Reconsider plan to close Dyett

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Updated: February 21, 2012 8:38AM

The Chicago Public Schools have announced plans to close Dyett High School and send Dyett students to Wendell Phillips Academy and Price Elementary. CPS also announced its intentions to turn over the management of Fuller Elementary to the Academy for Urban School Leadership. This plan is touted as a way to improve some of the worst-performing schools in Chicago. But I believe that the approach proposed for the schools in the fourth ward is shortsighted and wrong. The underutilization of Dyett and Price is directly related to the reality of those schools in the community. If parents and caregivers believe that a school is not good, then they are less likely to send their children to the school.

The good news is that progress has been made. New partnerships with the Chicago Botanic Garden, ESPN, and others have brought a new vitality to Dyett. New school leadership has reduced violence ­— necessary to creating an environment important for learning. Similarly, Price and Fuller have new leaders who have made important improvements in the school environment. What this tells us is that resources to improve teacher quality, educational offerings such as specialization in languages, science, or technology — would amplify the incremental progress that has been made. More to the point, aligning resources with the community input, provided through the Bronzeville Community Action Council, a group of residents and leaders, would increase community support for these schools. This support would, in turn, lead to increased enrollment.

The role of an alderman relating to CPS is not straightforward. The mayor appoints the members of the board of education. While the City Council exercises an oversight function, it has no formal authority to override the decisions of the board. Said differently, I don’t have a vote. But I do a voice. I have joined with other community organizations in opposing this plan. It is my hope and objective to ensure that Mayor Emanuel and the board strongly reconsider their proposed school actions for Dyett, Price and Fuller.

Ald. William D. Burns,

4th Ward

Clean up parade mess

I grew up in the neighborhood (of the South Side parade). I’m sorry to see what it’s become. Since the mayor has seen fit to issue a permit for the parade, if his “security” doesn’t work, the day after the parade the mayor should go to store owners and pick up the beer bottles and cans and hose the urine off the owners’ property. Let’s not even get into why security didn’t work in previous years, or where this money could be better spent.

Davi Zorich, Schaumburg