Chicago board approves overhaul of 8 struggling campuses

From The Chicago Tribune: The Chicago school board has given its administration the authority to close or overhaul eight schools that have low enrollment, poor facilities or struggling academics. The schools: Curtis, McCorkle, Schneider, Deneen and Bradwell elementary schools, Las Casas Occupational High School, and Phillips and Marshall high schools. The district initially proposed overhauling 14 schools, but administrators removed nearly half of them following testimony and pressure from teachers, community groups and parents. Earlier: From The Chicago Sun-Times: Two Chicago public schools have been spared overhauls, leaving Chicago School Board members to decide the fates of eight schools. Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman has decided to spare Prescott Elementary from closure for lack of enrollment after receiving dozens of letters from parents who planned to enroll their children. Huberman also will "defer" a plan to solve under-enrollment at Marconi Community Academy by moving students from Tilton Elementary into Marconi's building. From The Chicago Sun-Times: Five public schools in Chicagohave been spared from closure or other major shake-ups -- in several cases because of student safety concerns -- under a series of reprieves granted by school district CEO Ron Huberman. Concerns about children crossing unsafe areas to their new schools were part of the reason for canceling the closure of Guggenheim and Curtis schools and withdrawing the consolidation of Paderewski. Curtis still faces a shake-up; its management will be taken over by the Academy for Urban School Leadership. In addition, Huberman has withdrawn plans to shake up the staffs at Mollison and Gillespie because he was impressed with those schools' academic game plans for this school year.JANUARY 2010...from The Chicago Tribune: Chicago Public Schools will close, consolidate or overhaul 14 schools this year because of low achievement, underenrollment or outdated facilities. This year, the district has outlined criteria to ensure that the 1,900 kids displaced by closings have access to better schools as measured by things such as test scores and attendance. The schools they are sent to also either will be within 1 1/2 miles of their address, or transportation will be provided.From The Chicago Sun-Times: Phillips and Marshall high schools are among 14 Chicago public schools expected to face massive shakeups. At each school, fewer than 4 percent of students passed their state exams last year, putting both Phillips and Marshall on the radar for a "turnaround'' in which schools are re-staffed but kids stay in place. Both schools have faced major overhauls in the past, with little academic success.