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Parents, teachers and union leaders urge CPS board to save Shy Arts and other charter schools, press for staff retention
Summary
Dozens of public commenters representing Shy/CHI Arts, Acero, EPIC, Espira/Aspira and others urged the board to prevent midyear disruptions, press CPS to take over management where needed, and to honor a February resolution to attempt preservation of five Acero schools while retaining staff.
Public participation at the Oct. 23 Chicago Board of Education meeting centered on an unusually large set of speakers from charter school communities asking the district to protect students and staff.
Teachers, parents and students from Shy Arts, Acero, EPIC, Espira/Aspira and other networks described layoffs, announced or threatened closures and laid out requests that CPS either provide district management or guarantees that current staff would be retained.
"Saving a school but not retaining the staff is not saving the school," said Peter Collins, an Acero teacher, arguing that the intent of the board’s February resolution to transition five Acero schools to district management must include efforts to keep existing educators in place.
Speakers from Shy Arts told the board that the conservatory model provides preprofessional arts training across multiple disciplines and serves a high proportion of low-income students; parents and students asked CPS to preserve that core model if the district assumes management. "Shy Arts is a community, a family, and a home to so many of us," one parent said.
Union leaders, including CTU recording secretary Vicky Kurzidlo, urged the board to use any new TIF funds to "trump-proof" the district, expand safe passage and support schools that serve the students most affected by recent disruptions. Kurzidlo also urged the board to engage immediately in impact bargaining so that contracts reflect crisis responses.
Acting Chief Education Officer Alfonso Carmona responded that CPS has created five advisory councils to simulate local school council input for impacted schools, that principals for transitioning schools are being hired this week, and that CPS will try to retain school staffing "as close as possible" to current arrangements while acknowledging certification, residency and staffing constraints.
Multiple speakers asked the board to make guarantees for staff retention; district staff said some constraints are outside their control and that hiring and certification requirements may limit ability to offer one-to-one guarantees.
What happens next: CPS officials told the board they will provide a memo with updates on Acero, EPIC and Shy Arts and that key decisions on transitions will be presented to the board next week. Parents and staff asked for continued public oversight and faster timelines for commitments on staff retention.
