Rauner attempted to pull some strings to get his kid into one a few years back. Can't recall if he was successful though.

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IIRC $250k got it done.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I think it was for one of his kids. He donated $250,000.

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Is Brick really naive enough to think most of the cps magnet spots at the top 3 schools don't go to the rich and politically connected?

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Yes. I am not sure what it is but he has a thing for rich people using their money and influence. That is why I found his take on this strange.

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Elections have consequences.

Are there only 3 schools?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Ony three the elite will send their kids too. If they don't get into Payton, Northside or Young they are going the private route. The rest of the magnets are equivalent to your run of the mill suburban school without the white kids.

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Aside from stacking the deck by only takes only really smart kids isn't there things these special schools do that regular schools should adopt.

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Elections have consequences.

I always assumed the magnet schools where a way for the rich to send their kids to free public schools along with the top 5 percent monority students to add a little non threatening diversity.

holy shit man.... i'd say this policy is "retarded" but then it'd prolly get a mandatory 76% as opposed to the usual 51%, eh?

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Get quality teachers.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Jones is pretty solid too. City has also invested a lot into Jones. They have a state of the art facility too.

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You are correct on Jones. I forgot about them. It has turned into the school of choice for South Loop Parents. When I was in high school it was an alternative school.

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Yeah, so it is still a net positive for those students who would otherwise be forced to accept whatever school happens to be geographically closest.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Brick, I am not understanding your position on the magnet schools. You appear to think they are a great idea because they somehow equalize a perceived unfairness for children without parents able to afford private school. But if people that do have means to buy private school instead take up the spots at the free magnet school then the unfortunate have very little access. So shouldn't you be railing against the privileged rather than simply say some spots are better than none?

I would expect your position would include that people making too much cannot get benefit of the magnet school.

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Elections have consequences.

I don't think any person should be required to buy k-12 school for their kids no matter how much money they have.

I also think you misunderstand my opinion of the rich. I don't have a problem with them getting things or doing well. I just want those who aren't as fortunate to also have a chance. That is what magnet schools do. A rich person can send their kid to a different school if the local option is horrible. Magnet schools allow a person who isn't rich to do the same. Now, the kid may have to work harder to qualify or he may not get the #1 choice but it is better than the alternative.

If we are going to allow private schools to exist, and they should exist, then this is a good supplement.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I am not against some of your opinions regarding the rich really. Sometimes I agree with you and other times I don't understand them. In this matter I think the better solution would be to have all awesome schools really. As for allowing private school that is not our decision. A right to K-12 is obvious but to go beyond what is available publicly is just a choice. Rich people do it and blue collar people do it as well (Catholic schools in Chicago particularly).

In the situation as it is now I would feel better if magnet schools were like other benefits that are income based like food/housing assistance etc. You make 200K you pay to use or better yet do not get in.

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Elections have consequences.

Well that is kind of like saying the solution to terrorism is to have world peace.

There is no reason to turn magnet schools into a program like welfare where there are income limits.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Holy shit, we got a big thinker here.

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I am sorry you think it is ok for a beleaguered public school system to admit they do a shitty job and make special schools where only some can get awesome education but not roll it out system wide.

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Elections have consequences.

Mike, I've always said we have to start with the premise that the public school education system is broken. We do not get good value for the money pumped into it. I know MANY folks want to just throw more money at it. In its current form, I think it is throwing good money after bad.

For folks that send their kids to private school, they still pay property taxes to fund that broken system.

Once you come to the realization that the majority of our public school systems are broken, then you can move onto alternative solutions. The research remains mixed on vouchers and charter schools. Some have been successful, while others have been boondoggles. At a minimum, I would like to see competition injected into the entire system such that parents and teachers would gravitate to the best options for them just like folks do with universities. In lieu of that, we need a radical think of public school administration.

We've had tremendous experiences with private school education from religious schools. The vast majority of the children in these schools come from blue collar or truly middle income families. At the current school, about 1/4 of the kids do not pay tuition due to financial need (Elgin area). It is not some haven for rich kids.

But schooling is a very personal choice. Regardless, all I want is for every child in this country to get a fighting chance at a good education. At a minimum, they need to learn basic math and reading skills, and ideally, they would be on a job tract once they finish high school.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

The only issue that I have pertains to expectations. Neighborhood schools particularly at the high school level are expected to essentially do the impossible. Failing schools are much more of a societal issue rather than educational one. That is not stated as a way of absolving bad teachers because there are bad teachers. They are not however the primary reason that you have bad schools.

The challenges which confront teachers in low performing are insurmountable in most instances. A number of low performing schools have poverty rates exceeding 90%. They have kids that come to school in a lot of instances simply for the school lunch. They rarely if ever have school supplies. They enter high school more often than not 1-2 yrs behind their grade level. They read at a level that is 3-4 yrs behind grade level. They essentially raise themselves. If there is parental involvement it's not strong in most cases. Academic apathy reigns supreme as a number of students if pushed will tell you that school has little relevance to their everyday life.

Selective enrollments don't have such problems. Academic engineering insures that they will be successful. Instruction and teacher quality plays a minimal role in their success yet that is not the way it is promoted.

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Pretty much agree with everything you typed. I am just poking at the micro point that somehow private school is patently unfair. Spinning the tables around a bit. There is no point to it regardless of how you feel about the well to do (or middle class going to Catholic League schools).

The fairness should be in the "regular" public schools that everyone funds and everyone deserves. The ability of some to afford better is not where the problems lie in my opinion.

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Elections have consequences.

I never said it was ok. I'm just mocking your solution to just make all schools "awesome". I'm sure nobody has thought of that before.

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Most? No.

Most of the principal discretion spots? Yes.

The best way to get into a magnet these days is to live in a poor zip code

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Of course private school is unfair. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed.

If we believe that all people should have access to good education allowing people with the means to opt out and go someplace else only hurts the school they are leaving. If everyone was forced to attend the local school(or even more if people were randomly assigned to any school in the city) you'd see a much different result in many of these bad schools. As I said though, private schools still should exist because people should have the right of choice. That is what makes magnet schools good though. It is basically the public version of private schools allowing more choice.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

It is the biggest crime in our society that the average student does not receive a globally respected education. We are putting kids that are already disadvantaged due to low family income and/or family structure issues (among other things) in a position where they have no chance of breaking that cycle. It benefits no one in our society to have about half of CPS students not finishing high school. Even worse, what is the value of a CPS high school diploma? Meaning if you walked into an employer with that in your hand, what would be the response by said employer? What skills does that individual have that the employer needs?

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Hawaii (fuck) You

magnet schools are not a choice for 90% of the population. you want a special school fine, pay for it yourself. don't charge me taxes to pay for a public school my kid isn't allowed to attend.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

And Lane isn't terrible either.

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Freedom is our Strength.

Absolutely.

While we're at it, why should kirkwood pay taxes for public school when he can't even produce an heir?

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