REPORT: Black Students BY FAR the Most Affected by CPS School Closings
According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, predominantly black schools are far more likely to see their schools close.
An astounding 9 out of 10 Chicago Public School students potentially impacted by school closures are African American.
And this is not in line with CPS demographics. 41.7 percent of CPS students are African American, 8.8 percent are white and 44.1 percent are Hispanic.
With the brunt of closings likely falling on black children, community members fighting to save schools are disgusted.
“It bothers me that schools that are in mixed neighborhoods, schools that are mostly Hispanic or Caucasian, they don’t seem to show interest to close them,” said Willetta Gary, a substitute teacher at Shoop Academy, who attended a recent school closing hearing on the Far South Side. “Children fare best when they can attend school in their own neighborhood where they live.”
…
Indeed, the district claims the city has lost 145,000 children from 2000 to 2010, though school enrollment dropped by about 30,000 during the same decade. CPS cannot explain the disparity in the numbers.
African Americans of all ages left the city and number about 177,000 fewer as of the 2010 census than they did in 2000. During the same decade, the number of whites and Hispanics grew. Many of the schools considered overcrowded are in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods and, therefore, safe from closing or consolidation.
Thoughts on this report?
What can we do to ensure that our young people get the quality education they deserve?
Sound off below!