January 24 - 30, 2024 by StreetWise_CHI

January 24 - 30, 2024 Vol. 32 No. 04

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4 Arts & Entertainment 7 healthWise

Event highlights of the week!

Dr. Marina Claudio from Molina Health shares tips to stay healthy during the cold and flu season.

8 Cover Story: Local School Councils

Local School Councils (LSCs) were mandated in the Chicago Public Schools by a 1988 state law that sought to put student achievement in hands of the community – principal, parents, teachers, school staff, students, average citizens – in each local school. Held every two years and open to the public, elections are April 10 and 11, and candidate signup deadline is February 8.

15 The Playground

DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of StreetWise.

Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher

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StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI

Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief

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Amanda Jones, Director of programs

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Julie Youngquist, Executive director

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Compiled by Dave Hamilton

An Under-represented History!

Turtel Onli: The Black Age of Comics The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts presents Turtel Onli: The Black Age of Comics on view in Café Logan, 915 E. 60th, from January 26 – March 31, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. weekdays, noon-6 p.m. Saturdays, and noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Black Age of Comics is a graphic novel movement dedicated to the promotion, creation, and support of Afrocentric comic books and graphic novels. The term riffs off the period language from the comics industry in America to discuss eras of production like the Golden Age (1938-1950) or the Silver Age (1956-1970). Existing outside the mainstream comic book industry, the Black Age aims at expansion – to include artists that create material from a Black or African perspective. Called the “Father of the Black Age of Comics”, Onli’s artwork (which he refers to as “Rhythmism”) combines afrofuturism, historical, and fantasy elements that has parallels with both fine art and comic book art. He has authored and illustrated numerous comic books and graphic novels including” NOG,” “Protector of the Pyramids,” “Malcolm 10,” “Nog Nu” and “Grammar Patrol.” FREE.

Fighting Prejudice!

Lyric’s ‘Champion’ "I kill a man and the world forgives me. I love a man and the world wants to kill me." “Champion” tells the true story of Emile Griffith, a professional boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands who threw a fatal punch in the boxing ring in 1962 after being taunted for his sexuality by his rival. Through flashback, an aging Emile reflects on his tumultuous life, from his Caribbean upbringing and conflicted sexuality to his meteoric rise in the ring and ensuing decline in health. Battling years of guilt, regret, and denial, he faces his greatest fight: coming to terms with his true self. Using the boxing ring as a lens, “Champion” explores similarly operatic issues of race, sexuality, and self-discovery. January 27 to February 11 at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Tickets start at $49 at lyricopera.org

Opera Meets Puppetry!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

'Book of Mountains and Seas’ Chicago Opera Theater and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival present “Book of Mountains and Seas,” which examines our modern-day relationship with the natural world. Four fables centered on Earth are uniquely told by a company of 12 singers, two percussionists, and six puppeteers with staging by celebrated puppeteer Basil Twist. Huang Ruo’s vibrant and inventive score, which draws inspiration from Chinese folk music, breathes new life into the ancient stories. This is a powerful and extraordinary work that will challenge the way you interact with nature and the environment. January 26 & 27 at 7:30 p.m., January 28 at 3 p.m. at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets start at $45 at chicagooperatheater.org

Voices For Justice!

Michael Staudenmaier: ‘We Go Where They Go: The Story of Anti-Racist Action’ Chicago Public Library welcomes writer and educator Michael Staudenmaier on his book “We Go W here They Go: The Story of Anti-Racist Action,” (ARA) at Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St. The book recounts the thrilling story of a massive forgotten youth movement that set the stage for today’s anti-fascist organizing in North America. Based on extensive interviews with dozens of ARA participants, it tells ARA’s story from within, giving voice to those who risked their safety in solidarity with others. It explores both its triumphs and failures, and offers valuable lessons for today’s generation of activists. Doors to the auditorium open at 5:30 p.m., and seating is first come, first served (350 capacity). Books are available for purchase, and the author will autograph books at the conclusion of the program. .

Follow the Rainbow!

Unicorn World Unicorn World, an immersive, interactive and themed event for all ages, will take place January 26-28 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. The family-friendly event is known for its themed activities such as an enchanted forest, arts and crafts section, story time and colorful, life-sized, moving and neighing unicorns. This year it will offer new interactive experiences, including balloon bubble houses, a wish wall and the world’s largest unicorn vending machine. Tickets are $40 (free for children 2 and under) and at scheduled times at theunicornworld.com

A Relaxing Lunch!

Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Classical Music Chicago presents the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts. The free weekly concert series features extraordinary music by artists who are early in their careers. Enjoy classical concerts in-person at 12:15 p.m. at the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, 55 E. Wacker. Face masks are optional. You may also stream from the comfort of your own home at classicalmusicchicago.org or listen on WFMT. On January 24 enjoy Richard Brasseale on saxophone and Lillia Woolschlager on piano. On January 31, enjoy Wynona Wang on piano (pictured). FREE.

Eat Up!

Restaurant Week 2024 Chicago Restaurant Week is an annual, citywide event that features special tasting menus at over 350 Chicago restaurants. Each participating location offers prix-fixe lunch ($25), brunch ($25) or dinner ($42 or $59) through February 4. For a full list of participating restaurants, visit choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week

Join the Community!

Readings On Ravenswood Remy Bumppo Theatre Company hosts its winter 2024 Readings on Ravenswood series, curated by Artistic Director Marti Lyons and Creative Producer Christina Casano. The series launches January 22 and continues through February 26 on Monday nights at Remy Bumppo’s rehearsal space, 1751 W. Grace St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and readings will begin at 7 p.m. Readings on Ravenswood are free to attend with a suggested donation. Reservations for the winter 2024 readings are available at RemyBumppo.org

A True Survivor!

Book Signing with Holocaust Survivor Marion Deichmann Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Holocaust Survivor Marion Deichmann will join Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, for its free day on January 26. Marion will be in the Museum from 1-4 p.m. where guests can meet her and get a signed copy of Marion’s book, “Her Name Shall Remain Unforgotten.” Free day tickets can be reserved at ihm.ec/freeday. Books can be purchased in the Museum’s gift shop or online at bit.ly/3TITMHm

LOL at JOMO!

Kathy Galper ‘JOMO: The Joy Of Missing Out’ In “JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out”, at the Evanston Art Center, 1717 Central St., Evanston, Kathy Halper celebrates her anti-social life through her humorous multimedia paintings and sculptures. As Halper says, “You know, I love my friends dearly. I just hate having to see them”. Using craft materials, warped perspectives and sculptured surfaces, she explores the daily boredom of 30 years of marriage, dogs in our personal space and our addiction to screens. With honesty, affection, and tongue-in-cheek awareness, Halper invites everyone to her party of one. FREE, but registration is required at www.EvanstonArtCenter.org

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Vendors (l-r) A. Allen, Russell Adams, John Hagan and William Plowman chat about the world of sports.

The Chicago bears in 2023 John: We are going to recap the Chicago Bears 2023 season. They have made improvements but there’s still some things they need to work on. William: It was better than I expected but not as good as I was hoping. The Bears lost to teams they should have easily beaten.

SPORTSWISE

A. Allen: QB Justin Fields missed four games due to an injured thumb, but came back very strong. Fields was hitting wide receiver D.J. Moore with a lot of passes and now they have added 6-foot-6-inch wide receiver Collin Johnson. I still have confidence in Justin to be a good quarterback for Chicago. I was looking for them to make the playoffs, if not this year, definitely next. Russell: They played better than I thought they would. I’m satisfied. I wasn’t expecting them to go to the playoffs anyway. There’s games they should have won. NFC South is not that strong…seven or eight wins you might be in. The offensive line has gotta get fixed up. You gotta protect the quarterback. Jay Cutler was the same way. He kept getting sacked, sacked, sacked.

They’ve got the No. 1 draft pick. They’ve got their own draft pick and they’ve got money to spend on free agency. John: The way they started out, I thought they were going to be the Carebears of last year, but they played a lot better the last two months. What the Bears need to do next year is simple: get help for Justin Fields’ offensive line and then an additional lineman. They could also use a running back. As far as the overall No. 1 pick, I would trade it down again because the Bears seem to like Justin Fields. He's getting better. You just got to use him right. If you don't have him in a pocket, you need to buy him time to throw the ball down the field. So if the Bears do all that, they can very well make the Super Bowl. Philadelphia is in decline. Dallas doesn't scare me. The 49ers are overrated.

William: Russell hit the nail on the head. A lot of these seasons where the Bears did a really lousy job, we blamed the quarterback. We blamed Jay Cutler and then he left the Bears and went to the Broncos and look how good he did. It's not the quarterbacks; it’s the offense. And part 2 is, I don't think the Bears are always as teamwork-oriented as they need to be. I've seen some games where each player just wanted to do his own thing. Fix that and they'd be much better. A. Allen: I like what Russell said and what you said, William. We have a good quarterback. He did a lot of running, but he had to, if you don't have the protection. I agree with you John, we need a running back in the backfield to be able to run the ball instead of Justin Field trying to be quarterback and running back.

Russell: Good luck Bears. Not saying they can go to the Super Bowl. But spend that money. Beat Green Bay. John: A successful season for the Bears if they don’t win the Super Bowl is beating Green Bay. This isn't Detroit. This isn’t Minnesota. These are the Packers, the arch rival. As far as next year is concerned, the only way I would keep the draft pick is if you’re drafting wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State, because the Bears got their quarterback. They just need to coach him right. William: Like you said, the offensive line is what we need. The best defense is a good offense.

Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Staying healthy in Cold & flu season When the weather shifts in temperature, the cold and flu season has begun. The flu (influenza) and the common cold share many of the same symptoms. Both are contagious illnesses that affect the respiratory system and are spread through viruses. How can you tell if your symptoms are a cold or the flu? Here’s how: Cold symptoms are usually milder, develop over time, and can include: • Fever • Runny or stuffy nose • Sore throat • Cough • Sneezing • Fatigue • Muscle aches • Headaches

by Dr. Marina Claudio

Flu symptoms can be more severe, appear suddenly, and can include: • Fever (often higher than one that’s due to a cold) • Stuffy nose • Feeling like you want to vomit (nausea) • Chills • Sweats • Fatigue • Muscle aches • Cough • Headaches • Loss of appetite • Vomiting and/or diarrhea (more common in children) Whether or not you have a cold or the flu, be sure to take steps to feel better while your body fights the virus: • Get lots of rest • Stop smoking • Drink lots of fluids • Avoid alcohol • Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to help your sore throat feel better • Use saline (saltwater) nose drops or sprays to help loosen mucous and hydrate dry nasal passages • Use a humidifier • Take medicine recommended or prescribed by your provider • Get the annual seasonal flu vaccine early in the season!

Call your provider if you have the following symptoms: • High fever that lasts for more than a few days • Symptoms that last for more than 10 days or get worse instead of better • Trouble breathing or shortness of breath • Severe sinus pain in the cheeks or forehead • Severe or constant vomiting • Confusion https://familydoctor.org/is-it-a-cold-or-the-flu/

Dr. Marina Claudio is a board-certified family physician who has been in practice since 2003. She is currently a Medical Director at Molina Healthcare of Illinois/Wisconsin. She's a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the UIC/Advocate Illinois Masonic Family Medicine Residency Program.

HEALTHWISE

Viruses that cause colds and the flu have no cure. Over-the-counter medicines help to lessen symptoms. There are a few prescription anti-viral medications available to help treat flu symptoms. Here is what you can do to protect yourself and others from getting sick: • Wash your hands frequently to stop the spread of germs • Eat healthy, exercise and get enough sleep to boost your immune system • Cough and sneeze into your elbow to avoid the spread of germs • Clean surfaces like countertops, door handles and light switches with antibacterial products • Stay home when you are sick • Avoid contact with people who are sick • Get a flu shot early in the season.

LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCILS BRING COMMUNITY INTO PUBLIC SCHOOLS by Suzanne Hanney

Parent Kendra Snow A well-run Local School Council (LSCs) that engages parents and the community can be very effective in meeting students’ needs, even to the point of reducing violence, says Kendra Snow, a parent organizer for the education advocacy group Raise Your Hand. LSCs were mandated by a 1988 state law that decentralized Chicago Public Schools (CPS) with the aim of putting school achievement in the hands of parents, community residents, parents and the principal at the individual school level. The 508 LSCs in Chicago Public Schools (477 elected and 31 appointed) include the principal, three school staff members (two of them teachers), six parents, two non-parent community members; three students at the high school level and one at schools serving up to 8th grade. Held every two years, elections are open to the public: April 10 in elementary schools and April 11 in high schools. Candidate signup deadline is February 8. “I feel like the community and the parents have the best input because they’re living it,” Snow said. “Most of our teachers and principals do not live in our community and do not meet the needs. Parents are discouraged from coming into schools for those reasons.

COVER STORY

“It’s kinda like, meet a person where they’re at. Intimidation is always a reason for people not to do something. In the Black community, it’s a thing – when people think they are better than you, if a person is overtalking you and they act as if they have more knowledge than you. The biggest thing is not to criticize in a way that makes them feel humiliated.”

As an example, Snow described a family of two who became homeless and went to live doubled up with relatives five miles away. The principal did not want to let them back into the school, despite studies that say student achievement is better with a stable school environment. The U.S. Department of Education also recognizes their right to remain in their original school, and every school is required to have a Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) staff member, either full or part-time, who can smooth the way with a variety of resources. The principal did not do any research about the family, Snow said. “Homeless doesn’t mean uneducated, that you are a bad person, that your kids are not on track. Homeless

means you are in a temporary living situation. The mom was judged as, ‘get away from me.’” A parent who brings a letter or a utility bill from the new address can obtain Chicago Transit Authority cards from the STLS staffer to facilitate traveling to the original school, Snow said. However, many parents may be unaware or intimidated. “Your kid could miss days or weeks of school because you weren’t bold enough. A lot of parents just take what is given because someone is sitting behind a desk and telling you what you need. You don’t ever think of going over their heads because you don’t realize STLS exists. The same with IEPs.” Individualized Education Plans in the Chicago Public Schools cover specialized services for 14 different types of disabilities, whether intellectual or physical. LSCs can connect parents with each other so that they have support when they meet with teachers about an IEP, Snow said. Officially, LSCs have three duties: creation of a School Improvement Plan; maintaining a discretionary budget; hiring and firing principals. The latter draws the most attention from educators. “What I used to feel is, why would they give the right to an uneducated person to be able to give the lifeline of this person’s livelihood, because I know a lot of people vote on their emotions,” Snow said. “But if you can hit them with facts, absolutely parents should be the one to say, ‘We don’t want this principal, because our kids are not growing.’”

Local School Councils: Fast Facts

Mandated by 1988 Chicago School Reform Act, which sought to improve student achievement by putting school governance into the hands of local principals, teachers, parents and the community. Each LSC is comprised of: a) the principal, b) six parents, c) two non-parent community representatives, d) two teachers, e) a non-faculty school representative, f) three student reps at the high school level, g) and one student in schools serving up to 8th grade. Duties include: a) approving annual school budget, b) formulating school’s academic improvement plan, c) selecting and evaluating principals. Elections are open to the public: April 10 in grade schools and April 11 in high schools. Participants can include parents and members of the public as community reps. www.cps.edu/about/local-school-councils/lsc-key-dates/ Election judges are paid $275 a day after undertaking a twohour, in-person training. Signup deadline is February 21. www.cps.edu/about/local-school-councils/lsc-election-judges/ It’s not so much judging a principal’s credentials as it is willingness to work with the community.

couch you can sleep on, a clean toothbrush. Experience is the best teacher.”

As an example, Snow mentioned a middle school that could not retain math and science teachers, who would come to the school briefly and then quit. Snow inquired of the principal, who said she had posted three positions. Snow checked and found nine availabilities instead. And while she acknowledges the pressures of running a school, parents don’t get time off, either, she said. “We have to be all these things rolled up in one.”

Snow’s eldest son went to Oscar Mayer School at 2250 N. Clifton in Lincoln Park; she paid her younger brother to take him, and then from 6th grade he traveled by himself on the CTA Red Line. He is now 31 and a physical therapist.

A well-run LSC that encompasses the community can be an intermediary between parents and the principal, she said. It can minimize intimidating bureaucracy and the gulf that has widened with increased disparities in income. “In this city, you are not heard. You don’t listen to people in the grassroots, but we are the ones living it. I hate that it took me so long to speak up on things, but again, it was the embarrassment of being a teen mom, a low-income mom, a mom of so many kids.” Snow had her eldest son when she was at Lindbloom High School in West Englewood; she graduated, for which she credits her mother’s organizational skills. Her mother died by the time Snow had her second child, a daughter, five years later; but their house remains. It has been a base for Snow to help friends from 69th to 79th in Englewood and Auburn-Gresham. “People to this day say, ‘How do you maintain this so you can sleep people?’ I don’t know. God makes a way. I got a

“I would go to Mayer and the welcome would be different. The school would be more inviting,” Snow said. Her daughter, meanwhile, went to school on the South Side. She also has a 9-year-old and five children in between. “If the teacher misdirected an assignment, you couldn’t voice your opinion without it being an issue on the South Side. I tell parents we whoop and holler and then leave our kids at that school. I am not comfortable with that.” Snow’s children have attended both neighborhood schools and selective enrollment schools like Kenwood Academy (5015 S. Blackstone Ave.), Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy (250 E. 111th) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School, (4445 S. Drexel Blvd.). She was concerned that her son who started out on the North Side, speaking his words properly, would not fit into a school in the neighborhood. Yet when they were together as a family, her kids showed they had adapted to their schools, she said. Resources make the difference, she said. Snow’s children were at a turnaround school that offered football, soccer, drama. The principal would stand outside and greet parwww.streetwise.org

ents. If there was an issue, the principal would knock on the door: “’your child missed two days of school. Is there anything going on? Do you need uniforms or anything else?’” Snow recalled. Slowly, however, each of those programs went away until the situation went back to the way it was. Parents had received incentives such as $60 an hour to attend meetings and they would leave with $130, gift cards or food. Others received stipends to work in the school. By the time Snow had four kids, including a daughter in pre-K, she got a job in the after-school program. “I had a role that meant something. I was signing teachers in, making phone calls, keeping up with kids’ progress. The next year I was going to multiple schools doing the same thing. I would take materials, make sure the students were settled and had their afternoon snack. I worked 20 hours a week. It was something to put on a resume that put me in a better position.” She wasn’t someone in a suit and heels, but “Kim from the neighborhood” as she calls herself, someone in a hoodie and Jordans. She was out networking and talking to people, just as she is now on social media and one-onone, telling them to run for LSCs, and to vote in the April elections. Snow could probably move up into an education career, but she demurs. “That voice they finally listen to might be my daughter, it might be one of the girls from the neighborhood I bought diapers for.”

Community Member Suzanne Hanney When I was a kindergartner, my mother’s mentor – my “grandmother” – died suddenly. My mother called the convent to ask my kindergarten nun if I could handle going to her mentor’s wake. She got the principal instead, as she told me 30 years later. What this incident showed me was that all parents have moments when they need a little advice, a little reassurance, whether from a teacher, a principal, or another parent. My mother was a C-suite administrative assistant, but my father was older and had already suffered a heart attack. Local School Councils can perform just this function in Chicago. For that reason, and because I wanted to understand education policy up close, I said yes to running for community representative on a North Side grade school LSC. Our school was Black, white, Latino and Asian, and our LSC reflected that. The principal was very much in charge, but she nevertheless drew on our disparate talents. The other community rep was a retired investment banker, and so she helped the principal directly with the budget. A parent had contacts with the local chamber of commerce. We compiled a School Improvement Plan every year and discussed ways to bring new revenue to the school: leasing our smokestack as a cellphone tower and our parking lot to local restaurants after school hours. I shot photos of our annual school picnic and developed them for people to keep. At election time, I sent my flyer home with all the kids, but also hand-delivered them to the famous photographer and the artist who lived down the street. I was gratified when I saw the artist make his way to the school polls, as an overture for future involvement. I also assisted a teacher in a writing class. One of the most controversial roles for the LSC is hiring a principal. Here also, one of the parents was an insurance actuary, who created a neat form that both qualified and quantified candidate experience. But in the end, it was a group decision between all of us: the six parents, two community reps, and two faculty members. The LSC hosted a community forum, and I ranked candidates by how they responded to questions from the audience. As the Illinois Supreme Court noted, schools are of most interest to parents, because of the welfare of their children, but they are also important to the community, because children are the future of our nation. Serving on an LSC brought me closer to diverse people and made me an active participant in my city.

Parent Veena Villivalam Veena Villivalam was a 2nd year parent at Suder Montessori Magnet School, 2022 W. Washington Blvd., when she learned of safety challenges. Despite precautions taken by the school, there had been two car jackings, one of them successful. Students also risked being subjected to hit-and-runs during arrival and dismissal times. The Suder Local School Council “was the forum where the need was articulated,” said Villivalam, who is now the mother of twin second graders in multi-age classrooms, a parent rep and LSC chair. “I partnered with other parent leaders who voiced the need.” A parent-led safety committee formed quickly and began to work on safety improvements to Washington Boulevard. Because Washington Boulevard is a city emergency thoroughfare, speed bumps were not allowed, but pavement markings were. After community organizing and collaboration with school administrators, families, and many other key stakeholders, the school won a crossing guard at Washington and Damen and also markings that prohibited left turns. “We organized the school community and worked with the alderperson and the Chicago Department of Transportation,” Villivalam said. “CDOT fulfilled nearly all of their promises. Ald. [Walter] Burnett [27th ward] understood the need, agreed to the solution presented, and put up the funds. It’s

an example of mobilization that took place during an LSC meeting as an outgrowth of a need that was recognized by families, school leaders, students and staff.” CDOT also increased the pedestrian walk time by three seconds, which didn’t cost the city anything, she said. “My experience has taught me that school leaders and staff have so much on their plate – CPS Central Office and city agencies need to build system-wide policies and procedures to improve student safety near schools. With greater coordination, CDOT and Chicago Public Schools could do this for all Chicago schools. Families with small youth, multiple youth, would benefit from extra time to walk across the street in peak times with high traffic.” It’s a small example of what networking LSCs could do across the city to improve Chicago schools, Villivalam said, if they were able to share phone numbers and other contact info. She and her kids travel 90 minutes a day from their home near Belmont and Austin. The reason is that she is passionate about public Montessori education. “One thing I believe as a former classroom teacher is that there has to be a way for us to continue to build awareness, not just in the school, but in the community, to articulate a way change can happen and educate folks as to what it took. I’d love for there to be more ways for LSCs in different regions to get together and advocate as a broader community. The challenge in Chicago is that with 450 schools it shouldn’t be about squeaky wheels. It should be about multi-school communities coming together and working for the change we would like to see across the board.” But even working just within individual schools, LSCs bring openness in school operations and the ability to see who is in charge; this is how they differ from Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), which Villivalam said she feels are more for socialization and fundraising. “This is about governance: bringing people together with a purpose to ensure transparency and accountability in how schools function and inclusion of all voices in that process. LSCs help make space for those critical conversations that may have fallen by the wayside in their absence.” While Villivalam appreciated the trainings she took as an LSC member, she said Chicago Public Schools could make improvements here. LSCs are tasked with principal selection and contract renewal, so she would like to see more input from CPS: perhaps a rubric for assessing resumes and a shared drive of templates for external messaging. LSCs are unique to Chicago, they are valid and commendable, she said. “The challenge is, what are the systems and procedures to make them more accessible to every person regardless of income, regardless of the number of degrees they have. This is what democracy is. You should be able to participate and have a say in what your child is experiencing.”

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Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter Local School Councils are the most democratic force in the nation for a school community to exercise ideas to create a more vibrant education system, says Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Vice President Jackson Potter. “We are on cusp of more blossoming of democracy for Chicago as we are heading to an elected school board, with the wind in the sails for LSCs to do what they do best,” Potter said of the forums in each Chicago school comprised of parents, community representatives, teacher and staff representatives and student representatives, “who are overwhelmingly Black and Latino stakeholders, all coming together.” LSC elections, open to the public, are in April; nominations, some of which are also open to the public, close February 8. Meanwhile, next November 5, voters will elect 10 members of the Chicago Board of Education, who will take office in January. The board of education will be a mix of elected and appointed members until January 2027, when it will become 20 elected members and an at-large president. The reason for the change from a seven-member board appointed by the mayor of Chicago is a new state law. Potter credits Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former middle school teacher and CTU organizer himself, whom he said appointed a school board that fought school closings and simultaneously empowered LSCs. Over the last 20 years, LSCs’ power has been reduced from the original concept of parent involvement, he said. Chicago Public Schools have also been harmed over the last 20 years, Potter said, by school closings and the creation of charter schools, which he said diverted resources from neighborhood schools, “one school losing enrollment to one opened across the street.” Potter was a teacher at Englewood High School when it began to be phased out in 2005. And in 2013, facing a $600 million deficit, the board of education shuttered 50 schools, the largest such closure in American history. LSCs have also struggled to find enough people to fill their positions in recent elections. In 2019, the Chicago Public School system gave LSCs the power to determine whether or not to have police in high schools. However, the Nadig Newspapers on the North-

west Side reported Dec. 29, 2023 that at its January 25 meeting, the Board of Education might not renew the $10 million contract with the city for police officers for next fall. While some schools say police make them feel safer, others say that their presence escalates the possibility of minor transgressions turning into a police record. “The Board of Education just last month passed a resolution that said the proliferation of charter schools, closings and emphasis on selective enrollment left students behind,” Potter said. “We want a sustainable model, investing more in neighborhood schools to build out a curriculum that is antiracist and programming – whether it is health services or how to organize ourselves as parents, as students in order to have clearer representation within the community itself.” Having both an elected school board and LSCs in every school – which are voted on by the community – will mean alignment around a shared sense of responsibility, said Potter, who last taught social studies at Back of the Yards College Prep. “Now you will have a school board that has to exist by virtue of how reflective it is to the public, just like the LSC has those representatives. Once you have those democratic characteristics on both sides of the coin, there will be more responsiveness permanently.” LSCs fail for lack of power sharing by people at the top and for lack of resources, he said. Since they have been

deprioritized for the last 20 years, more money needs to be invested into training members. Increasing their capacity would enable them to tweak standardized curriculum, which Potter emphasized over and over. He compares the Skyline curriculum launched by CPS in 2021 to a $50 million Cadillac that is unlikely to be trashed but might be used for parts. CPS, however, says on its website that Skyline’s digital platform is both standards-based and culturally responsive. “It can be a cookie cutter curriculum with a lot of complaints being forced on by low-income Black and brown communities that costs more every year to maintain and get out glitches,” Potter said. “We force teachers to use something very clunky that doesn’t reflect cultural competencies. But LSCs have the power to say ‘No, we want something more responsive to the community,’” because devising a school improvement plan is one role of LSCs. As an example, Potter says schools in North Lawndale could have lessons and guest speakers on the Black Panthers and Fred Hampton and those in Uptown could discuss the Rainbow Coalition. Hiring and firing principals is another major task for LSCs. Current member Veena Villiva-

lam suggested to StreetWise (see story on page 11) that CPS could develop a rubric to give LSCs more support in this area. Potter called rubrics tricky because, “sometimes you have to make assessments about things not in a rubric. You don’t want to be overly prescriptive, but it also goes beyond the simplistic.” Basic training for LSC members should still cover principal assessments, budgeting, and curriculum, he said. Parents may not have all the answers, he said, but bringing everyone in a school together – parents, teachers, community – can be transformative. “Because parents know things that teachers don’t: what interests their kids, their family histories, what’s going on in the community, what their struggles and tribulations have been. When you incorporate those assets and knowledge in the day-to-day, kids are more interested, more responsive, as opposed to teachers just doing guesswork.”

Editor's Note: Look for a story with Chicago Public Schools in an upcoming edition. www.streetwise.org

e1 1/25/16 Sudoku to 9.

PuzzleJunction.com

Streetwise 1/25/16 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the Sudoku numbers 1 to 9.

Puzzle

Crossword Across

57 Heart chambers 58 Mark’s successor 59 Jewish month 60 Harsh 61 La Scala highlight 62 Lens holders 63 Barbs 64 Goatish glance 65 Slangy denial

7 Wander 34 Channel 8 River to the marker Caspian 35 Employs 9 Some scampi 36 Blowgun 10 Sponsorship ammo 11 Join hands? 38 Lyric poem 12 ___ out! 39 River feature 13 Melee memento 44 Behemoths 21 Eddy 45 Hullabaloo 22 Exorcist’s 46 Smug smile target 47 Falcon’s home 26 Wife of 48 Part of a TV Hercules feed 27 Chips in 49 Muscle spasm Down 28 Slanted type, 50 Clipped 1 Pincers brieﬂy 51 Foolhardy 2 Ham’s need 29 Scarlett’s home 52 Camp Swampy 3 Harbingers 30 Auto pioneer dog 31 Judicious 4 Potter’s tool 53 Certain cookie 32 One of the 5 Engraved 54 Banquet 6 Type of gang Aleutians 55 Unpolluted Yard pest or saw Copyright33©2023 56 Mountain pool PuzzleJunction.com

lastSudoku week's answers Solution

Solution

Sudoku Solution

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1 Corned beef dish 5 Bundle 10 Petitions 14 “But, ___ was ambitious, I slew him”: Brutus 15 Vernacular 16 Romp 17 Command to Rover 18 Hypnotized 19 Concerning 20 Forty-niner’s quest 22 Even chance 24 Venomous snake 25 Bank worker 27 Fast food ©2016 PuzzleJunction.com carriers 30 Kanga’s kid 6 Help for the 65 Roller coaster 31 Jazz genre stumped feature 35 Pirate’s quaff 7 Eliminate 66 Synthetic 36 Paradise 8 Add years to silklike fabric 39 Mitchell one’s life 69 Joint with a cap mansion 9 Strong point 70 Assortment 40 Strike caller 71 Graven images 10 Cut of meat 41 Bolt down 72 And others, for 11 Donkey’s 42 Letters of years short concern 12 Maven 73 Unadorned 44 Family girl 13 Kind of 74 Dogma 45 Convinced aerobics 75 Word of 47 Park structure 21 Progeny warning 49 Drunkard 23 Venus or Mars 50 Chestnuts, e.g. Down 25 One with a 52 Windswept spot beat 53 French wine 26 Hang out 1 Metal fastener region 27 Believe in 2 “The Thin 55 Small part 28 Hearsay Man” canine 57 Old Spanish 29 Sufficient 3 Open carriage queen 30 Take turns 4 The best of 58 Predicament 32 ___ profundo times 61 Raise a false 5 Impolite dinner 33 Hunter of alarm myth sound

34 Cheap jewelry 37 Children’s game 38 Priest’s robe 43 Unoriginal 46 Prawn, e.g. 48 Menagerie 51 Gullible one 54 Peddled 56 Kind of system 57 Pioneer in Surrealism 58 Neatnik’s opposite 59 Pepsi, for one 60 Agitate 61 ___ slaw 62 Cognizant of 63 Like Jack Sprat’s diet 64 Hat type 67 Fruity drink 68 Hither’s partner

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