Jan 28, 2009 6:33 pm US/Central
Group Protests CPS Closings, Huberman Appointment
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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The community organizations say their protests will continue until their collective voice is heard.
It has only been a day since Mayor Daley named Ron Huberman as CEO of Chicago Public Schools and he is already in the hot seat.
The protests that occurred Wednesday afternoon should come as no surprise to the members of the Chicago Board of Education or to the new CEO of CPS.
Some are calling Mayor Daley's move to appoint CTA President Ron Huberman as CEO of Chicago Public School's a political move, and they believe he lacks educational experience.
It is a tough job and Huberman faces two immediate challenges. The first, concerning critics who say he is the wrong choice. The second, dealing with the parents frustrated over the city's plan to close more schools.
The day began with fireworks as the teachers, parents and students sounded off about Huberman's recent appointment and the proposed school closures.
"I'm sorry Dr. Watkins was not the CEO; maybe we would have had a better chance," said Wanda Hopkins from Parents United for Responsible Education.
Hopkins said she dressed as the grim reaper to symbolize the death to communities, which school closings cause. She also carried an injured baby doll that she said represented the danger posed to children who have to travel outside their neighborhoods for an education.
"We know this plan is not about educating Johnny, but about gentrification, busting unions, and making the rich richer," added Hopkins.
Hopkins and many others that presented at Wednesday's board meeting said bringing in a "manager-type," instead of an educator, to run the school system is a slap in the face to those who deal with students on a daily basis.
CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports that a group of teachers, parents and students held a news conference Wednesday morning at the school board headquarters to protest school closings, and also to say that appointing Ron Huberman to head the schools merely perpetuates the problems for Chicago schools.
Mayor Daley announced Tuesday that CTA President Huberman will now be the CEO of Chicago Public Schools – taking over for Arne Duncan, who is becoming the country's secretary of education. The mayor called him a great manager, but teachers say that is what's wrong.
"The problem with being a manager is you're always going to look for the bottom line, the cheapest, so that means the newest, brand new teachers," said CPS teacher Karen Lewis. "So we're gonna get brand new teachers who have no experience to try to run classrooms."
"The most qualified people are the ones who are the closest to the children. The farther you get up, the less qualified you have to be to do this job. That is not right. It has to stop," Lewis added.
"Just recall the time when schools were run exclusively by educators, and not by managers, it did not work for many, many years," Mayor Daley said. "The system failed time and time again."
Teachers and their union representatives say Huberman can't manage education if he isn't familiar with it, and they plan to take their protest from CPS headquarters to City Hall Wednesday afternoon.
Also joining in the protest against Huberman is Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown. She issued a statement saying she is very disappointed in Mayor Daley's decision.
The community organizations say their protests will continue until their collective voice is heard. They want the board of education to stop doing Mayor Daley's bidding and start listening to parents, teachers, and students.
The community organizations are also calling for an independent audit of the success of the Reenaissance 2010 program.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez and Joanie Lum contributed to this report.
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