Matt Farmer’s a hotshot trial lawyer in a downtown firm who plays in a rock ’n’ roll band on the side and rarely gets involved in local politics. But since the Chicago Public Schools kicked his kindergarten daughter in the teeth, he’s been an activist unleashed, sending snarky e-mails to reporters, school officials, and parents on the northwest side. The issue on his mind is Arne Duncan’s plan to move the Edison Regional Gifted Center out of its longtime home at 6220 N. Olcott and into the same building that houses Albany Park Multicultural Academy, at 4910 N. Sawyer, about five miles down the road.
It’s not just the move that bothers him—it’s the way the news was delivered. He and the other parents of students at Edison, a selective-enrollment elementary school with 270 students, were on the receiving end of the sort of top-down marching orders CPS generally reserves for poor and the cloutless on the west and south sides.
Read More of The New School Shuffle off-site...Becky says:
I have a lot of problems with the CPS plan to relocate Edison Regional Gifted Center, but the biggest problem that I think every parent that will have a child impacted by this move has is the CPS lack of answers.
Where is this relocation plan? How will surrounding schools in the Northwest side be impacted? Where will the new boundaries be? Is it true that if you currently have a child in the Catholic school system and choose to pull them out next year to go to their new Edison local school that you WILL NOT be allowed to do so (So the new school won't be flooded with children)? How will a school that holds only 300 kids relieve the overcrowding schools? What about the Albany Park neighborhood? When will they get the amenities that they need and deserve? And what about the overcrowding issue in that neighborhood? And ultimately will parents have any choice as to where they choose to send their child?
Where are the answers to all of our questions? Who do we have to ask to get these answers? Clearly Mr. Duncan doesn't have any answers. How about the Mayor? Mr. Mayor, can you please answer our questions?
Edison Parent says:
Can any person honestly say that they think it is a "good idea" for a school of 400 7th and 8th graders to be combined with an elementary school. For those of you with small children, imagine a kindergardener with 400 14-15 year olds. Perhaps worse, consider a 10 or 11 year old girl in school with 400 hormonal teen-agers.