Local school parents and students attend Chicago Public Schools’ open board meeting to discuss overcrowding
By Helen Carson, staff writer
This morning I walked over to Virgil Grissom Elementary School and boarded a bus headed to the Chicago Public Schools’ main headquarters at 42 W. Madison St., Chicago, Ill. for an open school board meeting.
A group of about 20 people from George Washington Elementary School (GWES), mostly women except for two men, were on the bus as well as representatives from Virgil Grissom Elementary School (VGES) – Elizabeth Cazares, who has a son in 6th grade; Rachelle Torrejon; and daughter, Paulina Torrejon, 5th grade. Finally, Peggy Salazar of the Southeast Environmental Task Force was also present.
I spoke to Candis Spencer of GWES who helped organize the group. She said that George Washington has been fighting with the board to get their building built.
“It’s been 44 years. Children are getting sick from the mold. Their art room is actually an old boy’s shower room,” said Spencer. She also said the staff and children are complaining of allergies and sickness. The parents want a permanent structure put up.
Spencer added that both GWES and GWHS, as well as VGES are united. As well as all 10th Ward schools. “There’s power in numbers,” she said.
As for VGES, Spencer stated that parents are complaining of overcrowding and other issues. She advised that she did reach out to Clay School, but no one got back to her.
When we arrived at the CPS main headquarters, there were additional teachers and parents from other areas of Chicago in attendance. It was a long day with many speakers including school principals who thanked the board for monies that were recently given to their schools from a 32 million school fund.
Unfortunately, neither VGES nor Clay Elementary School received any of the school funds, but Jane Addams has been selected to receive Personalized Learning programming for the 2019-2020 school year.
Many of the people at the meeting complained that the funds always go to the north side and the south side is always left without it and I tend to agree. The magnet schools, where the students do well, also received funding. Several charter school officials spoke at the meeting and specified that their schools are doing well.
VGES parent Rachelle Torrejon made a passionate speech about the schools overcrowding. Telling the school board about the 3 grades with over 40 students in a class and 4 more grades with 30 or more students in a class. Her daughter’s classroom has 42 students. Torrejon also stated that the school’s teachers do not have enough time to teach each student when there are so many students in the classroom.
“Overcrowded classrooms hurt student’s academic performance and hurt teacher’s work performance. This directly affects the future of our children because they do not progress academically and receive lower grades,” said Torrejon.
She went on to say that students like her daughter come home frustrated with a series of unanswered questions and that the students are at a greater disadvantage as they begin to apply to high-schools and that the school has enough land to build an addition.
Torrejon’s daughter, Paulina Torrejon, 5th grade, also spoke at the meeting and told the school board that she could barely move around her overcrowded classroom, that her questions often go unanswered, and more importantly that she fears not being able to exit the building in the event of an emergency.
A board member is scheduled to come out and tour the school. No definite date has been set, and I asked to be advised of the date.
