Paul Vallas on North Chicago Schools

From an article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

“Teachers weren’t happy.

To avert insolvency in North Chicago Community Unit District 187 by 2015, (Paul) Vallas recommended closing four of the district’s nine schools and laying off 130 teachers and staff — 39 percent of the district’s workforce.”

From further down in the same article:

“This is another typical stop on the education-reform road show. These so-called experts spend very little time on the ground and then suggest firing half the staff, closing half the schools, and expect, somehow, to see improvements,” said Aviva Bowen, a spokeswoman for the teachers union.

“Teachers in North Chicago are struggling to serve students with scarce resources. Funding should go into the classrooms, not the pockets of out-of-state consultants,” she said.

Eduhonesty: We are talking about an impoverished district with abysmally low scores on state tests. Many students in districts like this come from single-parent families, families that struggle to survive, families where grandma is in her early thirties and parents never made it through high school. Bigger classes in fewer schools can’t possibly be a good plan. If the district is so broke there’s no alternative — well, I understand financial constraints. But you can bet teachers aren’t happy. Students won’t be either.

The last solution in this situation should be one that decreases the number of teachers.

Here’s the link for anyone who wants to read the full story: http://www.suntimes.com/23976994-761/vallas-cure-for-n-chicago-schools-mass-layoffs-riles-teachers-union.html