Chatham Walmart Supercenter opens – 350 Jobs Created
Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by citizen in Chatham, Local News
(L to R ) Ald. Carrie M. Austin (34th), Ald. Latasha Thomas (17th), Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), Larry Huggins, president/CEO Riteway Construction Services and Walmart store manager Keith Richards officially open the Chatham Walmart Supercenter with a ribbon cutting Jan 25. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
Last Wednesday’s grand opening of Chicago’s second Walmart Supercenter was the successful culmination of a long political battle and journey for 21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins.
Brookins worked tirelessly for eight years to bring the world’s largest retailer to West Chatham and now Chicago’s newest Walmart Supercenter is located at 8331 S. Stewart Ave. on the new Chatham Market development site. The city’s first Walmart opened in 2006 in the Austin neighborhood.
“This is a great day,” said Alderman Brookins. “It was worth the fight. Chicagoans who live on the South Side deserve to have the same economic opportunities Chicagoans on the North Side take for granted. I believe that the Walmart Supercenter will enable the Chatham Market development to expand and grow, providing even more opportunities for the residents of my community to work and shop close to home.”
Fresh produce stands ready for customers at the new Chatham Walmart Supercenter Jan. 25. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
The 157,000 sq. ft. store brings a bounty of fresh food, fruits and vegetables to the area which means residents like Denise Stewart no longer has to face long commutes to other communities for a comprehensive or “all inclusive” shopping experience.
“I absolutely love it,” said Stewart. “I usually have to go all the way out to Orland Park and I live in over in Chatham, so it’s a great thing.”
Keith Richards, the Walmart Chatham store manager, is a prime example of why Brookins fought hard to bring super store to his ward. Richards begin his career as an hourly associate with Walmart 11 years ago and two years prior to Alderman Brookin’s first bid for the retailer.
“[It’s] absolutely amazing to be here on the South Side of Chicago, saving people money so they can live better; it’s not just a slogan it’s what we do every day,” Richards told the Chicago Citizen.
Brookins explained that Richards’ story was particularly special. “Now he [Richards] makes more than Chicago aldermen as the general manager for this store…it’s a lot of good stories today and I’m just glad I could see this day happen,” he said.
Richards most recently managed the Country Club Hills store.
The new Walmart store brings 350 jobs to West Chatham and more than three-quarters of the store associates are South Side residents.
The construction of the Walmart Supercenter was contracted to two minority-owned companies—Powers & Sons and UJAMAA Construction. According to Jimmy Akintonde, president, UJAMAA Construction, an estimated 300 construction jobs were created.
“Walmart continues to create opportunity for minorities within the construction industry,” said Akintonde. “Through a close working relationship with Walmart, Alderman Brookins and the community, we awarded 39 percent of all subcontracts on this project to M/WBE companies, many of whom were local contractors like ourselves with offices in close proximity to the site.”
Several elected officials also joined Brookins for the store opening.
“This is a great day,” said State Sen. Donne Trotter (D-17). “It’s a great day when you can wake up with a roof over your head and you can put food on the table [and] when you can feed your children. This provides an opportunity for people to do that—help stabilize the community and become self-sufficient. I am very proud of this moment. It’s a long time coming.”
Alderman Carrie Austin (34th) is thrilled about the store opening, not only for Chatham but her community as well. She said her constituents not only have the Jewel –Osco located in Marshfield Plaza but now also Walmart.
“I think I am just as excited as Alderman Brookins,” said Austin. “This has been a long hard fight. I’m glad that I was one of those that stuck with him all the way and to give him encouragement…This is just a win-win for our community.”
State Representative Monique Davis (D-27) also attended the grand opening and after the festivities grabbed a cart to do a little of shopping.
“I am really grateful to God that this store has finally come to fruition,” Rep. Davis told the Chicago Citizen. “Three hundred and fifty jobs for people in this community, a manager who started as just a clerk in the store and the food looks so wonderful and fresh. I will be shopping here at Walmart and I thank God that Alderman Brookins and all of those who helped including Governor Quinn continue do to do this hard fight. We know there were people that didn’t want it in this community for whatever reason, but we need food and we need jobs like everybody else.”
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter: @thelmasardin
Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Morgue Conditions, Pray For Deceased
Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by citizen in Local News, Weekend
Friday, Rev. Marshall Hatch (shown above) of New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church led members of the Leaders Network in a prayer vigil outside the Cook county medical examiner’s office on the West Side in hopes of improving conditions in the morgue there. Complaints about the conditions at the facility date back to 2010.
Several African American faith leaders are so outraged by the published reports and images of the stockpile of unburied bodies at the county morgue that they organized a prayer vigil, set up a hotline and are demanding a meeting with Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle.
Friday, Rev. Marshall Hatch of New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church and Ira Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, led members of the Leaders Network (LN) in a prayer vigil outside the county medical examiner’s office on the West Side where the morgue is located.
“Every human being deserves dignity in death. County officials must be held accountable to the citizens and to God for this sacred trust. Given the level of disorganization and neglect at the morgue, any one of these bodies could have been any one of us,” said Hatch.
In recent days, televised images showed dozens of bodies wrapped in blue and clear plastic piled “like junk cars” on shelves in the morgue. The deceased were said to be unclaimed corpses – some children – and indigents’ remains. A morgue worker blew the whistle, setting Preckwinkle and county officials back on their heels. Publicly, Preckwinkle would only say that the county was investigating the matter. Then she announced last week that there would be reorganization at the medical examiner’s office, including management changes and the addition of new positions.
Hatch said that LN extends its support to the changes and would like to see a citizen’s panel set up that would be authorized to issue periodical reports on conditions at the morgue and the panel would also act as a community “advocate.”
LN sent a letter to the county board president requesting to meet with her. Hatch said a spokesperson from the county president’s office contacted the organization and plans for a meeting are in the works.
Preckwinkle’s press secretary confirmed in an e-mail to the Chicago Citizen that she will meet with Hatch’s group.
“The president is planning to meet with the clergy, but we are in the process of outreach and scheduling that meeting,” said Liane Jackson. She said nodate or time has been confirmed.
Hatch said LN had called attention to the county morgue last spring.
Conditions at the Cook county medical examiner’s office morgue are currently under investigation by the Cook County Inspector General and the Illinois Department of Labor. Recent finding revealed that coolers there (similar to those shown above) are designed to hold 300 bodies but actually contain over 360.
“We sounded the alarm about eight or nine months ago when the state funding was cut off for indigent burials,” Hatch told the Chicago Citizen. “Now that it has reached crisis point, we see that an overwhelmed morgue really means that they don’t know whose bodies are in there. Now that the state funding has been cut back on, we want to help them to clean up the mess there.”
Conditions at the morgue are currently under investigation by the Cook County Inspector General and the Illinois Department of Labor — which is looking into employee safety. Complaints about the conditions at the facility date back to 2010. A recent finding revealed that coolers there designed to hold 300 bodies actually contained over 360.
Faith leaders were firm in their call for transparency in any overhaul Preckwinkle decides to make at the medical examiner’s office.
“This is immoral and it is disrespectful of the families of the dead. As pastors, we are moved with compassion to offer pastoral care for these unnamed souls,” said Rev. Cy Fields, president of Leaders Network.
LN also set up a hotline for people with relatives at the medical examiner’s office.
On Saturday, Bishop Claude Porter, head of Proviso-Leyden Council for Community Action and chairman of Interfaith Illinois, launched a petition drive urging county board support for Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart and called for the two to change the morgue’s burial policy.
Porter also urged donation of wood to build caskets for the decedents and recommended that some in county correctional custody help to construct them.
“This would save needed money for the county and the taxpayers,” he said.
The LN pastors believe that by partnering with faith leaders and others in the community, public trust in the medical examiner’s office could be restored.
By Rhonda Gillespie
Auburn Gresham School Launches Million Dollar Tuition Campaign
Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by citizen in Local News, South End
Helen Dumas, principal of St. Sabina Academy says she believes the school will raise one million dollars by Dec. 31, 2012. The parish and school’s theme for 2012 is “Mission Possible 2012: When Challenges Become Opportunities!” (Photo Courtesy of St. Sabina Academy)
Helen Dumas, Minster of Education/Principal of St. Sabina Academy located in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, has created a program geared to help families with paying tuition there. Dumas recently told the Chicago Citizen that she has noticed families struggling over the past six years with the loss of jobs and foreclosures of homes.
“Some of our families have shed tears having to make the decision to provide their children with food and shelter or a quality Catholic education in the safe, nurturing and faith-based environment we provide,” Dumas said. “Many had no choice but to send their children to some of the failing and violence-ridden schools in our community.”
Dumas added that the Catholic elementary school has been able to offer families a “considerable amount of financial assistance” but the need continues to grow.
The idea came to her during a moment of solace.
“One evening, the Holy Spirit gave me the vision to raise one million dollars as part of my legacy to our school. When I asked God, ‘How do you raise a million dollars?’ The response was, ‘$1.00 at a time.’ Thus our ‘Million Dollar Project!’”
Dumas said she believes the school will raise one million dollars by Dec. 31, 2012. The parish and school’s theme for 2012 is “Mission Possible 2012: When Challenges Become Opportunities!”
“The primary purposes of the campaign are to keep the cost of tuition affordable for our students and families as well as to establish an endowment or pool of monies for tuition assistance in order to offer a sliding tuition scale to assist low income families,” she said. “We desire that all children and families who want to attend St. Sabina are not denied that opportunity due to lack of the financial resources.”
The school is working diligently to get the word out to the community. Dumas is presenting the project to the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation. Members of the school and church community are also busy promoting.
“We began by sharing the vision for the project with parishioners, school families and staff. School parents are becoming parent ambassadors to spread the word about the project as well as recruit students for the 2012-2013 school year,” Dumas told the Chicago Citizen.
The Archdiocese of Chicago reported in January that Catholic elementary school enrollment has seen a surge for the second consecutive year. Shown here, St. Sabina Academy students perform at the school board's annual scholarship gala. (Photo Courtesy of St. Sabina Academy)
St. Sabina’s current enrollment is 296. About half of the students are from the surrounding Auburn-Gresham and Englewood communities. Dumas said that number was higher prior to the economic recession. The remaining 50 percent of students travel from other neighborhoods including the south suburbs. Some students commute in from as far away as Indiana.
The school has already raised nearly $1,000 and students have also donated.
“It has been heartwarming to see our students now taking the initiative to bring in their coins to take ownership for their own destinies,” she said.
The Archdiocese of Chicago reported in January that Catholic elementary school enrollment has seen a surge for the second consecutive year.
According to the results from a recent survey, the increase reflects an influx of 650 students. The results represent the first positive movement in Chicago’s Catholic school enrollment since 1965.
Moreover, the second consecutive year, over half of the 216 elementary schools in the Archdiocese have a stable or growing student population. This growth is happening at the preschool, kindergarten and first grade levels, which are up a combined eight percent from two years ago for an improvement of 1,150 students.
For more information, interested parties or donors may call St. Sabina Academy at 773-483-5000 and speak with Ms. Dumas or Mrs. Woodland. St. Sabina Academy is located at 7801 S. Throop St. in Chicago.
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter: @thelmasardin
Hazel Crest School District Superintendent Honored
Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by citizen in Local News, South Suburban
Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams, superintendent of Hazel Crest Illinois School District 152.5.
HAZEL CREST, Ill. – Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams, superintendent of Hazel Crest Illinois School District 152.5, was publicly honored Thursday for receiving the 2011 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year Award from the National Alliance of Black School Educators, and the 2012 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award from the American Association of School Administrators. The open reception was held at the district’s administrative offices, 1910 West 170th Street in Hazel Crest, IL.
Illinois State Representatives William “Will” Davis (30th Legislative District) and Al Riley (38th Legislative District) were among the attendees at the event, which was organized by the School District 152.5 Board of Education. Several administrators from neighboring school districts also were on hand to congratulate the Hazel Crest superintendent.
Harrison-Williams received her NABSE award in November during the organization’s conference in New Orleans. The award is presented annually to superintendents who have exemplified the highest excellence in their professions and have achieved measurable improvements in the academic performance of their students. Harrison-Williams will be handed the coveted AASA award next month during a national conference in Houston. She earned the award for her commitment to diversifying the field of education with high quality leaders.
No stranger to accolades, the superintendent has garnered a treasure trove of acknowledgements during her more than 10 years as a district leader, including an award from the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association and the 2009 NABSE “Phenomenal Woman” Award.
Harrison-Williams said she is always overwhelmed when she receives an industry award, but that her primary focus is her students. She approaches her duties as a school superintendent based on the philosophy of Dr. Ron Edmonds, the founder of the Effective Schools Movement, who believed that: “We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. … Whether we do it must finally depend upon how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far.”
Her goals are to continuously offer students the best opportunities to succeed in school so that they can assume leadership roles as adults.
“I’m a strong believer that all children can learn and every child deserves a good teacher,” states Harrison-Williams, who refers to her extended staff as her “Dream Team.”
Harrison-Williams, who was raised in Chicago, is a graduate of Northeastern University’s bachelor’s and master’s programs in various fields of education. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Among her many roles, Harrison-Williams serves on the Executive Committee of the Superintendents Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity, and collaborates with school district leaders to provide professional development for teachers and administrators. She also serves as an At-Large Governing Board Member of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, representing minority superintendents in Illinois, and is a life member of NABSE.
Approximately 1,200 students are enrolled in Harrison-Williams’ School District 152.5, which comprises five elementary and middle schools serving the communities of Hazel Crest and Markham, Illinois.
U.S. Congressman Speaks in Dolton
Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by citizen in Local News, South Suburban
Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. shows members of the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois a map of his district at the group's general assembly meeting Jan 30. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. gave a fiery speech at the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois’ general assembly meeting in Dolton Jan. 30.
Several elected officials from the Southland were also present at the gathering including: State Rep. Will Davis (D-East Hazel Crest), Andrè B. Ashmore, Village President of Matteson, Debbie Meyers-Martin, Village President of Olympia Fields.
Jackson, who is currently seeking re-election for his 2nd Congressional district seat, focused on the necessity of healthcare equality in America and economic development in Chicago’s Southland.
“Healthcare is a human right,” Jackson told Consortium members. “Even more I believe this human right should be put in the Constitution of the United States so that this can become an individual American right.”
The congressman said that healthcare should no longer be the responsibility of the states but a national accountability.
“Healthcare Consortium we can no longer wait for Springfield to provide everybody with healthcare,” Jackson said. “We can no longer wait for state legislatures in 50 states –many of whom are broke –to provide healthcare for every American.”
Jackson added that if America can fund outer space projects, then it can fund to help citizens on American soil.
“Any nation that can spend billions of dollars to put a man on the Moon ought to be able to spend billions of dollars to put a man and a woman on two feet right here in America,” he said.
Jackson also presented a map of his congressional district. He explained that it is imperative that economic development come to Chicago’s South Side and Southland region.
“The City of Chicago has nowhere else to go,” Jackson said. “It’s already touching Milwaukee. The City of Chicago and economic growth of the State of Illinois and for our region has got to come south. It’s got to come south. Which means it’s our time.”
The congressman also discussed how a third Chicagoland airport in Peotone would spur economic development in the area.
He said the proposed airport could bring an estimated 350,000 jobs and would over time be four times the size of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
As a result, Southland residents would not have to travel far for employment. “People would be able to practically ride their bikes to work,” Jackson said.
The proposed airport would also become international over time. Jackson said international access in the Southland would require local high schools to hire teachers that educate students about global culture including more foreign languages.
“Your congressman promises to bring you a global economy, not just a job. That means Kankakee High School and Thornton Fractional High School has to hire a Chinese teacher and up until this point you’ve not needed to hire one,” Jackson said.
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter: @thelmasardin
Dozens Dash for Unclaimed Cash in Homewood
Posted on 30. Jan, 2012 by admin in Local News, South Suburban
Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s office reunited over $101 million to owners after they had been separated from their belongings for more than five years, paying out more than 53,000 claims last year. Photo by Illinois State Treasurer’s office.
If a bank or business has been is in possession of your unclaimed cash or property for over five years, then chances are your assets have already been turned over to the Illinois state treasurer’s office.
That is why dozens of people turned out to the south suburban Homewood village hall Friday – braving the snow storm – to find out if they had unclaimed property being held by the state.
Cash Dash, sponsored by the state treasurer’s office, seeks to reunite unclaimed property with its rightful owner.
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford was at the Homewood Cash Dash event answering questions for would-be claimants. According to Rutherford, last year his office reunited over $101 million to owners after they had been separated from their belongings for more than five years, paying out more than 53,000 claims.
The program’s process was simple.
One-by-one hopeful claimants sat down with Alan Banks, a representative from Rutherford’s office on hand with his laptop chockfull of names associated with unclaimed property data. Individuals gave their name and even the names of the others they knew, and Banks searched the database for a match.
If a name match was found, Banks then completed a claim form which in some cases had to be
Alan Banks of the Illinois state treasurer's office sat down with hopeful claimants who came out to the Homewood Village Hall last Friday for the Cash Dash program. The program, run by state Treasurer Dan Rutherford's office, reunites unclaimed property with its owners.
notarized before mailing back to the unclaimed property division of the treasurer’s office.
Banks explained that the unclaimed money or other assets could come from such sources as a banksafe deposit box, a deposit refund from a utility company, unpaid wages or commissions or even paid-up life insurance policies.
“They tried to give it back to you but were unable, for whatever reason, to reach you,” Banks told the Chicago Citizen.
After five years of going unclaimed, the property is turned over to the state treasurer’s office.
Rutherford boasts that the Cash Dash program isn’t paid for through taxpayer dollars, but rather from the interest earned on the property waiting to be claimed by its owner.
“Upon taking office, I made it a priority to get unclaimed property I was holding back in the hands of the rightful owners,” said Rutherford.
For more information on the Cash Dash program, or to search online for unclaimed property you think you may have, visit www.treasurer.il.gov.
Photo by Dan Rutherford Campaign Committee
By Rhonda Gillespie
Desiree Rogers to Speak in Chicago
Posted on 26. Jan, 2012 by admin in Around Town
Desiree Rogers
Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing Company and former White House social secretary is one of seven speakers lined up for AT&T’s 28 Days — a Black History Month campaign with an objective to encourage consumers to be vocal and mobilize into action throughout the year.
This year’s AT&T 28 Days will feature a seven-city speaker series tour and a performance from award-winning hip-hop artist, actor, author and activist Common.
Rogers will speak on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Park West Theatre, 322 West Armitage Ave. in Chicago.
The speaker series events are free and open to the public. Tickets are available at att.com/28days on a first come first serve basis.
Other speakers and stops on the tour include Holly Robinson Peete in Oakland, Calif., and Michael Eric Dyson in Detroit.
“We are now in the fourth year of AT&T 28 Days and we continue to recognize past achievements while engaging and challenging consumers to make their own history today,” said Jennifer Jones, vice president of Diverse Markets, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We want to connect with consumers, especially youth, in relevant ways and extend the AT&T 28 Days live experience into new markets.”
CVCA students chefs serve winning dish, headed to nationals
Posted on 26. Jan, 2012 by admin in Chatham, Local News
The team of student chefs from Chicago Vocational Career Academy high school (from left: Ciara Lawton, Sheanice Dishmon and Kaliah Hunter. Second row, from left: Chef David Blackmon, Diamonte Baugh, Tytionna Rice and Jerome Sims) served their winning healthy meal Thursday to friends, family and other supporters during a special luncheon honoring the team. Over 50,000 students at other schools were served the meal as well. Team CVCA won this school year's local Healthy Schools Campaign's Cooking up Change competition and is headed to Washington, D.C. in May to compete nationally.
The competition in the Cooking up Change contest was fierce, but the culinary team at Chicago Vocational Career Academy high school served up a local win and is now looking forward to shaking and baking their way to a national victory.
A crowd of family, community supporters and others, along with thousands of high school students around the city got a chance Thursday to taste why last fall, the cooking team of student chefs Diamonte Baugh, Sheanice Dishmon, Ciara Lawton, Kaliah Hunter, Tytionna Rice and Jerome Sims won the Healthy Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change contest.
As their winning meal of sweet potato salad, oven-fried chicken and “cousins” collard greens and cabbage was served in the CVCA restaurant during a special ceremony honoring the team, students were enjoying the meal in cafeterias at other schools.
In this school year’s contest, 12 teams of high school student chefs were charged with the task of coming up with a meal that was health-conscious, cost-effective and delish. On the healthy side of things, the dish could only have so much saturated fat and salt; and the use of green and orange veggies was a must.
After four tweaks of their recipes, CVCA had the meal down pat, won the competition and will compete in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Department of Education in May. The student chefs seemed to have surpassed the taste-good requirement too, as evidenced by happy diners, who left only meat-less bones and soiled napkins on their trays.
“You guys just knocked it out of the park,” said the team’s mentor and owner of OON Chicago restaurant, Chef Matt Eversman.
In their individual remarks Thursday, the students talked about the impact that the contest and the culinary program had on them, and most of it didn’t have a lot to do with food.
“One thing I learned was team work,” said Sims, a 16-year-old CVCA junior. “Now I want to take my new skill to nationals and we can win there.”
Hunter, 17, who will graduate in May, said being on the team “takes a lot of hard work and dedication.” She got involved in the culinary arts program on a fluke but hardly regrets the decision.
“I was hungry when I picked my major. But in the end I love it,” she told the Chicago Citizen after the lunch event. “This program keeps you on the right track. It keeps me very limited, staying out of trouble.”
The head of Chicago Public Schools’ culinary arts program also paid compliments to the students, boasted about the program and its benefits to the students and urged support.
“The partnership with the Healthy Schools Campaign gives students the opportunity to exercise what they learn in the kitchen,” said Chef Dave Blackmon, CPS culinary arts program coordinator. He added that students in the program are certified in food services and have collectively obtained some $750,000 in scholarships to go on to culinary school.
“A total of 19 public schools offer the culinary arts program where they work in a hands-on environment, in real life-like industrial style kitchens and with tools of the trade,” Blackmon explained.
By Rhonda Gillespie
Brizard Meets with Neighborhood press
Posted on 26. Jan, 2012 by admin in Chatham, Local News, News
CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard met with reporters from local community newspapers to answer questions and discuss programs being implemented at the Chicago Public Schools. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
CPS CEO Jean Claude Brizard met with reporters from community newspapers at school district headquarters Thursday, a move to keep neighborhood press in the loop about CPS issues.
The forum came nearly two weeks after Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited Benjamin Mays Academy on Chicago’s South Side, on the first day of the longer school day schedule.
Mays is a “pioneer school”, a term used for schools that adopted the longer school day before the required system wide implementation goes into effect next school year.
The Chicago Citizen asked Brizard how Mays is responding to the longer school day.
“Every single pioneer school that I have visited, the process has been flawless,” Brizard said. “You expect hiccups when people are changing schedules… One, I found the kids to be extremely happy with what is going on. Second, the teachers were very happy and the principal was ecstatic.”
CPS is moving to a 7.5 hour day and 180 day year. According to CPS, students will go from having the shortest school day and year among the nation’s largest cities to leveling with the national average for instructional time in elementary and high school as well as length of the school year.
The school system also reports that its elementary students currently receive 22 percent less instructional time than the national average, while high school students receive 15 percent less.
CPS recently released parameters for elementary and high schools regarding the longer school day and its implementation for the 2012-2013 school year.
Elementary school students can expect 6.5 hours of instruction, 45 minutes for recess and lunch and 15 minutes for passing. High school students will receive 6 hours and 8 minutes of instruction, an increase of 46 minutes, a 46 minute lunch period and 36 minutes to get from one class to the other and building entry. Mandatory homeroom or “division” for high school students will be terminated.
“We are moving to a full school day to give children the time they need to focus on core subjects and ultimately provide students with the education they deserve,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Lengthening the school day gives our kids the time they need to excel in school and succeed in a global economy.”
According to CPS, the longer school day will enhance student achievement as students across the system are struggling. The district reports that more than 123,000 students-one third of all children- are in failing schools. In 2011, only 7.9 percent of all 11th graders tested college ready while the high school graduation rates stands at 57.5 percent and achievement gaps for Black and Latino students remain in the double digits, according to a CPS press release.
Brizard has drawn a conclusion from his time in Chicago.
“Every city has one metric by which it measures success,” the schools leader said. My assumption thus far in Chicago is that people care most about the neighborhood schools. It’s not about graduation rates, it’s not about reading and writing rates, although people care about that, but what they care most about is the ability to access a good school in their neighborhood.”
By Thelma Sardin
Tinley Park Mental Health Center tagged for closing Governor says: Congressman Jackson opposed
Posted on 26. Jan, 2012 by admin in Local News, South Suburban
Governor Quinn’s office announced last Thursday that he plans to close two state-run mental hospitals including Tinley Park Mental Health Center as part of budget savings and spending reductions. The closings will reportedly put over 500 people out of work and save the state about $20 million.
The storied run of the Tinley Park Mental Health Center in south suburban Tinley Park may soon come to an end as Gov. Pat Quinn readies to shutter the facility.
Quinn’s office announced Thursday that he plans to close the state-run Tinley Park mental hospital, along with a facility in rural Jerseyville, Ill. for people with developmental disabilities. Overall, the state is looking to move 600 patients from state hospitals over the next two years, according to the governor’s office.
But one elected official is speaking out against the Tinley Park closure, urging Quinn to keep all or part of it open so that low-income and uninsured patients may continue to have a resource for mental health treatment.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (2nd Dist.) sent a letter to the governor dated Jan. 16 expressing his “deep concerns” about closing Tinley Park Mental Health Center and selling the land to private investors. His letter came days before the public announcement of the planned closures.
The 2nd Congressional District representative said in the letter that the hospital “is a valuable and necessary asset to the Chicago Southland.” The Village of Tinley Park and the mental health hospital are both in the Democrat’s area.
Jackson said the facility services mostly minorities who will have few choices for mental health
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (2nd Dist.) has exerted that Tinley Park Mental Health Center is a valuable and necessary asset to the Chicago Southland and that the facility services mostly minorities who will have few choices for mental health treatment if it is closed.
treatment if the center is closed.
“No health care facility in the area provides such extensive services to individuals who may pose a threat to themselves or society,” the letter reads. “I implore (Quinn) to search for alternatives that will provide health care services to needy people even while recognizing the tough economic times we live in.”
Jackson, who is up for re-election this year, also cited concern for job loss with the facility’s closing.
“The center also employs many of my constituents. The loss of these jobs would have devastating consequences on these employees and their families,” Jackson said in the letter.
The governor is reportedly set to close the state centers as part of budget savings and spending reductions. The closing of both facilities would put over 500 people out of work and the state says it would save about $20 million.
The governor’s office claims the state looks forward to moving away from the type of setup both the Tinley Park and Jacksonville centers offer, and more toward a move to group home-like environments with patients in the community instead of on the outskirts.
Quinn’s team said they chose the Jacksonville and Tinley Park facilities after ranking every other similar institution in Illinois on age, services, economic impact, likelihood of federal decertification and more.
“The rankings pointed clearly at which ones should go,” said Kevin Casey, director of the state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities. He noted the Jacksonville center uses a coal-burning boiler for heat that costs $1.2 million a year and is so old that replacement parts must be manufactured from scratch.
Tinley Park hospital was built in 1958.
However, Quinn isn’t releasing those rankings or the information used to calculate them.
“No public hearings are planned either,” said Quinn spokeswoman Brie Callahan. “And there’s no need for a review by the legislative panel responsible for issuing advisory opinions on proposals to close state facilities. Lawmakers and the public got their chance to speak out last year in a series of hearings on a broader Quinn closure plan that ended up being shelved,” she said.
“Ultimately, this is an executive branch decision,” Callahan added. “But we’ve done it with a lot of input from the General Assembly and a lot of responsiveness to the concerns they raised with us in the fall.”
Still, Jackson holds out hope that a “compromise can be reached.”
By Rhonda Gillespie
