Open letter to Chicago Public Schools CEO and the Latino Advisory Committee
By Ray Salazar, NewsTaco
As Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennet and the Latino Advisory Committee prepare for their second meeting next week, I share this feedback to emphasize that, in order to fulfill its purpose of increasing engagement with the Latino community and enhancing the educational success of Latino students , the committee must include CPS teachers as regular members. I know that at least one committee member expressed my concern to the CEO.
Some argue that having teachers, who make a salary from the district, join the committee might put those teachers in an uncomfortable position. However, I and many other teacher bloggers regularly present criticisms of CPS policies and, to my knowledge, no one has been fired or disciplined for presenting these ideas. We express our ideas and propose solutions comfortably.
This week, Saucedo teachers, at a school with a 97% low-income student population and a 96% Latino population, took a bold stance against unnecessary testing. This also proves that many CPS teachers are willing to speak up and present ways to improve education for Latino students.
If the committee is truly going to offer insight into how to improve the educational experiences of Latino CPS students, I ask the committee to start by advocating for and welcoming every day practioners to their table. Teachers will be affected by recommendations made at that table and, therefore, need to also shape them.
I was told that, in my first post about this committee, it sounded like I was criticizing the members of the committee. I believe