Call for Chicago students to skip 1st school day
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_re_us/school_funding_protest
-
-
- iknew
- added this
Community leaders on Monday called on students from poorer parts of Chicago to protest inequalities in school funding by skipping the first day of classes.
State Sen. James Meeks wants students to spend Sept. 2 trying to enroll in a suburban school district that spends much more per student than Chicago Public Schools does. Critics of the planned protest say it will send the wrong message to children and undermine campaigns to get as many students as possible to attend the first day of classes in the nation's third-largest school district.
Protest organizers, though, say their message about unequal funding trumps any on attendance.
"Today we are back to two-tiered schools — white and affluent on one side, and black, brown and poor on the other," said Meeks, who also is a minister on the city's South Side. "That's an injustice and it's immoral."
Meeks said he expects several thousand Chicago students to travel in a caravan of buses to New Trier Township High School in the leafy, North Shore suburb of Winnetka, where they will attempt to enroll.
State statistics indicate that the New Trier district spends around $17,000 annually on each of its students compared to the roughly $10,000 a year spent for each student in Chicago public schools.
"We, as a civilized people, can't do it this way," Meeks said. "We're doing irreparable harm to hundreds of thousands of kids."
-----------------------------------------
This should be done at every school that is of "lesser" funding
State Sen. James Meeks wants students to spend Sept. 2 trying to enroll in a suburban school district that spends much more per student than Chicago Public Schools does. Critics of the planned protest say it will send the wrong message to children and undermine campaigns to get as many students as possible to attend the first day of classes in the nation's third-largest school district.
Protest organizers, though, say their message about unequal funding trumps any on attendance.
"Today we are back to two-tiered schools — white and affluent on one side, and black, brown and poor on the other," said Meeks, who also is a minister on the city's South Side. "That's an injustice and it's immoral."
Meeks said he expects several thousand Chicago students to travel in a caravan of buses to New Trier Township High School in the leafy, North Shore suburb of Winnetka, where they will attempt to enroll.
State statistics indicate that the New Trier district spends around $17,000 annually on each of its students compared to the roughly $10,000 a year spent for each student in Chicago public schools.
"We, as a civilized people, can't do it this way," Meeks said. "We're doing irreparable harm to hundreds of thousands of kids."
-----------------------------------------
This should be done at every school that is of "lesser" funding
-
- groups:
- News and Politics, Random
-
- tags:
- News and Politics, Not News, Random, Protest
-
- credits:
- onechance might like this, victimofcoal might like this
-
-
Amber_LaStrega
-
Sheesh! The rich (and pampered) get richer ... etc.
Voted UP.
(p.s. Go Cubbies!)
- 3 years ago
-
Amber_LaStrega
-
-
Bren589
-
agreed too onechance. I think there should be equal funding in all schools
- 3 years ago
-
Bren589
-
-
victimofcoal
-
Agreed. Post will be sent to friends and relatives all over the greater Chicago area. Thanks
- 3 years ago
-
victimofcoal
-
-
onechance
-
I'm all for it. EQUAL FUNDING FOR ALL.
- 3 years ago
-
onechance
