Community activist Tamar Manessah wrote an eloquent plea in the New York Times to save public schools in Chicago—from Rahm Emanuel and the charter industry.
She writes:
”On Feb. 28, the Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote on a disastrous proposal to close four public high schools with declining enrollment around the Englewood neighborhood of southwest Chicago. The affected children, who are overwhelmingly black and poor, would go to public schools out of the neighborhood or be encouraged to attend one of the charter schools being pushed by business and religious interests.
“The schools would close over three years, and in their place, the city plans to build an $85 million high school in Englewood. But the school won’t be up and running until September 2019 at the earliest — more than a full school year from now.
“Dwindling enrollment is a reality at these schools, but that’s partly because the city has not invested nearly enough in them. At the same time, Chicago has opened dozens of new schools, mostly charters, which draw students away from traditional public schools.
“Englewood, one of the poorest areas in the city, is plagued by high unemployment and gang activity. It’s where my organization, Mothers Against Senseless Killings, does its work. Our volunteers take care of the local kids during the summer, feeding them hamburgers for lunch and encouraging them to stay in school. And the neighborhood has made great strides — last year there was a significant drop in homicides and shooting.
“My greatest fear is that we will backslide. How we will be able to sustain these gains without a strong public school presence?“
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Chicago is an example of a mayor working with developers to gentrify a neighborhood. Englewood is located close to the CBD, transportation and the lake so it has potential for redevelopment. Emanuel has chronically slashed the budgets of the high schools in question. He could have chosen to consolidate students in one or two buildings, but this will entice families to stay in the neighborhood. The mayor’s plan is to reinvent the area with expensive “yuppie” housing so closing schools is the most effective way to remove the poor from prime real estate. If you destroy schools, you destroy a community. Emanuel understands this well as this model of destruction has worked before in Chicago.
You NAILED it, retired teacher. Rahm-BOO is well …. (fill in the blanks). I have nothing good to say about Rahm-boo.
THERE is little more telling than this statement: ” If you destroy schools, you destroy a community. ” Over and over and over across the nation the “accountability” formula of using test scores as a means to invade, blame and ultimately close schools has created fertile ground for a lucrative gentrification: move out the poor, bring in the rich.
Well said.
Backpacks full of catastrophe.