The Chicago Board of Education’s recently released five-year values and parameters resolution, which proposes changes to create more districtwide equity and quality, is cause for optimism — and concern.
It’s a big plan with few details. Nonetheless, the resolution presents an opportunity to find balance in making necessary adjustments to school policies while retaining a system that offers public school students and parents choices and high-quality education across the board.
Some say competition in education is synonymous with inequity and school choice is inherently flawed. That’s extreme. It is highly possible for Chicago Public Schools to improve the admissions process and have more diversity at selective-enrollment schools, strengthen the funding and quality of neighborhood schools, and retain charter schools that are high-functioning and provide Chicago’s youths a sound education.
The Board of Education’s resolution states the intention to “transition away from privatization and admissions/enrollment policies and approaches that further stratification and inequity in CPS and drive student enrollment away from neighborhood schools.” People interpret this vague language in opposite ways. While some believe this spells the elimination of the city’s selective-enrollment schools and charter schools, others welcome the chance to have productive dialogue about how to improve Chicago’s public school system in a way that provides urgent attention and practical solutions.
Competition in education under the right conditions leads to student advancement, fosters a culture of hard work and motivates everyone involved to maximize potential. Competition that operates under unfair conditions does the opposite. The CPS guidelines around the selective-enrollment system need to be adjusted, but overall, selective enrollment is an academic component that adds value to our city’s school system. Similarly, there are charter schools in Chicago that offer tremendous opportunities for students across the city.
There absolutely needs to be accountability mechanisms that distinguish between schools that are performing well and those that are not. Such a careful examination applies to charter schools and neighborhood schools. And while test scores and overall grades should not be the only factors in assessing a school, they should not be scrapped altogether. Academic criteria need to be carefully balanced with need-based factors, culturally responsive lenses, funding and enrollment. The flawed formula of student-based budgeting is in urgent need of revamping, and low enrollment trends need to be addressed. Replacing student-based budgeting will require an open mind, collaboration and input that is not based on political scores but rather on what is truly best for CPS students.
The board’s resolution also emphasizes community input in the creation of its proposals and new vision. The five-year plan is anchored around “a community-informed plan that brings together educational and operational goals.” While that sounds inclusive and democratic, there is not “one” Chicago community, notably. There are 77 neighborhoods, and they have not all always agreed on public policy. CPS may say there will be plenty of community forums and opportunities for all stakeholders to have a say in the planning of its new vision, but in reality, community input has been limited under the limitations of video call meetings.
If CPS really wants meaningful community input, it would plan for a city referendum on proposed changes. Moreover, now that the Board of Education has made its intentions public, we need more specific answers about the 2024 elections. At present, Chicago voters still don’t know if all 20 board districts will be up for election or if half the city will have appointed board members. The elections are an opportunity for CPS parents to elect board representatives and chime in on the future of school choice, selective enrollment, charter schools, low enrollment, school budgeting and other educational CPS topics.
Lastly, there is no mention of Local School Councils in the board’s resolution, even though these elected school bodies represent our neighborhoods and consist of CPS parents, students, teachers, staff and community members. CPS should include the councils in its plan and value the stakeholders who are already advocating for their neighborhoods and schools.
I encourage the Chicago Board of Education to add more details and examples to its proposed plan in order for community input to be more helpful:
* Develop ways to improve CPS selective-enrollment admissions. Rethink tiers based on ZIP codes, do not do away with academic metrics and add admission factors that foster healthy and fair competition.
* Create accountability mechanisms for each public school that balance student grades, scores, enrollments, staff, facilities and nonacademic attributes such as cultural responsiveness, family income and need.
* Design a districtwide promotion system that does not automatically pass students from one grade to another. Include proper accountability and rigor.
* Construct a school funding mechanism that relies less on student enrollment and more on student need. Ensure funding decisions prioritize students and not politics or patronage.
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The Board of Education’s timing on this transformational plan came unexpectedly, but discussion and policy changes that best help CPS students are long overdue. The door has been opened to finding solutions that encourage healthy competition, school choice and districtwide equity and ensure neighborhood public schools are properly funded and supported.
Furthermore, instilling accountability parameters for all CPS schools will get us closer to the vision of equity and a high-quality education that the board justly demands.
Froylan Jimenez is a civics teacher at John Hancock College Prep High School in Chicago. He is an elected member of the Local School Council Advisory Board that advises the Chicago Board of Education, and he is a Chicago Teachers Union member.
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