Albany Park Indignation

Background


John M. Palmer Elementary is a CPS neighborhood school of approximately 930
students in a diverse neighborhood of tidy bungalows known as Mayfair. Directly east
of Mayfair, bordered by Pulaski Avenue, is Albany Park. The main school building was
opened in 1925; it also has an Annex building (permanent, detached) and a Modular
(temporary, trailer).


By now you are aware of the proposed relocation of the Edison Regional Gifted Center
from their current home in Norwood Park to the brand new and mostly empty Albany Park Multicultural Academy. (APMA is currently a 7th – 8th grade Middle School) In
the process, an instant Pre K – 8 neighborhood school will be created to alleviate
overcrowding in the 41st Ward. It’s all part of the CPS’ recently revealed 5-year plan to
address underutilization, ostensibly to undo decades of no planning. If there is a
silver lining to all of this for residents of the 39th Ward, nobody has told anybody about
it yet.


Most CPS neighborhood schools lack the educational amenities to be found in
abundance at the Albany Park Multicultural Academy (APMA). According to a CPS
press release dated May 10, 2005, APMA students will enjoy “two science rooms, a
music room, an art room, a computer room, a multipurpose room, a library media
center, an administrative center, a nurse and student services center.” Apparently
$22M buys a lot of cool stuff.


None of this cool stuff exists at Palmer. Preferably, the word “essentials’ is more
fitting. When Palmer parents ask why this sad state of affairs persists, the answer is
always: No space. Not enough room. We’re too crowded. Indeed, Palmer is currently
rated by CPS at 88% total utilization; by CPS’ own standards, any school rated 80%>
total utilization is considered overcrowded.


Changing demographics


During a recent conversation, Alderman Laurino was asked why APMA remains largely
empty, and why the empty seats are being given to a selective enrollment program. She
explained changing demographics over the past fifteen years now mean Albany Park
schools are no longer overcrowded.


Yet over the same fifteen years, Palmer has seen a dramatic rise in the student
population, from 482 students in 1991 to 933 students in 2006, a 99% increase. Much
of the population growth can be attributed to a large influx of newly arrived immigrant
families.


So what does this have to do with Palmer?


The same CPS press release dated May 10, 2005 also said: Albany Park
Multicultural Academy to help relieve overcrowding...The new building, to be located at
4929 N. Sawyer, will accommodate approximately 700 students and is scheduled to
open in the fall of 2006. Hibbard Elementary will be the main feeder school, though
students will also come from other surrounding elementary and middle schools.
"Relieving overcrowding has been an ongoing commitment of this administration," said
Duncan. "A better learning environment contributes to better performance."


Why wasn’t Palmer given the opportunity to fill some of the empty seats at APMA with Palmer 7th – 8th graders?

Hey CPS! You need kids to fill the empty classrooms in your $22M Taj Mahal?
Palmer has kids, great kids, who would love a chance to experience science lab,
computer lab, art class and music class. Did you save a few spots at APMA for the
neighborhood kids? Spots you haven't already promised to others?



Where is the indignation? Where is the uproar?


You have no idea your pocket was picked until you reach for your wallet and realize
it’s long gone.


The Albany Park community doesn't appreciate what will be lost in this deal because they never knew it was theirs to lose in the first place. Very few of the parents have ever walked through the front door of APMA. Palmer was never considered in the future plans for APMA, never included in the conversation, so it never occurred to Palmer to fight for it. Some have been underserved by CPS for so long, parents don’t know how to place a value on the things they don’t have.


Shame on us and shame on CPS for taking advantage of our naivety.



The fact the kids don’t have a science lab is unacceptable. The fact the kids don’t
have a computer lab, or a music room, or an art room, or foreign language
instruction is unacceptable. These things are necessities not perks. And why don’t
they have these things? Palmer is overcrowded. Sadly, many Palmer parents cling to
the dream of an addition that is never going to happen, and in the meantime, a valuable asset like the APMA is given away.


How could this spectacular educational asset be put to better use, to benefit Palmer?


One solution would be to expand the enrollment boundaries of the current
neighborhood Middle School, drawing 7th – 8th grade students who elect to transfer from Palmer, Volta and other overcrowded elementary schools in the area, joining students from Hibbard already feeding into APMA.


Another approach would be the formation of a magnet Middle School, similar to the
Taft and Whitney Young Academic Centers, with a percentage of these coveted seats
earmarked for Palmer children who qualify.


It is time for our elected officials and civic organizations to speak up on behalf of the families of North Mayfair and Albany Park, before the CPS proposal
becomes a done deal and the APMA is snatched away from Albany Park. One can only hope it is not too late.