Parents in Oak-Lawn Hometown School District 123 strongly criticized board members Tuesday night during a special meeting to reconsider the closing of Brandt School.
Amid a standing-room-only crowd, several parents denounced the school board for making the decision last week to close the school without first seeking public input.
“These cuts are not an option,” said Marie Craven, reading a statement on behalf of her adult daughter, Karen Craven, who could not attend the meeting. “I believe the meeting this evening is redeeming. I hope this evening represents the start of a new chapter for School District 123.”
Karen Craven, who has a daughter in the district, has filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office, alleging the Feb. 22 school board meeting violated Illinois’ open meetings law.
Rob Loehr, the father of a fifth-grade student at Covington School, was highly critical of the board for failing to inform the community of plans to close Brandt, which houses the district’s science center and early childhood program.
“You showed contempt and utter disregard for the taxpayers,” Loehr told board members. “I hope in the future you’ll be more transparent. Everyone here works for us. We need to be included.”
Jean Attig, a parent at Sward School, said the board should have discussed publicly the proposal to close Brandt before voting on the issue.
“In my opinion, you have failed us,” Attig said.
The board had not voted on whether to reverse its decision on Brandt by the SouthtownStar deadline.
Elaine Barlos, president of the District 123 teachers union, commended the board for reconsidering the budget cuts, describing Tuesday night’s meeting as a “positive. They didn’t have to do this.”
The meeting was called after a week of mounting criticism from parents and teachers who said they were not given adequate notice of last week’s meeting or the plan to close the school.
Faced with a $1.5 million budget shortage, District 123 officials said the closing of Brandt, 8901 S. 52nd St., will save them from cutting more critical programs. Board members agreed that budget cuts are necessary for the district to avoid more drastic financial problems in a few years.
“We are well funded up until 2014,” board president Joe Sorrentino said.
“The need to cut is real, in my mind,” board member Richard Mason said. “This is not a one-year problem.”
The parents’ comments were followed by a lengthy discussion of the district’s finances, including other potential program cuts the board could consider in lieu of closing Brandt School.
Read the original article from SouthTown Star.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services