Chicago Board of Education closes out school year

CPS recognizes 30 new retiring principals, administrators

Retirements, bond refinancing, new performance policy on agenda.

June 24, 2009

The Chicago Board of Education, at its last scheduled monthly meeting of the fiscal year on Wednesday, is expected to recognize 30 retiring principals and administrators, vote on refinancing about $90 million in bonds to save the district money, and adopt an updated school performance policy for the 2009-2010 school year.

The updated school performance policy is aimed at establishing standards for identifying schools in need of remedial assistance and greater oversight because of low levels of achievement. Most of the changes from last year’s policy are clarifications. The policy establishes a minimum level of achievement on ISAT and PSAE composite scores, below which a school goes on probation regardless of other data. The updated policy includes a technical fix to the way in which points are assigned among very high performing schools, and it allows schools to be placed on probation during the Area Instruction Officer’s review.

The board also was expected to appoint student representatives to Local School Councils, as well as approve the election and appointment of new members to the Local School Council Advisory Board. Also on the board agenda were measures to:

Rename Skinner Elementary School, which is relocating to a newly constructed building at 1260 W. Adams, to Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School. In November, the Board changed the academic focus of Skinner from a classical school to an attendance area school with magnet cluster and classical programs.

Enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health to provide education on sexually transmitted diseases to CPS high school students. Cook County ranks first in the country for reported cases of gonorrhea and third for reported cases of Chlamydia, with the majority of the burden of disease occurring among teens and adolescents. In Chicago, adolescents represent 16 percent of the general population, yet more than 60 percent of new gonorrhea and Chlamydia cases are reported annually among adolescents. The goal of this project is to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections among Chicago adolescents.

Approve the Academy for Urban School Leadership as the provider of professional development services for Dodge Renaissance Academy, The Chicago Academy, Tarkington School of Excellence, National Teachers Academy, Chicago Academy High School, Collins Academy High School, and Orr Academy High School.

The meeting is expected to begin at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 5th floor Board Chambers at CPS Central Office, 125 S. Clark Ave.