Byrd-Bennett's 'independent" panel
What's wrong with this loaded lead sentence in today's Sun-Times editorial?
The head of the Chicago Public Schools got the blessing this week to close as many as 70 schools by June, the nod coming from an independent panel she convened to help her decide how many under-used schools CPS could responsibly shutter. -- "Close schools over two years, not one"Well first, how can a panel be "independent" if it is hand-picked by the schools CEO? And why call it "independent" when the so-called the Commission of School Utilization was clearly set up as a rump group to do an end run around the legislature's own legally established Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force (CEFTF) and to avoid state law mandating the district to present a clear rationale and get community input before closing any more schools?
Secondly, is it "independent" if the purpose of the rump commission is simply to help the CEO decide "how