In the News: Vallas' firm urged closings, teacher layoffs
By: Cassandra West / November 25, 2013
Last summer, in a little-publicized $311,000 consulting deal with the Illinois State Board of Education, former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas who is now Gov. Pat Quinn’s newly named running mate offered a financial blueprint to turn aroundthe nearly bankrupt North Chicago school district, the Sun-Times reports.
To avert insolvency in North Chicago Community Unit District 187 by 2015, Vallas recommended closing four of the district’s nine schools and laying off 130 teachers and staff — 39 percent of the district’s workforce. His consulting company, the Vallas Group, also urged a rewrite of the district’s curriculum, with more intensive teaching of literacy, math, social studies and science and longer class periods. (Sun-Times)
UNO SUED: The Chicago Sun-Times filed suit Friday against the United Neighborhood Organization and its charter-school network, seeking records the newspaper says fall under Illinois’ open records law that the organizations have refused to release. UNO has maintained that only records held by the UNO Charter School Network Inc. must be made public under the law. (Sun-Times)
BOOSTING PARENTS: About 130 parents received recognition Saturday at Noble Chicago Bulls Prep Academy for completing a 10-week program giving parents the