Shirley Fox, a member of Lindblom's advisory board from the Southwest Community Congress, also is in the dark. I'd heard that the school was becoming a college prep, but not that it had happened. According to the School Board, it happened in fall 1999. Payton and Lindblom are two of the six magnet high schools the School Board is spreading across the city to increase access to challenging academic programs. However, as the contrast in their openings illustrates, the college preps have not been created equal.
Disparities crop up in what amounts to a north-south divide.
College preps are having to retrofit old, existing buildings. Principals got nearly a year of lead time to recruit staff and plan curriculum. Independent coverage of Chicago school reform since 1989.