School Closings

School Closings: Officials of the Chicago Public Schools began the public on Wednesday what could come in December, when they decide which schools will be closed or consolidated. At the meeting of the Board of Education, Oliver Sicat, the new chief district officer portfolio, said there is a correlation between poor performance of schools and school buildings underused. CPS officials said they will rely on school performance as the primary factor in determining which schools to overhaul, but facility usage will also be taken into account. “What that could mean is that our parents are voting with their feet,” Sicat said. A school’s “performance level” is tallied by a complex calculation that awards points based on state test scores, student growth measures and attendance rates, among other factors. The lowest ranking, Level 3, is for schools the district has placed on probation because of poor performance. Most CPS schools on probation are concentrated on the city’s South and West Sides, where underutilized buildings were also high, according to Sicat. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis dismissed Sicat’s presentation as an attempt to create a smoother reception for the always controversial annual school overhauls. “They’re just dragging it out and dressing it up under a different name,” Lewis said. Last year, the district announced plans to consolidate 16 schools. After public protests, four schools were spared. All new school closures or mergers are announced on December 1 as part of the law signed last month, Gov. Pat Quinn. School Closings