endorsed
by the HPKCC Schools Committee. Particularly important in light of
repeated filing of bills to eliminate or eliminate the powers of LSCs.
Parents
United for Responsible Education (PURE) issued a "fact sheet"
on LSCs
LSCs
Improve Schools
The Illinois
Supreme Court in 1990 said that LSCs are essential units of educational
governance, empowered to make important budgetary, educational,
and administrative decisions regarding the Chicago public school
system. [t]he legislature has given them the primary responsibility
for school governance and improvement....
A 2004 report
by Archon Fung of Harvard uses LSCs as a model of empowered deliberative
participation. He found, according to the fact sheet, that LSCs
increase accountability, build social capital, held encourage parents
- especially minority- become more involved. Most importantly, the
study found LSCs t have a positive impact on student achievement.
U. of C. Consortium
on Chicago School Research studies such as "Charting the Course"
found high LSC effectiveness: principals gave a strong endorsement
of LSC principal selection, 70% of teachers said LSCs were helping
make their school better, and that the LSCs ar an overwhelming percentage
of minority elected officials in Illinois.
"The Big
Picture," 2005, Designs for Change, showing a correlation between
schools with up trending scores and effective LSCs. [Download "The
Big Picture" and other studies from the Designs for Change
website.]
"Sharing
Our Successes: The LSC Gold Star Awards for 2002" by Community
Media Workshop's Successful Schools Project highlighted LSC contributions:
- integrating
arts into the curriculum
- creating
collaborative school improvement plans that have lifted schools
out of probation
- successfully
advocating for new school buildings and facilities improvements
- involving
parents and local businesses in the school's Character Education
program
- implementing
a family literacy project.
LSCs-
real elected officials
Do LSCs represent
enough people to be making the important decisions?
Other school
boards are not challenged on these grounds [the ones that have elections!]
Northbrook
D 27- 10,000 residents. The top vote getter (unopposed) received
716. Glencoe D35- 6,000 eligible. Top of 3 unopposed 178 votes
(3%).
7,000 ran
and over 100,000 voted in every LSC elections. (465,706 voted
in the last mayoral election 15% and Mayor Daley got 324, 519
votes.) LSC elections in the 13th Senatorial District 15 ran per
school, with 1, 294 votes cast, an average of 321 per school-note
one can vote for up to five.
LSCs boast the largest number of elected African-American and
Latino officials in the nation.
Myth
v Reality: Challenges to LSC principal contract decisions
Non-renewal
arbitrations: Myth: All to principals lost. Reality-3 lost, 6 withdrew,
2 defaulted
Arbitration standard: Myth: Personalities and a student's grade.
Reality: Results are confidential but in one known, that school
ranked last in its area in nearly every category.
LSC members as unqualified to hire/fire. Reality: LSC members are
significantly better educated than average Illinois adults--31%
have bachelors (v 21%, 32% some collage v 25%. Only 13% lack high
school diploma v 24% Illinois. No
one is suggesting the 900 Illinois elected school boards be disbanded
or their powers stripped.
CPS role. Myth:
CPS is accountable for results so should select principals. Reality:
CPS already prescreens, and LSCs choose from these. Selection for
local needs is shown to do best.
Why
PURE support's HJR0071.
- Local School
Councils Work. Test scores have risen impressively at schools
that were lo-performing but remained under LSC governance and
not central office intervention v little progress in schools
that were low in 1989 but where decisions are made by CPS. Source:
The Big Picture from Designs for Change.
- The LSC
Law works. A check and balance where needed most- in the schools.
- The
cleanest unit of government in Chicago with over 20,000 having
served.
- Law
provides principals whose contracts are not renewed opportunity
for due process before an independent hearing officer. In
the 3 hearings lost, the principals lost and the LSCs were
ruled within bounds.
- LSCs need
more support, not less. CPS does not meet the need for training
and information:
- No guidebook
or training manual for members elected in 2006
- Funding
not renewed for a successful, independent conflict resolution
program
- CPS
takes public sides against LSCs and then sits in judgment
over them later: Supervision and monitoring must be move out
of CPOS into a neutral entity while CPS provides more resources
for the schools and LSCs.
Top
What
the HPKCC Schools Committee concludes about LSC's greatest needs:
- Parent
participation including running for LSC
- Training
- Liaison
staffing and sound advice especially on complicated issues such
as the SIPA (school improvement plan, to which all the required
reporting, funding and school programs must relate); better
access to downtown experts and liaisons.
Feb.
7 2008 PURE files lawsuit re LSCs
The suit
alleges CPS closes schools and reopens them to have appointed
LSCs and strip them of powers invested by law. Julie Woestehoff
of PURE said the law exempts charter and Renaissance 2010 schools
unless housed in a building that uses to be a public school with
an LSC. But CPS has only token LSCs in such reconstituted schools
in older buildings. "CPS has embraced the exception but not
the exception to the exception." Woestehoff says that with
all the closings it is hard to find people who have a stake in
the schools. .
School
boundaries
Kenwood's
is 47th, Cottage, 60th, Stony, 56th, Lake Michigan.
Canter's is the Harte, Ray, and Shoesmith districts.
Murray is a magnet school so has no boundaries, an explanation left
off this map from the April 12 Herald.
Some
local school addresses:
- Canter
Middle. 4959 S. Blackstone
- Bret
Harte Elementary. 1556 E. 56th
- Kenwood
Academy High School. 5015 S. Blackstone
- Kozminski
Community Academy. 936 E. 54th
- Murray
Language Academy. 5335 S. Kenwood
- Ray
Elementary. 5631 S. Kimbark
- Reavis
Elementary. 834 E. 50th
- Shoesmith
Elementary. 1330 E. 50th
| School |
Address |
Calendar |
Uniform |
Contact: |
| Ariel
Comm. Academy |
1110
E. 46th
(773) 535-1996 |
Meets
third Monday of the month at 8:00 am. |
lt
blue top, navy bot. |
Principal
Lynnette Coleman
LSC chair Virna Holmes? |
| Miriam
G. Canter Middle School |
4959
South Blackstone
(773) 535-1410 |
Meets
the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm preceded by PTO at 5:30 |
no
uniform |
Principal Colleen Conlan
LSC chair Kelly Gill |
| Andrew
Carnegie |
1414
E. 61st St.
(773 534-0530 |
Meets
every other month second Tuesday starting Nov. 10, time? |
yellow
tops, navy blue bots. |
Principal
Marlene Heath
LSC chair Tina B. Mohammed |
| Walter
H.Dyett Academic Center |
555
E. 51st
(773) 535-1825 |
Meets
the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm, room 139. |
7th-8th
Black, gray and beige poo with Dyett logo |
Principal
Robert McMiller
LSC chair (to elect) |
| Bret
Harte School |
1556
East 56th Street
(773) 535-0870 |
Meets the second Wednesday of the Month in the gym at 6 pm (PTO
5:30?, PAC 2nd Thurs. 6). |
white
or blue tops, blue bots. |
Principal Shenethe Parks
LSC chair Diane Billingsley |
| Hyde
Park Career Academy |
6220
Stony Island
(773) 535-0530 |
Meets
the last Thursday of the month at 6;30 pm |
navy
blue or white polo, khaki bots |
Principal
Thomas Trotter
LSC chair (to elect) |
| Kenwood
Academy High School |
5015
South Blackstone
(773) 535-1350 |
Meets
now meets the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm in Library
Media Room.
PAC fourth Tuesday ? at 6:00 pm Library Media Room |
no
uniform |
Principal
Elizabeth Kirby
LSC president Ismail Turay |
| Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. College Prep High Sch. |
4445
S. Drexel Blvd.
773 535-1180 |
Meets
the third Tuesday of the month at 5:30 pm |
no
uniform |
Principal
Jeff Wright
LSC chair Sharvella Christmas |
| Charles
Kozminski Community Academy |
936
East 54th
(773) 535-0980 |
Meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm. |
white
tops, blue bots |
Principal
Lionel Bordelon
LSC chair Cynthia Scaife |
| Phillip
Murray Language Academy |
5335
South Kenwood
(773) 535-0585 |
Meets
the
third Wednesday
of the month at 6:00 pm. PTO 1st Wednesday at 6:00 pm |
no
uniform |
Principal
Gregory
Mason
LSC chair Rhonda Hawkins-Lyke
PTO chair |
| North
Kenwood-Oakland UC Charter |
1119
E. 46th St. (773) 536-2399 |
PTCO meets the third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm room 204 except
meets October 14. (Note, another source says 4th Tuesday) |
maroon
tops,
khaki bots |
Timothy
Knowles, Director, (Stacey Beardsley)
Tanika Island Smith, Principal
PTCO chair La'keisha Gray-Sewell |
| Florence
B. Price Fine Arts Elem. School |
4351
S. Drexel Blvd.
(773) 535-1300 |
Meets
the second Monday of the month at 5:00 pm) |
white
tops, green bots |
Principal
Loretta Coleman
LSC chair Ms. Cooper |
| William
H. Ray Elementary School |
5631
South Kimbark
(773) 535-0970 |
Meets
the second Monday of the month. Alternates 8 am (April, June)
and 6:30 (March, May, July?) pm.
|
no
uniform |
Principal
Bernadette Butler
LSC chair Raymond Lodato,
PTA Dana Roby |
| Claude
H. Reavis Elementary School |
834
East 50th
(773) 535-1060 |
Meets
the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 am |
white
or blue tops, blue bots |
Principal
Michael T. Johnson
LSC chair Charlene Campbell |
| Jackie
Robinson |
4225
S. Lake Park Ave. (773) 535-1777 |
Meets
the third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm |
white
tops, Navy blue bots |
Principal
Jacqueline Thomas
LSC chair De'Shunn |
| Beulah
Shoesmith Elementary School |
1330
East 50th St
(773) 535-1764 |
Meets
the first Wednesday of the month at 5:30 pm except meets April 2009
1st Thursday |
white
tops, navy blue pants |
Principal
Patricia Watson
LSC chair Sherri Donald |
| University
Charter-Woodlawn |
6420
S. Woodlawn
(773) 752-8101
|
PTCO
meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm |
navy
blue and maroon top, khaki bots |
Director
Shane Evans
PTCO chair Jim Julian (James Speights?) |
Hyde
Park Career Academy's as yet unknown. 6220 S. Stony Island. 773 535-088o
Thomas Trotter, Principal.
Top
PURE
(Parents United for Responsible Education) has assembled a guide to
elections. Here is a summary of key points. (this needs updating for
2010)
To
receive the book, call 312 489-9101.
Who
sits on the LSC? The principal, 6 elected parents, not BoE employees
2 teachers (polled) , 2 elected non-parent community residents
with no children enrolled in the school as of June 30 of the election
year and not relatives of the principal or BoE employees), in
high schools one student (polled).
The
LSC is the policymaking body for the school. Its responsibilities
are:
- approving
the School Improvement Plan
- approving
the school's budget
- evaluating
the principal
- hiring
the principal
The
meeting schedule must be posted in the school and is usually monthly.
Everyone can attend and except for executive sessions they are covered
by the Open Meetings Act. All votes must be taken in public. Meetings
are usually monthly.
A
parent of a child in the school or a resident of the attendance area
is eligible unless a CPS employee.
Elections
are held even years (every two years) in spring. (2006 Elementary
are on April 20, high schools April 20, 6 am-7 pm. Hint- it's always
Report Card Pickup Day. Note, U.S. citizenship not required.
The
Candidate Nomination Form requires: Name, address, type of candidacy
and proof of eligibility (2 forms of ID--parents must be listed in
school enrollment records or tax return or birth certificate. Community
residents must bring proof of residency.
Declaration of any economic interests at the school
Criminal Conviction Disclosure
Telephone Number Disclosure (for BOE and confidential)
Teacher or student information form for those in those categories
Candidate Statement (optional, one page, can include picture)
Hint:
get a copy of all forms and get a signed, dated receipt!
Remember
the deadline to file is March 17 [passed] and literature distribution
day is April 18--One 8x12 page. You furnish enough copies
for every child (the school is not allowed to make or copy),
divided into piles of 35--must be at school by 3 pm April 17.
Caution
again--No one can use school resources including staff, equipment
or material to endorse or promote andy candidate or slate. Staff may
not recommend candidates. If anyone sees violations, call CPS Law
Department 73 553-1700. Staff can be suspended up to 30 days.
Voting
- Vote
at every school where you are eligible--at least 1 elementary and
1 high school, maybe middle. Parents may vote at all schools where
they have a child enrolled. Election Hotline: 773 553-1400.
- You
do not need to be a U.S. Citizen, do have to be 18 or older.
- If
a school is not accessible, it must provide curb-side voting for
persons with disabilities.
- Bring
two forms of ID that include your address.
- Voting
is in person and by secret ballot and only for yourself.
- You
may vote for up to 5 candidates only, and each only once. Select
any combination of parent and community candidates.
(For
teachers: it is secret and in person, principal and assistant do not
vote, principal submits the 4 top vote getters to CPS, which appoints
June 28.)
Preparing
for the election:
LSC
(or principal) is to establish and LSC Judge recruitment committee.
None can be candidates or supporters of candidates. Judges receive
$100 for the day. Training is mandatory. Cannot be under 18, student
or staff at the school, Board employee, LSC candidate there or immediate
family/residing in same house as candidate or principal. Application
deadline is March 24.
Also
recommended: By January 20 Develop plan to publicize the election,
set date for Candidates Forum (for between March 27 and April 3),
set date for certification meeting (no later than April 28 8 pm).
Hold
the forum--place must be accessible; all candidates must be notified
and invited. Lottery for ballot position is held at this forum. Recommend
doing this as first item and using as order of speaking.
Coordinate
with Report Card Pick-Up. Greet parents and encourage them to vote
before they get report cards! Remove all campaign materials from the
school the day before the election by 3 pm!
Hold
results certification meeting by April 28, 8 pm.
Electioneering
must be more than 100 feet from any school entrance. Post this at
several places in the school.
Principal's
responsibilities:
Public
information: Post procedures, timeline, eligibility, boundary map.
Send two letters to parents. Dec. 1-9 nomination and challenge procedures,
timeline, eligibility
March 20 list of candidates, info on the Forum, election date-hours-location.
Post filing of candidates (within 24 hours of first filing) with statements;
update daily as changes occur.
Prepare literature distribution day April 18
By 9 am April 17 post revised ballot in lottery order. Candidates
can correct by 3 pm. At 4 pm it is final.
Post election results as soon as count is complete.
Assure that no school resources are used to promote candidates
Provide and collect nomination papers, forward copies to Area Office.
Accept applications for judge and forward to Area Office by March
24. (Note judges and monitors make all decision about the election).
Distribute 6 poll watcher credentials to each candidate at the Candidate's
Forum.
Prepare for judges a complete list of all staff eligible to vote for
teacher (not principal or asst.)
Provide a list all students enrolled in the school.
Conduct student non-binding advisory poll between April 18 and 19)
Receive all ballots and place in security envelopes in the school
safe.
Forward security envelopes to Area Office.
Poll
watchers. Candidates
or pollwatchers with valid credentials can witness all phases. Mx
is 6. Civic groups can ave a credential for every school inservice
area and every multi-school area. Candidates can have only one pollwatcher
in the polling place at any given time.
The
Challenge (which anyone can do) procedures are quite precise, including
hearing notifications. Eligibility is the main grounds in pre-election
challenges. Post-election challenges require signature of at least
5 vote-eligible. Note deadlines t file, hearing etch.
Results
must
be posted in the school after the count is final on election night.
Highest numbers are declared elected. Current LSC certifies by 8 pm
April 28 and determines winner in case of a tie. The public must be
informed of challenge procedures. Certification of Results is to be
filed by May 1. Teacher and student reps. are selected/announced by
the Board June 28.
The organizational meeting is between July 1 and 14. It can be called
by any 4 or more elected, but a quorum of 6 for elementary and 7 for
high school must be present to conduct business. This meeting: sets
time and place for regular LSC meetings, selects a parent member as
chairperson, selects a secretary. If less than a minimum of "eligible's"
are elected by a quorum is, the LSC shall fill vacancies (except teacher).
If less than a quorum is elected, CPS decides course--773 553-1400.
Removals.
Any
member may be removed by majority vote if the member has missed 3
consecutive regular meetings within 12 mo. There is due process. There
are other bases for removal.
Why LSCs?
Adult
Collaboration Improves Schools and student achievement. strong
academic expectations combined with trusting relationships make a
difference, research shows.
Successful
Schools have Common Practices. 1997 Designs for Change identified:
- Active
and effective Local School Councils
- Effective
principles who involve others in decision making
- More
teacher involvement in decision making
- More
teacher outreach to parents
- Students
who feel safe in the schools
- Teacher
collaboration and information sharing
- Teachers
who trust one another
- Teachers
who are encouraged to innovate
- An
overriding focus on improved student achievement.
Cooperative
Adult Effort Raises Academic Achievement
Social
Support Motivates Students to Learn, giving a sense of trust, confidence
and safety
Common
traits of collaborative LSC relationships
Shared
Knowledge of the Law and agreed-upon way of checking and reporting
back.
Shared
Information: Principals
proved timely, adequate information to the entire LSC including
giving each member a set of key school documents including school
improvement plan implementation et al.
Top
Strong
LSCs, selection of strong principals intertwined
From
Herald
March 22 [2006]. By Tameka Brown
....Among
its many duties, the local school council is responsible for selecting
and evaluating principals every four years. James Deanes, in charge
of LSC relations for Chicago Public Schools, said the council's role
in the selection of principals is important."A principal's
leadership sets the tone for staff [and] influences parent participation,"
Deanes said. "It's the most important thing an LSC can do."
In 1988,
the Chicago School Reform Act created the existence of local school
councils, which in most public schools in the city are comprised of
parent representative, teacher representatives and community representatives,
and in the case of a high school there is also a student representative.
The act entrusted decisions about student development, financial
management and principal selection to the representatives on a local
school council.
Zoe
Mikva, member
of Canter LSC and of the HPKCC Schools Committee says " LSCs
have real power and they are a wonderful way to stay involved in the
community." She works on the school improvement plan and budget.
"We work in tandem with the principal. I think it is important
that the administration of every school be accountable. LSC
is the group to whom they are accountable.
[Caution:
the strong lsc has to fight the temptation, including on the part
of parents, to select those thought more amenable and nice, or male
(thought by some essential as role models). And evaluating and selecting
the principal is the most important part of the LSC job-- trainers
should remember that.]
Top
