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Empty Schools, Broken Promises
and the Failure of Leadership
by Amara C. Enyia JD, PhD
CHICAGO, Illinois February 27, 2017 -
 Stopped at the intersection of Madison St. and Central Ave. on Chicago's West Side, one's eye is immediately drawn to the behemoth structure on the corner. Hulking. Cavernous. A rusted swing-set stands amid weeds struggling to emerge out of the uneven, cracked blacktop. It used to be a school; a haven where children from the Austin community came together to learn. Now it's merely a shadow, the ghosts of children past still lurking in the empty hallways. Emmet school is one of dozens of vacant school buildings - casualties of the mayor's decision to close 50 schools in 2013. But more so than serving as a most potent symbol of questionable education policy and poor planning, it epitomizes the disinvestment that has plagued neighborhoods like Austin for decades.
It didn't have to be this way. In 2013, the Mayor convened a task force to develop recommendations for a community-driven process to re-purpose the closed schools. However, many of the recommendations made by the task force were not implemented. In a city as inequitable and segregated as Chicago, it's no surprise that school buildings located in under-served communities would be harder to sell than those located in or near more affluent areas. And that's precisely what happened. Several schools in more affluent areas were sold. The Mayor's task force mandated that proceeds from the sale of closed schools be put into a fund that would seed the sale and development of schools located in more challenged neighborhoods. However, an investigation by The Chicago Reporter found that no such fund was created. Instead, $24 million generated from the sale of nine school buildings were put back into CPS capital fund where the Mayor decided instead to build and expand schools that disproportionately serve white, middle class families - mainly located in the city's center and on the Northwest and Southwest sides.
This revelation is especially troubling because of the missed opportunity it represents.
Full Commentary
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Amara Enyia JD, PhD is a public policy expert on city and state policy as well as international affairs/foreign policy with expertise in Central Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Dr. Enyia has worked in municipal government, the private sector and the non-profit sector. As a highly sought-after public policy consultant, Dr. Enyia provides strategic advising, commentary and analysis on issues of economic development, systems change, education policy, and political analysis.
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What We Believe
The Coalition of African American Leaders believes that it is important to examine the critical issues confronting the African American community where injustice, inequality and the absence of access and opportunity continue to prevail, thereby negatively impacting us as a people. COAL is an assemblage that advocates and organizes for appropriate and responsible public policy change, system behavior change and equality of opportunity. We aim to achieve for all of our people the fullness of the life experience without any form of racism or exclusion as a deterrent. We believe we must prepare ourselves for the opportunity of this full participation, thereby achieving the necessary education and training to participate.
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Important Reads
by Kalyn Belsha, TheChicagoReporter
-Submitted by Terri Johnson -
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Carl West's
VOTE For 4
In less than 24 hours, people in the 4th Ward will slowly make their way to the polls to VOTE for who they think should be their next alderman.
This off-election occurrence was made possible after
Will B
urns stepped down from the powerful position to purs
ue other
interest. The 4th Ward was than handed over to Sophie King by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. King's insertion as ward-boss would only last little more than a year before she would have to compete for the vacant seat in a Special Election, [THIS] Tuesday, February 28.
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COALITION POWER BREAKFAST
is scheduled for
Begins 8:30am / Program 9:30am
Guest Speaker: Mark Wallace
CITIZENS TO ABOLISH RED LIGHT CAMERAS
BJ's Market - 8734 S.Stony Island Ave, Chicago - 773.374.4700
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