Five parents and two community candidates were recruited by South Loop Education Alliance, a newly formed group of Dearborn Park residents and parents with a mission to move beyond past hostilities and focus instead on fresh ideas. We believe that all children deserve the best education that our tax dollars can provide the best teachers, the best books and a safe environment, says President Lauren Rhone, who is pregnant with her first child. Rhone says she and other members are dissatisfied with the current council and concerned about student test scores, the quality of textbooks and the lack of parental involvement with the local school council. For the last three meetings that they ve scheduled, the LSC has not been able to have a quorum because parents don t show up, she says. This concerns us greatly because we know how important it is that the LSC must convene on a monthly basis to do the business necessary for the school.
Some parents miss meetings because the time conflicts with their work schedules.
This was brought to the council, but certain members refused to change the meeting time, recalls Garrett, who has two children attending South Loop. Garrett and three other LSC parents are seeking re-election. She says she did not recruit parents to run for the council because she didn t have to. The sudden reassignment of Principal Shirley Woodard motivated many parents to sign up, she says, and others wanted to run out of concern about their children potentially being transferred to a different school. Garrett is skeptical about Alliance members motives for getting involved at South Loop and recruiting for the LSC election.