Wow! I’m kind of shocked to see the UNO story growing. Chicago Tonight takes a look at the scandal and the Sun-Times follows up with a story on the political contributions by UNO contractors. Juan Rangel has some very influential friends in Rahm Emanuel and Mike Madigan so I’ll be curious to see if this dust up will have any effect on the UNO Empire.
UNO Charter Schools’ Insider Deals Questioned
“Charges of insider contracts surface in building and maintaining a $25 million charter school. Carol Marin talks with the Chicago Sun-Times reporters who uncovered the story about that, and some $98 million in state grants to the politically connected UNO Charter Schools. We have the latest on Chicago Tonight at 7:00 pm.”
Brown: UNO Gearing Up Its Own Political Machine Involving Charter Schools
“Kevin Gillian said his company, TFC Canopy, was the subcontractor that had supplied the shiny aluminum panels for the exterior of UNO’s sparkling new soccer-themed elementary school at 51st and Homan. It was in that capacity that he had been solicited for a campaign donation—and gladly complied, he said.”
Madison School District Superintendent Finalists Come with Not Insignificant Baggage
“She did not, in my opinion, do a very good job. She was unable to answer just the most basic questions that all of us have been asking for weeks and months,” Farmer says. “Perhaps she was sent out as the sacrificial lamb that night, but it was disappointing. What it told me is that a lot of these folks downtown are reluctant to speak up and reluctant to question their bosses and to say, ‘Hey, why are you sending me out here if I don’t have answers for these folks?”
Mr. Stieber, Protests aren’t on the MAP Test!
“While I was teaching this lesson my students said things like, “Mr. Stieber you are going to get in trouble for teaching us this.” or “You made this lesson just for us?!” or “Mr. Stieber are you allowed to teach us this?” My goal was to help them to understand that while protests can seem fun, the point is to use mass protest only when working within the system fails to bring about the change they seek. In this case, the students wanted the building to be warmer or to wear long sleeve shirts over (not under, like the uniform policy dictates) their uniform polos”
Englewood Gresham School Closing Hearing
“The sixth Walton Family Foundation-sponsored Chicago Public Schools (CPS) school closing hearing — due to supposed “underutilization” — took place for the Englewood-Gresham Network on the afternoon of Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Kennedy King College located at 6301 S. Halsted. During the hearing, it was pointed out by one audience member that the location was better known locally as 740 63rd Street rather than “Halsted.” Coupled with the fact that this hearing was scheduled after the first day of the month she questioned CPS’s commitment to really seek the community’s input. (The speaker said she was referring especially to older people but also others getting their Social Security checks and then needing to take care of lots of business on the first days of the month.)”
CPS CHATTER 
No surprise over here. As more folks become informed here in the city and across the country, this is going to be the heat of the summer. Here’s a comprehensive essay on the big picture at play here. Coming in at 5200 reads/views! http://www.scribd.com/doc/106337306/THE-CHICAGO-PUBLIC-SCHOOLS-ALLERGIC-TO-ACTIVISM
Luis I’ve read that before and it is terrific. I heartily recommend it to any readers!
Thank you! It is being disseminated over the weekend to various individuals who can bring the numbers up on its reads/views. It is now at 5400 reads/views (without ANY funding) but continues to climb. I appreciate spreading the good word.