The Columbia Chronicle Online
Columbia College Chicago
June 22, 2004
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Fate of Byrd Academy
up in the air
By
Kristin Menke The doors of Richard E. Byrd Community Academy, 363 W. Hill St., are closed for the summer. But if CEO of Chicago Public Schools Arne Duncan has his way, the doors will be closed permanently. On June 16, a public hearing regarding the proposal to close Byrd Academy—held at Chicago Public Schools Board of Education Chambers, 125 S. Clark St.—drew more than 100 parents, teachers, community members and students for a final plea to save their school. For three hours last Wednesday, Byrd Academy supporters laid out the reasons they believe the school should remain open—which range from the school's high academic standards to its relationship with community organizations—to the hearing's moderator, Frederick Bates, an attorney retained by the school board to make a recommendation about the closing of the 44-year-old school. In a June 3 letter to parents, Duncan stated that “declining enrollment and deteriorating facilities often make such decisions necessary in the interest of providing all of the children of Chicago a quality education.” However, at the hearing, Giancomo Mancuso, director of school demographics and planning in the CEO's office said that the only reason for Byrd Academy's closure is “declining enrollment” and made no mention of the facilities. Byrd Academy's capacity is 935, according to Mancuso, and currently the school is operating at 41 percent with 382 students enrolled as of October 2003. “It would be in the best interests of [Byrd] and Chicago Public Schools to close the school,” Mancuso said.
Andrea Lee from the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, an organization made up of more than 150 economic development groups and organizations in Chicago focused on improving communities, spoke of the need for a “comprehensive impact study for the closing school and receiving school.” Lee provided statistics gathered by NCBG to address the “space utilization matters” in regard to Byrd's low enrollment numbers. “More than 83 schools are below 50 percent capacity,” Lee said. In a written document Lee submitted for public record, NCBG claimed that “CPS has targeted our most neglected and needy schools for closures and enrollment freezes after CPS failed to provide adequate support and resources to enable these schools to improve. Receiving schools, already struggling to improve themselves, have born the burden of absorbing new students without added resources. CPS has closed schools, forced children to attend nearby schools, and then closed the schools to which the students were transferred.” If the school closes, students who attend Byrd Academy would be reassigned to other schools. In his letter, Duncan suggested, “the attendance boundaries of Jenner School be adjusted to accommodate all Byrd students next school year.” The students who live in the “attendance area” of Byrd Academy would be reassigned to Edward Jenner Academy of the Arts, 1119 N. Cleveland Ave., a school that students at Byrd can see from the windows of their classrooms now. And any students living outside of that area will be reassigned to their neighborhood school. Byrd Academy Principal Joseph Gartner, one of the first to speak at the hearing, proposed that the Byrd Academy remain open for the 2004-2005 school year. “Change cannot happen abruptly. What has been accomplished has been accomplished because of the environment of Byrd Academy,” Gartner said. “Community is not just about having a building, not about numbers. … It's about a group of caring individuals,” said Deborah Pope, director of education and labor outreach for the Chicago Teachers' Union. “Byrd is a rare example of how people have come together.” Byrd Academy is part of Chicago Communities in Schools and partners with other numerous organizations and agencies outside of the school such as Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Quaker Oats, Washington Mutual, Hubbard Street Dance and the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. “We try to heal the child. They have needs, emotional needs that are not being addressed at home,” Cheryl James, assistant principal at Byrd Academy said the day after the hearing. “They're talking taxpayers' money. …We're helping children to be producers, not to be [jailbirds]. We're helping children to be productive citizens.” During the hearing, James, proposed an alternative to the complete closure of the school. James proposed “a school within a school,” similar to that of the CPS's own Small Schools program for high schools. The program creates four or five small schools all housed within one building, but each with its own school council and budget. “The middle school concept of fourth through eighth grades could be implemented at Jenner,” she said. “We understand economics and demographics, but we understand children and families better,” James said. Maggie Moradi, a clerk at Byrd Academy spoke about the efforts of Brian Schultz's fifth grade class and Project Citizen, the class's combined effort to improve the current facility and raise attention to the need for a new building. Project Citizen has been featured in the Chicago Tribune on National Public Radio, and Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader paid a visit to the school on June 12. “The students are worried that the school's closing came about because of their project,” Moradi said. David McDaniel, a student at Byrd Academy, and one of three students to speak at the hearing, read a short letter about the school. “Our school is not just an institution of learning, it's a place to call home,” he said. “Please allow our school to remain open,” David added before handing Bates a folder full of letters written by students. Most of the parents, teachers and representatives from local organizations who spoke asked for another year in order to have more time to find alternatives to neighborhood schools. “Does the board realize that making this announcement so late in the year, they have effectively [locked] children out of magnet school?” said Elizabeth David, who has been a teacher at Byrd Academy for 20 years. The deadline for applications to Chicago Public Schools Magnet Programs was Jan. 14 for elementary schools and Dec. 19, 2003 for high schools. “We're talking numbers here, but that's not what it's all about. It's the life of our kids, that's what I'm concerned about,” Gartner said. The Chicago Board of Education will make a decision on whether or not to close Byrd Academy in addition to nine other area schools at its June 23 meeting. |
