The Labor Beat video called Town Hall Meeting on Senn H.S. Referendum presents a number of the highlights of the Town Hall meeting, with great shots of rallies and meetings referred to during the Town Hall Meeting. Also spliced in are shots of the predominantly African-American junior military units around town.

The video will be shown on CAN TV Cable Channel 19 on Thursday, October 19 at 9:30 p.m., Friday, October 20 at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, October 26 at 9:30 p.m., and Friday, October 27 at 4:30 p.m.

Copies are available through Labor Beat, laborbeat.org

Join us for distribution of the October issue of Anchors Away on Tuesday, October 10 from 7-8:15 a.m. at Senn High School, at the corner of Thorndale and Glenwood. If you have questions, call 773.250.3225.

The Town Hall Meeting (9/26) on the issue of the military academy at Senn High School, and the demand of the people that the Board of Education listen to the views of the overwhelming majority of students, faculty, parents, and community was quite lively and successful. Some 100 people turned out, including some representatives of the Board of Education and school administrators.

As you know, there has been an ongoing issue about the military academy that the government put into Senn High School over the objections of the majority of the community. The objections of the majority of the community were expressed in a referendum in the election last March, in which 4500 people, 70% of the voters, called upon the Board of Education to have a process of hearings about removing the military academy from Senn. Overwhelming objection had been expressed in a series of public meetings and demonstrations by students, faculty, and the community, including one thousand students in Hands-Around-Senn, but the Board of Education obviously had not listened.

At the forum courageous teachers and students spoke up.

The discussion focused on four main points—(1) the importance of consideration of input by the Senn community, (2) the negative effects on Senn High School due to the Rickover Naval Academy, (3) the quality educational programs at Senn that needs to be taken into account before restricting the growth of the school by the expansion of the military academy, and (4) the problem, as a matter of public policy, with having a military academy in a public community school such as Senn.

In the discussion, there was mainly opposition to the military academy at Senn . This included many exposures of Board of Education disinformation and excellent points of opposition to the Board contentions and arguments. For instance, the statement was made that there was a waiting list for military academies in the city, implying parental support for RNA, when the fact is that RNA has not even made its enrollment quota in its first two years. A second point was a Board of Education statement that the school is not a recruiting ground for the military, when the fact is that generally speaking 40% of students in military programs are recruited into active military service.

The Senn Referendum Follow-up Group went to the Board of Education meeting the day after the forum to call for continuing the process of discussion, but received a chilly reception, to say the least, with the new president of the Board, a Daley appointee, Rufus Williams, saying there had been sufficient process.

This shows that the section of the town hall forum at the end was very important—a call for ideas on what actions to take from this point onward.

The struggle continues to address the issues of RNA at Senn. Concrete action steps were listed and will be addressed at the next meeting of the Senn Referendum Follow-up Group. We need your voice. Join us!

There will be a planning meeting of the Senn Referendum Follow-up Group on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. Please let us know if you are interested in being part of planning. For information, call 773.250.3225

Senn group fights academy (http://www.pioneerlocal.com/newsstar/news/81994,SN-SaveSenn-100406-s1.article)

October 4, 2006

By LORRAINE SWANSON Staff Writer

Saying it will not go away, a community coalition hosted a town hall meeting on Sept. 26, in an attempt to get the Chicago Board of Education to reverse its decision to house a military academy at Nicholas Senn High School.

The Save Senn Coalition contends that 48th ward residents and others from the Senn community were cut out of the decision-making process when Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48) and the Chicago Board of Education announced plans to open Rickover Naval Academy at the public high school last year despite strong community opposition.

“There are issues of space and great inadequacy of resources between the two schools,” said Chris Inserra, a coalition organizer, LSC member and Edgewater resident.

The group also says that Smith and the Board of Education continue to ignore a community referendum, in which 70 percent of 48th ward voters voted last March to establish a formal process to receive community input regarding the removal of Rickover Naval Academy at Senn.

Michael Scott, president of the Chicago Board of Education and an appointee of Mayor Daley, said he declined to participate in any community process to remove the naval academy in his response to the referendum.

Senn’s LSC and even a 48th ward-sponsored Senn Tomorrow committee also voted to impose a moratorium on all military programs in the city’s public high schools.

Smith, who did not attend the town hall meeting because staff said she was out of town, has publicly stated on many occasions her desire to see Senn closed and reorganized, beginning with the creation of the naval academy.

Smith’s staff assistant representing educational issues, Nancy Meyerson, did not get up and address the contention from many in the audience that CPS’ military academies are being used to recruit largely disadvantaged, minority students for the Iraq war. Nor did she address concerns of inequitable funding and other resources between the two schools on the alderman’s behalf.

Supporters of Senn say that students’ academic performance continues to improve and the school should not be “chopped up.” Residents fear that the school’s junior achievement academy, which helps at-risk underclassman stay and succeed in school, advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs will also be cut if Rickover continues to grow.

In a letter mailed to community residents in fall 2005, Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan endorsed the opening of the naval academy saying that Senn was only operating at 59 percent of its potential capacity, and would provide another educational option for the neighborhood and city.

Duncan also said that plans to expand the naval academy to 600 students would not interfere with programs or Senn’s current student population of 1,700, 90 percent of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

According to Mark Palermo, a Senn attendance coordinator and homeless education liaison, the naval academy is already having a negative impact on the school. Senn students must share the cafeteria, auditorium, library, pool and social room with Rickover students. By 2008, the naval academy will also take over 29 of the school’s 105 available classrooms.

“These facilities will become less available for Senn as Rickover uses them more frequently. Senn students will attend school in overcrowded classrooms on staggered shifts, while Rickover students enjoy low classroom sizes with an abundance of classrooms at their disposal,” Palermo said.

Linda Pierzchalski, a CPS Area 19 instructional officer, argued that many of the Senn community’s concerns about staff layoffs, declining enrollment and dwindling resources were unfounded.

“There has been no mass layoffs of teachers except by attrition. Only six teachers share classrooms and there has been no loss of programs. Programs at Senn have been expanded.,” Pierzchalski said.

Pierzchalski said that money left over from a $2.1 million seed grant from the U.S. Dept. of Defense to start Rickover, went toward physical improvements at Senn, including painting common areas in the building.

Rick Mills, a retired U.S. Army officer and the military area officer for the CPS, said the city’s four, military high school academies did not teach war tactics or other military science courses.

“There is no pressure from the military services to use this program as a recruiting tool and I get no communications along those lines. I don’t know why people can’t look at this program as a program of good will on behalf of the military,” Mills said.

The Save Senn Coalition is considering drafting a City Council resolution calling for a moratorium on further expansion of military programs in city schools.

“Senn is finally being recognized as a quality, community school. It has a right to remain a community school in itself. Rickover doesn’t belong,” Inserra said.

© Copyright 2006 Sun-Times News Group |

TOWN HALL MEETING ON THE SENN REFERENDUM

LET’S HEAR ALL VOICES

LET’S DISCUSS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION’S UNDEMOCRATIC DECISION ON SENN H.S….HEAR FROM BOTH SIDES AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND.

THE PROCESS STARTS HERE… Immanuel Lutheran Church 1500 West Elmdale Tuesday, September 26th, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.

The moderator will be the former president of Truman College, Dr. Phoebe Helm

Sponsored by the Senn Referendum Follow-Up Group. 773.250.3225

The residents of the 48th ward voted to “…establish a formal process to receive community input regarding removal of the Rickover Military Academy at Senn High School”…

• In the fall of 2004 the Board of Education, with Ald. Mary Ann Smith’s approval, announced that a Naval Academy would be placed inside Senn High School.

• No democratic process was developed to hear the opinions of the Senn community on what type of programs they would or would not like to see in their community high school.

• Students, teachers, parents, and neighborhood residents immediately raised their voices in protest against being completely ignored in the decision-making process. In public meetings they demanded their say in the future of the community. But the Board went ahead –WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THE COMMUNITY’S VOICE– showing no respect for the rights of the Senn community.

• For the above referendum — more than 3,000 signatures were collected to get the question on the ballot for March, and 4500 or 70 % of voters agreed that the community should have a voice.

• When presented with this overwhelming support for a process, the president of the Board of Education said he “declined to participate” in the process.

• LET’S BEGIN THE PROCESS…..