Chicago closed 50 public schools. Cost to empty them out now up to 30.9 million.

[madfloridian]

Last edited Thu Dec 19, 2013, 03:14 PM - Edit history (1)

This is a deal voted on hurriedly and without proper discussion. In fact the vote was rushed through in a questionable way.

"In less time than it takes to boil an egg" Chicago closes 50 schools.

History was made in Chicago Wednesday in about 90 seconds, but most of the folks who witnessed firsthand the death of a record 50 Chicago Public Schools didn’t even realize it.

Rather than list the names of the doomed elementary schools, the Board of Education took a single group vote on most of the closings that will affect some 27,000 children. The board secretary read out the numbers assigned to each resolution and asked for the vote.

But onlookers didn’t even get that, as the board president resorted to parliamentary maneuver to speed the process along.

“Madam Secretary, if there are no objections from my fellow board members, please apply the last favorable roll call,” Board President David Vitale said, referring to the previous vote of six ayes and 0 nays. And with that, the bulk of the history — 49 of the 50 schools closed — was made in a unanimous sweep.

Now the cost has more than tripled to clear out the schools that were closed. The cost is not being discussed in a public way, so people are likely not aware.

Now what I want to know is what kind of city will sign a contract with a company to empty out the school buildings before the vote is even taken.

More overruns: Cost to empty out closed Chicago schools now set to triple

Back in April—even before the vote to close 50 schools—the district signed a contract with logistics firm Global Workplace Solutions to move all the things out of schools. Price tag: $8.9 million.

GWS worked throughout the summer to inventory and move computers, books, furniture and other supplies from closed schools into so-called Welcoming Schools.

In September, the district quietly doubled the amount of the contract, to $18.9 million. Chicago Public Schools’ closing czar said the reason for the overrun had to do with the volume of stuff movers found in the 43 shuttered buildings they are emptying out.

Now, the agenda for Wednesday’s school board meeting shows the board will vote on another increase, this time to $30.9 million, more than tripling the amount of the original contract with GWS.

As they voted in April to close the schools, most people there were not even aware they had done it because of the way they maneuvered the vote.

From the 1st link:

Columnist Mark Brown

In the end, the board was so tone deaf to its audience that on the crucial vote that closed most of the schools, they used the parliamentary maneuver of adopting the previous favorable roll call — instead of taking the extra 30 seconds to each say “yes” once more. The average person in attendance didn’t even know the closings had been approved until it was over. -- "CPS closings vote shows it’s time for an elected school board"

And now 30.9 million of the taxpayers' money is going to be used to move stuff from the schools that most did not want closed in the first place.

[Blue_Tires]

1. I bet the contractors are politically connected, too

[madfloridian]

4. The contract with GWS was signed BEFORE the vote to close schools. Unbelievable.

Oh, yeah, they are connected to someone important to get the contract BEFORE the vote was ever taken.

[Blue_Tires]

5. It's funny how many Rahm cheerleaders on DU have vanished into thin air

They were pretty much gone the day after he was elected...And I'm not talking about five-post-flameout trolls, either -- These were well-established longtime DUers...

[msongs]

2. more democrats screwing taxpayers with privatization scams. a curse on them all for that nt

[madfloridian]

3. Rahm has been among the worst of them.

I hate to say it but he seems to enjoy his role in dismantling public schools in favor of charters way way too much.

[madfloridian]

6. Now opening 21 charter schools, incurring more and more costs that could go to public schools.

http://www.wbez.org/news/cost-analysis-questions-wisdom-opening-more-charter-schools-109411

The analysis, calculated by Communities United for Quality Education (CUQE), finds that approving all 21 charter schools that have applied to open would cost Chicago $21 million dollars the first year and $225 million over the next decade.

The analysis factors in only basic school operating costs, such as a principal and utilities costs—it doesn’t include any of the “per pupil” funding schools get for enrolling students.

Parent Maria Elena Sifuentes, a member of the activist group that put out the study, pointed out that Chicago just closed 50 schools, and says budget cuts hit remaining schools hard. “Now they want to turn around and hand over 250 million dollars to new charter schools in the same communities where schools were closed or had their budget cuts.”

[hack89]

7. Here is an excellent interactive maps showing the schools

it appears that they are all in areas that have suffered large decreases in the number of school age children.

http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/school_utilization/

[madfloridian]

8. So why are they opening new charters in the same communities?

If the buildings are underutilized, why open new schools? Hope those contracts weren't signed before the schools were approved like the one was with GWS.

[hack89]

10. Corruption and money I would suspect. nt

[madfloridian]

11. Could be.

Very likely someone's getting a big profit somewhere along the line.

[madfloridian]

12. Take the 30.9 mil, plus the money going to 21 new charters....give it to public education.

Just think about how much would be given back to those 50 schools that were closed. They might have been improved instead of closed.

[BelgianMadCow]

13. What a tragedy, what a disgrace.

Like Malala said: it all starts with education.

[madfloridian]

14. After spending all that money to close public schools, open new charters....

the city had to downsize the central office and move to smaller headquarters.

http://www.wbez.org/news/chicago-board-ed-downsized-headquarters-supersized-contract-and-military-school-109410

And the article sounds like they plan to close more public schools in the future.

Since charter schools are not regulated, they no longer need the structure they needed as oversight on public schools..

Something is so wrong with that picture.

[BelgianMadCow]

15. It just makes it clear that whatever the national security state is protecting

this isn't it.

Tuition at a university classed highly in the world (KU Leuven) costs 660 euro full time for one year, and 80 if you get a grant (which is the case for many people with lower income).