This is an article from yesterday's Northwest Side Press. Taft High School, A neighborhood school, fails to receive capital improvement funds ONCE AGAIN, while Lane Tech, a selective enrollment school, receives $44 Million dollars.
Taft NEEDS more than 20 million dollars for very overdue capital improvements, but again is ignored and COMPLETELY left out of the CPS capital improvement plan budget for the next school year!
Where is the alderman? Why isn't she screaming for money for the ONLY high school in the ward?
Come on Alderman O'Connor, enough of the "listening tours" and other nonesense, lets get some money to improve the local schools... we pay some of the highest taxes in the city and we are not getting our fair share of capital improvement dollars
I agree, entirely. What has this alderman been doing? Is she that afraid of city hall? Start representing out interests and our kids needs.
ReplyDeleteI had a son who goes to Taft and I can see the school needs work. It needs ALOT of work. Start spending some of the tax dollars I send the city on our ward!
ReplyDeleteMy kid goes to Taft and Dr. Tarvardian/office people have told me on several occasions that O'Connor has done more to draw attention to this school than ever before.
ReplyDeleteMy other kid goes to Oriole Park and she just helped get 2 million for improvements.
I also recall reading in the local paper that Edison Park was able to get 15 million for an annex.
Plenty to disagree about, but what I've seen on the issue of schools seems very promising.
Looks like the Alderman's staff are posting anonymous comments, again.
DeleteOriole Park is falling apart. Two million won't go very far there.
DeleteIf you read the article, 8:07pm, instead of pandering to the alderman, you will see Dr. Tavardian is quoted "It's a political decision" (how capital funds are distributed). The alderman is a politician for heaven sake, why isn't she doing anything? And taking credit for the Edison Park School annex, scheduled two and a half years ago, as one of her own accomplishments? She has had nothing to do with past CPS capital fund, this would have been the first year and we got NOTHING.
Deletemaybe she is too busy having fund raisers for herself at Essence Spa Thurs. May 31st from 6-8 pm
DeleteThe annex was scheduled before Alderman O'Connor took office...
ReplyDeleteIf you read the article, you can see the Local School Council and parents are upset about the lack of reinvestment into the ONLY high school in the community. A retiring principal, like Dr. Tarvardian is trying to get out the door without ruffling feathers. He doesn't represent the community, the ward or the parents like the alderman should. Oriole is overcrowded and received money for infastructure like the roof, before it caves in.
The post is about the high school and the kids, and asking why our local high school isn't receiving needed capital funds - not about the alderman. The alderman should be doing her job, and making sure our tax dollars are reinvested into our community.
Hey 41st Ward News - Aren't you concerned about getting in a pissing match with the alderman over this post?
Deleteno
DeleteAlderman O'Connor, who is on the education comittee should be pushing the mayor and Brizzard to get negotiate in good faith with the teachers instead of trying to bust the union. She should be doing everything she can to avoid the strike that is coming. Also, she blindly signed the resolution supporting the longer school day, without asking where the funding was going to come from for the longer day. Perhaps some of Rahm's piggybank, I mean the infrastructure trust, can be used to fix Taft. Porr job all around by Mary.
ReplyDeleteExcellent comment. O'Conner is going to screw teachers because Rahm hates teachers. The teachers in the 41st ward better band together and protest in front of the 41st ward office to get the message across to this lame alderman. If O'Conner doesn't start supporting the teachers, she will lose the next election, because we have the numbers and education is a critical issue for the ward. So far she is failing teachers and the kids with her votes and her lack of support.
DeleteSerious question here. Can an alderman be recalled? I won't vote for her again.
ReplyDeleteTwo questions: Why aren't Taft parents raising hell about the Emanual/Brizzaed neglect of their children's school? And where the hell are the CTU members living in the 41st? O'Connor has aleady given them the finger by voting for Rahm's after-school warehousing program. Teachers living in 41 better get your act together and tell O'Connor she works for them, not that sawed-off mysogynist.
ReplyDeleteWe need leadership. People in the 41st are not being represented. Lawn signs all ove the ward protesting the 7.5 hour school day, and the alderperson votes FOR it? The alderperson holds meetings with Brizzard and principals and keeps parents and teachers out? The schools remain overcrowded and in disrepair, lacking upgrades, and the alderperson votes to keep kids in these conditions LONGER? Where is the common sense? How about listening to the parents and teachers, and not the political lackeys like the principals, who will be gone in a heartbeat if they speak against the current regime?
ReplyDeleteby the way according to the chicago park district capital improvement budget on line, the 41st received almost no dollars (one small project). Our parks need upgrades and we need an ice skating rink in the 41st ward. Another example of pay, pay, pay and watch our tax dollars fund downtown and lincoln park projects. When do we get some money spent on us?
ReplyDeleteProperty values at an all time low, no one can afford private schools anymore and the city won't invest in our neighborhood high school - recipe for disaster. First chance any parent gets when their child is in eigth grade - they will move.
ReplyDeleteReally disappointing
ReplyDeleteOriole Park was given 2.5 million this year for a roof that is BEYOND repair. It is ready to cave in at any moment. The PARENTS and TEACHERS brought this to CPS attention - had absolutely nothing to do with the alderman.
ReplyDeleteSigned, An in the know Oriole Park Parent
I'm sick of spending money on Oriole Park. Dorety spent too much there over the years in order to keep his base happy. Stop spending money. Just put a blue tarp over the top for $26.00 and cal it a day.
DeleteSo, how much money did the city piss away on Nato?
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that people won't go to the ward meetings and push for answers?
ReplyDeleteI've gone and been the only person present, making it pointless being there.
If we show up in numbers, ask questions, and push for answers she'll have to take notice.