Gery Chico Answers: As Mayor of Chicago, How Will You Fix Education?

Chicago - We asked each mayoral candidate how they would fix education in the City of Chicago if elected. Each candidate was given the same 13 questions. We've posted each candidate's response, in his or her words, in their entirety, un-edited.

Candidate: Gery Chico
Website: www.gerychico.com
Email address: info@gerychico.com
Campaign address: 333 W. Wacker, Ste. 320 | Chicago, IL | 60606
Campaign phone: 312.291-9800

1. What criteria will you use in selecting the next CEO of the Chicago Public Schools?

CPS is a $6 billion entity funded by taxpayer dollars. It is necessary to have a Chief Executive Officer with broad-based management experience to ensure money is spent as wisely as possible to support the CPS strategic plan. As Mayor of Chicago, I will support a structure for CPS using a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Education Officer. Together they will drive the system, and at the end of the day, I believe the Mayor should be accountable for the success or failure of the public schools since they are so integral to the overall well being of the city. The vision that drives the CPS should be developed by the mayor, in consultation with the CEO and Chief Education Officer. My goal is simple – make every Chicago Public School one that performs and one that parents want to send their children. The particular way in which that goal is achieved would be brought about by an extremely talented and inspiring CEO and Chief Education Officer.

2. What will you do to keep the students who are in Chicago Public Schools safe?

One of my accomplishments as President of the Board of Education, was creating afterschool and summer school programs that gave nearly 200,000 CPS students alternative and constructive things to do during times and months of the year when youth violence tends to reach peaks. I’m regretful that these programs have been scaled back and in some cases, even eliminated. As President of the Chicago Park District, I led an effort to build and rebuild parks and playgrounds in neighborhoods though out Chicago. Safe, clean, neighborhood playgrounds are havens where children can simply be children. I grew up in our neighborhoods and depended on our parks and sports programs to stay out of trouble and our kids today deserve nothing less. We must protect our children and families from violence. Currently, our police force is understaffed by nearly 2,000 officers every day. I have pledged to add these officers back to the force during the course of my first term. I have called for an extended school day and school year that will not only result in more learning and higher educational achievement, but it will keep children safe and off the streets to a greater degree. Fighting violence and keeping kids in schools and parks and off the streets will be top priorities of my administration.

3. What significant activities/steps/policies/transformation will you implement in the Chicago Public Schools to improve teacher quality and preparation for both pre-service and experienced teachers to meet the needs of every student in their classroom? Where do you stand on recently drafted legislation that challenges districts to keep their best teachers in the classroom by using data like actual student growth and other measures, rather than solely basing those decisions on seniority?

Research shows that the most important influence on a student’s achievement is a high-quality teacher. We must ensure that we have only the best teachers and principals in every school. I know that teaching is a challenging and demanding profession. I recognize that the vast majority of teachers do the best they can to help our students learn. It is critical that teachers have the resources they need, the support they deserve, and that they be held accountable for their students’ academic growth. As Mayor, I will lead nationwide educational recruitment efforts. Just as the Mayor is responsible for attracting the best companies to Chicago, I will also be responsible for bringing the best educators to our city. I will lead nationwide recruiting of the best principals and teachers in order to bring them to the Chicago Public Schools. I will also expand the system for recruiting the finest talent to CPS, through such programs as Teach for America, the New Teachers Project, and New Leaders for New Schools. I will ensure that we have a research-based teacher evaluation system. This evaluation system will be developed with the teachers’ union, will be fair, and will utilize the best developments in evaluation methods. I will reward and recognize high-performing teachers. I will implement a pay structure that ensures that those teachers who are succeeding are adequately rewarded. I will collaborate with the local teacher training colleges to ensure their graduates can meet needs of urban students. I will also raise the bar for teacher certification. The current score required to pass the teacher certification exam is low. I will push to raise the passing score to one that is more rigorous. I will strengthen ongoing professional development of teachers and ensure that the coursework for professional growth meets rigorous standards, is current and is relevant. Finally, I will dismiss teachers who are not performing. While nothing is more helpful to a student than a great teacher, nothing is more harmful than a poor teacher. If a teacher is not able to succeed in the classroom, I will not hesitate to dismiss the teacher, regardless of rank. While removing a tenured teacher can be costly and time consuming, allowing that teacher to stay in the classroom with children is far more harmful.

4. How will you evaluate and study the outcomes of your proposed activities/policies/steps/transformation on student achievement and the learning environment? What role will student test scores play?

I will ensure that we have a research-based teacher evaluation system. This evaluation system will be developed with the teachers’ union, will be fair, and will utilize the best developments in evaluation methods.

5. How will you create an effective partnership between students, parents, teachers, administrators, CPS staff, community organizations, the Chicago Teachers Union and the Board of Education to create an excellent learning environment in our schools for all students? Specifically, what do you think of the proposal to severely restrict the ability of teachers unions to strike? And how would you rewrite rules for teacher tenure?

Parents must play a significant role in their children’s education. All too often, parents lack the resources and knowledge to effectively help their children succeed. As a result, our children suffer. Parents need more information about selecting the right school for their children. They need to know how to help their children become good students. They need information on how to work with schools – and sometimes to challenge schools – to ensure their children succeed. A critical step toward improving our schools is giving parents the power to become partners with their schools and to have a greater influence in the educational decisions that affect their children. As Mayor, I will create a Parent Academy for every school. Parent Academies will serve as networking, resource and education centers for parents, run by parents. I will also create the position of Parent Advocate General. The Parent Advocate General will serve as the liaison between the Parent Academies and CPS. He or she will be responsible for examining issues through the lens of a parent. Local School Councils are intended to involve parents and the community in decisions affecting their schools. However, the councils often fail to attract parent and community participation and operate effectively. As Mayor of Chicago, I will work to provide better training for Local School Councils in principal selection, school budgeting and other matters. In order to implement substantive and sustainable reform, we need strong Mayoral leadership that engages the community as a true partner every step of the way. While some decisions must be made at the administration level, the majority of decisions are enhanced by an inclusive and open approach that involves the input of parents, teachers, principals, students and the entire community. As Mayor of Chicago, I will create a culture of leadership where innovation, transformation and entrepreneurship become the norm, and host an electronic forum where anyone can join a discussion, exchange ideas, or seek advice about educational issues. As President of the Chicago Public Schools, I successfully negotiated two four-year contracts with the Chicago Teachers Union. These were good contracts, hurting neither the taxpayer nor the teachers, and I was able to negotiate them because I sat down with union leaders, listened to what they wanted, and was fair and honest in dealing with them. We can’t drop the hammer on city unions, nor can we afford sweetheart deals for them. I have experience working collaboratively with each of the major city employee unions. I am against restricting the teachers’ ability to strike. An experienced Mayor who’s willing to listen and work with unions should be able to avoid strikes, as I have throughout my many years working in city government. As mentioned above, I would change teacher tenure rules so that we can fire the handful of bad teachers who are harming not only our children’s futures, but other teachers’ reputations as well. I also want to reward teachers based on performance, not seniority.

6. Would your administration support the expansion of quality charter schools in the district and how would you address the concerns some have about transparency and parental oversight? What role do vouchers have in improving the education opportunities for Chicago students?

As Mayor I will work to identify and expand high-quality schools so there are comprehensive school options in every community. I will identify quality existing local school models, whether neighborhood or charter, and expand, replicate, or franchise these school models. I will expand highly effective magnet programs and magnet school educational opportunities by putting additional magnet programs in neighborhood schools. I will also expand the highly successful network of college preparatory high schools. For parents with children in chronically failing schools there must be an option that allows for children to receive a quality education. As Mayor, I will support a voucher initiative that will allow parents of students in chronically failing schools to receive a $3,717 voucher toward elementary school tuition, and a $7,500 voucher toward high school tuition which can be used at private and parochial schools. The program could impact up to 50,000 students.

7. How would your administration target chronically low-performing schools beyond increased funding supports? And how would you address the rightful concerns regarding increasing the community's engagement in how to address their neighborhood's lowest performing schools?

Many parents are demanding more school choice in the form of charter and magnet schools, and as Mayor I believe it’s important to meet these demands. That said, neighborhood schools are, and will continue to be, the backbone of our school system. The majority of CPS students are enrolled in neighborhood schools, and as Mayor of Chicago, I will be committed to investing in and improving our neighborhood schools. Our number one priority must be our children, and that they are getting the best education possible. If a school is chronically under-performing despite efforts to address failures and challenges, changes must be made for the interests of the children. Children’s lives don’t wait. That being said, we must take progressive measures that provide the necessary support to a school that is under-performing. When it is clear that a school is chronically failing, we must have a process that will enable families, community stakeholders, and most importantly children an opportunity to transition smoothly.

8. As mayor, would you support extending the school day and school year? How will you make it a priority for change in the 2012 Chicago Teachers Union contract and in communications with state policymakers? And how would you pay for it?

Studies have proven that increasing the time spent learning leads to an improvement in student achievement. The Chicago Public Schools has one of the shortest school days and one of the shortest school years in Illinois. As President of the Chicago Public Schools, I developed extended school-day programs that kept more than 125,000 children in school longer and expanded summer school opportunities which served as many as 175,000 children each summer. As Mayor of Chicago, I have committed to lengthening both the school day and the school year. I will work to extend the school day from a six hour day to an eight hour, and the calendar year from 176 to 200 days a year. More learning time will give teachers the ability to cover core subjects in greater depth and allows students– particularly in high school – to add more subjects to their school schedules. Further, I would promote the year-round school model. Year-round schools, in which students and teachers have shorter breaks during the year, with no long summer break, prove academically beneficial. By eliminating the long summer break, teachers no longer have to reteach in the fall. My education play calls for the dismantling and restructuring of the Central Office. By cutting the Central Office by 1/3, we will save significant amounts of money that can be re-directed to the classrooms. By partnering with community organizations and other sister agencies such as the Park District and City Libraries, we can leverage resources to reduce costs. The ultimate cost of additional learning time will be determined through contract negotiations. As President of CPS, I worked with the Teachers Union to accomplish one of the nation’s most notable school reform achievements. As Mayor of Chicago, I will ensure that our education system gives children the time and attention they need to learn.

9. What innovative ideas are you planning to lead to improve learning experiences for our city's youngest citizens?

The Digital Revolution is having a profound effect on 21st century education. Schools now have the ability to incorporate Internet, digital audio and video and smart boards into their instruction. As Mayor, I will empower our students in the information age. We now spend millions of dollars on traditional textbooks, which wear and become obsolete. By redirecting a portion of these funds to digital tools, students can have constantly updated textbooks. Even better, they can have access to multimedia lessons integrated into their texts. Teaching and learning will both be enhanced as our teachers learn how to effectively use the tools available. Closing the Digital Divide will enable our children to compete with their peers in seeking college admissions and applying for jobs. As Mayor, I will ensure every student has a laptop. Every high school student will be issued a laptop immediately and every student in CPS will have a laptop within my first term. I will add interactive textbooks with lessons online. I will also accelerate the citywide wiring of Chicago for WiFi. I will institute training for teachers to ensure that they know how to use new tools of learning in their instruction, and provide computer training for parents through the Parent Academies and the City Colleges. Finally, I will offer courses for students online in individual and group settings.

10. If you had a child with special needs, what would your expectations be at the school he or she attends?

I am wholly committed to ensuring that children with special needs and their families receive the services to which they are legally entitled. I will be sensitive to new options for addressing the needs for special education students and their families and fight for adequate funding for necessary services. If I had a child with special needs, I would expect that our school would provide the highest-quality education possible in the least restrictive environment for my child.

11. What role will programs for gifted, high-performing students play in schools under your administration? How will the programs be enhanced or cutback?

Some high-achieving high-school students are college ready while still in high school. We should be rewarding those students and incentivizing others to reach this level of success by offering a robust dual enrollment program available to all students citywide. The City Colleges of Chicago provide an extraordinary resource to our city, with access to higher-education facilities throughout the city. As Mayor of Chicago, I will require the City colleges to allow any eligible high school student to enroll in college courses where the courses are not otherwise available through their school. Further, I will ensure students who take courses through the Dual Enrollment Program will earn college credits.

12. With intensifying external pressures to "achieve", schools can be tempted to focus exclusively on subjects that are explicitly tested on state and national tests, resulting in significant scaling back on arts programming. In addition, the current fiscal climate makes funding arts teachers -- and the materials associated with the arts -- an "extra". Should schools be forced to scale back on this programming, due to their testing focus or budget challenges?

With the emphasis on language arts, math and science in standardized testing, the fine arts are frequently neglected or – when budgets are tight – eliminated. Research demonstrates that the arts are an essential part of a comprehensive education and a rich life; further, students in fine arts perform better on the standardized tests. As Mayor, I will restore the arts to their proper role in every school. Every school will have a substantive fine arts program that will include displays of student work and performances, with the use of portfolios to assess students’ accomplishments. I will also continue partnerships with outside organizations such as museums, theaters and cultural centers to enhance art education.

13. Should the mayor send his or her children to public school? Why?

The Mayor should stand by the school system he or she helps to create and run. I sent all five of my children to Chicago Public Schools – the third generation of my family to attend CPS. Having children who attend or attended CPS gives the Mayor increased accountability for the system’s performance and helps bring the season home. That said, each parent, including the Mayor, should be free to send their children to the school of their choice.