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Smooth First Day Of School Boycott; 3 Days To Come

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Crowds of Chicago Public Schools students heeded the call to boycott the first day of classes and take buses up to New Trier High School on the North Shore.

Organizers had estimated that thousands would support the boycott, but the turnout was smaller than expected. In the end, officials estimated nearly 1,000 Chicago students registered at New Trier Tuesday.

But organizer State Sen. Rev. James Meeks isn't ready to stop there. He wants to take the boycott to the end of the week, holding classes for participating students inside the lobbies of Chicago's skyscrapers.

The spokesperson for Chase Bank, one such site, says "we believe that students should be in school. If they do come to the bank, we will provide educational information to make use of their time."

As CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports, the goal Tuesday was to spotlight what some call funding disparities between city and suburban school districts.

"They had welcome signs, people clapped when we came up," said Chicago parent Joyce Weathersby. "It was great. We weren't expecting that."

"I'm here to honor the students who came all this way," said New Trier parent Cathy Miller. "They ought to get a credit for this day."

At the House of Hope, at 752 E. 114th St., the arrival of students was more of a trickle than the promised flood.

There appeared to be fewer than 100 students in total at the House of Hope, one of eight churches from which buses left for New Trier.

But parents were less concerned with sheer numbers than the message they intend to send, which is that the Illinois education funding formula is unfair.

"The same material, the same funding, and I think that's a good thing, and in this day in age it should already be established already," said volunteer Dandri Luellen.

Some students said the protest outweighed attending the first day school.

"I do miss school, because I do want to learn, but I know this is more important," one student said.

"If this movement were not to happen, it probably would never change," another student said.

Meeks said students in poor neighborhoods are left with no choice but to end inferior schools under the current system.

"We're actually shining the light on this – you live in a poor district, the district that you live in is under-resourced, and then the law traps you in that district by saying that there's absolutely no way you can escape because you don't live in this district," Meeks said. "That's a system of apartheid."

The students were allowed to fill out applications in the New Trier High School gymnasium and auditorium, although boycott organizers acknowledge the move was largely symbolic. Students would have to show proof that they live in the district or pay tuition to attend a school outside their home district.

On the bus ride, volunteers told the children they were taking part in a historic boycott similar to the bus boycott in Alabama in the 1950s.

Fourteen-year-old Tracey Stansberry, a student at Corliss High School said he was glad to take part.

"It's on us kids," he said. "If we don't, we'll be on the bottom."

Chicago students and parents learned firsthand the inequities that exist because of unequal funding.

"Fenger doesn't have this. Fenger doesn't have scuba diving classes. I don't think Fenger has water in the pool," one student said.

Meeks and others made a point not to blame New Trier for the disparities. School funding is based on property taxes. Residents here pay higher taxes so schools have more money to spend. Meeks also stressed that a solution to school funding should not deprive New Trier.

"No body wants to ruin the quality of education that exists here. We think it's so good, we brought all you folks to see," Meeks said.

Meeks said New Trier was chosen for the protest in part because it is an extremely affluent area. In the high school, they spend about $17,000 per student on education – roughly 89 percent funded by property taxes there. As a whole, Chicago Public Schools spends an average of $10,400 per student, about 44 percent of property taxes.

Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan has harshly criticized the effort, calling it disrespectful of Chicago's teachers. But Meeks says the boycott is necessary to fight for change.

The Rev. Jason Reynolds, who also helped organize the boycott, said it was the last and best option after all others had been exhausted.

"I believe it is. I believe that after we tried other ways – we tried legislation, we're currently trying litigation – but every now and then, you have to take things to the streets," Reynolds said. "You have to put things on your back and try to get the best things for the children that we're trying to serve."

Another component of the protest involves going to the lobbies of downtown buildings, which is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday. Reynolds said the education students would get from the protest would be worth missing school.

"We pray that the information and the learning that they will get from the boycott – the learning about injustice, and fighting for yourself, and standing up for what you believe in, will be just as valuable as any other lessons they would learn this first full day," Reynolds said.

Despite the boycott plan, Duncan said later that he expected more than 99 percent of students in class Tuesday morning.

"If some kids aren't here, obviously, we want to get them back as quickly as possible, but the overwhelming majority – again, over 99 percent of our students – will be in school today."

There are more than 400,000 students in the Chicago Public School system, and 1,000 to 2,000 students are set to go to New Trier – amounting to less than 0.5 percent, Duncan said.

During the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week, Meeks had said he would call off the boycott if a deal for new school funding plan was reached. But Gov. Rod Blagojevich left the convention early, and by the end of last week, Meeks said it was too late. Even with the boxes of school materials ready to be loaded Meeks says he still has not received a call from the governor to try to end the boycott.

Ultimately, Meeks and fellow pastors want the governor to call a special session on the issue of school funding by the end of the week.

The governor did just that a few weeks ago, and it went nowhere.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov, Vince Gerasole and Dorothy Tucker, and the Associated Press and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

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