CPS, Whittier Parents Agree Over Field House, Library

Chicago - At a meeting Wednesday at CPS headquarters, parents at Whittier Elementary School and officials reached an agreement to not demolish the field house at the heart of the debate.

Parents have been staging a sit-in at the building for over a month since CPS announced a plan to take down the field house to create green space. Parents wanted CPS to turn the building into a library, instead.

At the meeting, CPS agreed to not demolish the building and to repurposeTIF funds to bring the building up to code. The field house will become a community center for the Pilsen neighborhood and will be managed by the Whittier Parents Community Council, who will lease the building for $1 a year.

CPS will also create a library for the school, but in a compromise with parents it will go inside the school building.

Tuesday, CPS had proposed leasing the field house to a different community organization, but parents wanted to retain control over use of the building.

At the meeting with parents were Schools CEO Ron Huberman, State Representative Cynthia Soto and Ald. Danny Solis (25th).