State Senator Meeks (Chicago, Naperville, Evanston: middle-class, appointed, renting)

[Humboldt1]

Whatever happened with that idiot Meeks and his plan to bus inner city kids to affluent suburban schools such as New Trier? I know it was a stunt to get attention but would something like this really happen.

I can imagine concerned parents and local law enforcement showing up to prevent these students from entering. This could actually happen in New Trier if Meeks really tried to bus a group of inner city CPS students there. Legally, I don't think they would be allowed in as these students do not live in district. If schools such as New Trier were suddenly flooded with poor CPS kids who couldn't get into magnet programs many parents would put their kids in private schools and New Trier would become a crappy school overnight. I just don't see Meeks actually pulling this off other than to get on TV.

CPS students get 12M per year. I believe New Trier spends 18M per year. Yes, a big difference but where I am from in Indiana we spend 8M per year and have schools better than CPS. Of course we don't have to spend money on security guards and metal detectors as the kids are taught to respect others by their parents, something lacking in many inner city (not poorer as some of my classmates did not even have running water) neighborhoods.

The difference is the parents, not the money spent per pupil. I am sure there are decent suburban districts that spend 12M per pupil. Can someone please list some?

I loved BRU's post on Oak Park/River Forest forum as most of the blame comes from bad parents who are doing nothin to improve the schools or their communities and will never take responsibility for themselves or their children.

I still say it is better for these Austin kids to mooch off of Oak Park now to get an education and make something of themselves later in life. It is much less money for me to shell in taxes than if they become lfelong welfare recipients dependent on sec8 and food stamps for them and the children they are not prepared to have.

[cdc3217]

They've got volunteers going door-to door to recruit for their big day. It has not died. It will be interesting to see the turnout on Tuesday - I think it may fizzle out, but that's just my (possibly optimistic?) hunch.

[cdc3217]

The Huffington post ran a piece today with some more details - it argues that protest is needed.

Hermene Hartman: The Method Behind Rev. Meeks' Madness

[concerned resident]

I agree with Humboldts post that the real problem is the parents. Sure money comes into play, but I have known many kids that were indigent, but were raised right. These kids did not choose a life of crime. The problem is many children in the Austin area- yes I am picking on this area- are not raised by their parents at all. They are raised by their aunts or elderly grandparents, who hardly have the ability to keep tabs on an energertic youth. The fathers are very rarely in the picture. So Meeks should stop blaming the white people for all of their problems and should take a step back in look in the mirror. Parenting classes and classes on self respect should be their top priority.

[aragx6]

I think it's very unfair to say he is blaming only white people. They're blaming the system that doles out funds and the inequities inherent in that.

[Humboldt1]

Interesting article on Meeks though the author loses credibility when they imply that Meeks could have won the race for governor and simply dropped out due to education funding promises by Blago to allow Blago to win the race.

In point #2, how do kids who live out of district register to go to school by the busload? Can't they just deny them admission based upon residency?

If Meeks pushes this issue much further there could be dire consequences. CPS has good schools, magnet schools. Meeks should flood those schools first, then New Trier. I don't see this happening. If those buses show up at New Trier and Naperville, I think they should be turned away, with force if necessary. I would have no problem with local law enforcement getting involved, as they are paid by local tax dollars, the same tax dollars that fund the schools. Also, many of these local law enforcement have children that attend these schools. I highly doubt they want Meeks and his followers messing with the education of their kids. I think it is unfair for people from the north shore with good schools to have their public schools flooded by Meeks' followers.

Let's hope his stunt fizzles out. If not, I would be hesitant to send my kids to public schools, even in formerly great districts. Forced busing does not work. History has shown this. And if you take the best and brightest from the city to these suburban schools, the inner city schools are even worse off.

I see Meeks as a race mongerer in the same league as Sharpton and Jesse Jackson Sr. I actually like Jesse Jackson, Jr., as he seems to have stayed away from the hypocritical ways of his father.

Does anyone on here really want to see schools such as New Trier flooded with busloads of kids from the south side?

[Lookout Kid]

I do agree with Meeks that public school funding should be equalized, and should be higher than it is now across the board to match New Trier (and not lowered anywhere!). And funding should not come from property taxes, which is a terrible system. But spending more alone will not turn CPS schools around.

Case Study: Evanston Township High School spends more per student than New Trier, and has many affluent students mixed with many poor students. While the middle-class and affluent students at ETHS do quite well overall, the lower-class African-American students still do very poorly as a whole (a phenomenon they call the "Achievement Gap". The same phenomenon can be observed at OPRF. Sure, the chance to succeed is there for all of these kids if they are smart and take initiative, which is a big difference from a CPS school. But CPS schools are a problem because of the people going there, not because of the funding. A school filled with only poor students will never be a good school.

[concerned resident]

Sure the system is not fair. But responsibility in the home comes first and once this is implemented, success will follow despite fairness in the system. Anyone could overcome adversity when working hard and not giving up in life. Crying and finger pointing never helps the cause.

[Anthera]

"I can imagine concerned parents and local law enforcement showing up to prevent these students from entering. This could actually happen in New Trier if Meeks really tried to bus a group of inner city CPS students there. Legally, I don't think they would be allowed in as these students do not live in district. If schools such as New Trier were suddenly flooded with poor CPS kids who couldn't get into magnet programs many parents would put their kids in private schools and New Trier would become a crappy school overnight. I just don't see Meeks actually pulling this off other than to get on TV."

Meeks never intended NT to accept these kids. Logistically, there isn't room for 2000 more students, much less teachers, and by the way classes started last week. If he really wanted to enroll these kids he would have tried when school actually started in the district. Its a stunt.

Meeks is looking for a photo op. - black kids denied entrance to a white school. NT is too smart to give them this.

Meeks will be very disappointed. He isn't going to get his photo op at New Trier. The kids will be welcomed with applications and doughnuts. Do you really think all these kids will bother filling out applications? Much less bring copies of their school records? Or show up for the required placement testing?

I imagine later, when they look at the applications, they will discover the kids are out of district and will send them a letter to that effect.


This idea is just so unbelieveably stupid as a real attempt to change education. Would any of these kids be willing to get on a bus at 6 am to be at NT at 7:30? Who would pay to get them there? And if they participated in after school activities would it be safe for them to return home at 9 pm? It makes no sense logistically. Why not try to enroll them at Whitney Young or Walter Payton?

[johnm68]

Why not try to enroll them at Whitney Young or Walter Payton?

That is a very good point. Magnet schools are great, to some extent. They help keep the middle-class in the city and they provide opportunities for under-privileged kids to transcend their backgrounds and get the education they deserve. However, it is somewhat off-putting that we have a school system that can create and administer these first-rate magnet schools--which are the equal of ANY school in the Chicago suburbs, and fall down so badly in the provision of education to the rest of the students in the city.