Chicago school board approves sweeping reform plan

10/12/04 -- The Chicago school board unanimously approved a sweeping, controversial reform plan called Renaissance 2010 (Ren10) Sept. 22.

Under the plan, the district will close about 60 schools and create 100 new, smaller ones over the next six years. Almost every new school will have no more than 500 students and will emphasize personal learning and greater student-teacher interaction.

"Renaissance 2010 is our commitment to turn around those schools that continue to underperform," says school board President Michael Scott. "This policy is a blueprint for creating great schools that break the mold, bring in innovative outside partners, and offer a great education to our children."

Each new school will be based on a proposal drawn up by a transitional advisory council consisting of 15 community members. These schools will have greater autonomy than existing Chicago public schools in such areas as budgeting, length of the school day, curriculum, staffing, and governance.

The 431,000-student district will operate only a third of the new schools. The others will be charter schools or contract schools run by independent organizations.

The schools will be subject to five-year performance contracts, and the district will review the performance of all of them. The new schools will differ in terms of how they are structured, whether their employees will be union members, and whether they will have a local school council or an appointed board.

Chicago Public Schools "is absolutely neutral on the issue of governance," says Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan. "That decision should be left up to the people running the school. Our only requirement is that a majority of the people on the governing board be local."

The policy also specifies that the right to form a union will not be threatened under Ren10. Under state law, charter school employees can be unionized, though not by local unions such as the Chicago Teachers Union. Contract schools, on the other hand, can be unionized locally. District-run schools will be bound by current union contracts.

Ren10 proponents say this plan -- announced by Mayor Richard M. Daley in June -- is far more than just reconstituting schools. Ren10 rethinks the philosophy of public education, school size, and, most important, governance.

But those less enthusiastic about the plan question the wisdom of such a major overhaul when it's unclear the changes will be an improvement.

Charter schools have received mixed press nationwide lately, and although studies have shown small schools might lead to lower dropout rates, better attendance, and better behavior, their role in raising student achievement hasn't been proven.

It isn't so much that small schools by themselves are the answer; it's that small schools "make success possible," says Tom Vander Ark, director of education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation has contributed millions of dollars to create small schools in several cities, including Chicago.

The day Ren10 was approved by the board, more than 100 protesters gathered outside the home of school board member David Vitale, who helped develop the plan.

According to a group called Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE), "the major problem with Renaissance 2010 is that its central operating strategy -- closing and opening schools -- creates forced transience for thousands of children."

"We believe that [Chicago Public Schools] has deliberately chosen this harmful strategy in order to avoid federal, state, and local accountability and scrutiny," PURE states.

An analysis of the plan by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) calls it a "risky and poorly thought out experiment."

"Renaissance 2010 would replace 'what works' with 'whatever,' creating an unacceptable gamble with the future of more than 20,000 students," the report states. "The CTU believes that no school, especially one that is floundering, will find success by reinventing the wheel as proposed by Renaissance 2010."

CTU President Marilyn Stewart criticized the district for going forward with the plan without seeking union input. CTU and other groups asked board members to delay their vote, but school spokesperson Peter Cunningham said time was crucial.