Chicago students register at New Trier to make political point

New Trier Township High School is miles apart from its Chicago Public School counterparts - both in distance and in education funding.

On Tuesday, thousands united in a fight to close the financial gap.

Chicago students, parents, volunteers and pastors filling about 65 buses skipped the first day of class to symbolically register at New Trier's Northfield campus and also call attention to disparities in school funding.

"We're trying to claim the 2016 Olympics by advertising Chicago as a world-class city," said state Sen. James Meeks, who led the mass boycott of CPS schools. "How can you have a world-class city and second-class schools?"

Administrators at New Trier, which seamlessly accommodated the influx of people, estimate 1,100 students registered at the high school, with another 800 students registering for its feeder school, Sunset Ridge Elementary. To actually enroll, residency in the district is required and Meeks recognizes Chicago students aren't eligible.

Jessie Terry pulled her second- and ninth-grade sons, Nathan and Averill, from schools in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the city's South Side.

"We're tired," she said. "Tired that our kids share books and notebooks and don't even have computers in this age of advanced technology."

Terry worries whether her kids' schools will have adequate heating on a given day, and says parents have to buy items schools typically supply such as dry erase markers. Her son swims, but sports teams are limited to football and basketball.

Tuesday's journey to the North Shore in lieu of school gave her no pause - despite staunch criticism from Mayor Richard Daley, Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan and others that a better example would be set by attending class.

"Of course the first day of school is important, but where's the concern when it's February and you see children walking down the streets," Terry argued.

Ira Acree, an activist and Austin pastor, said improving schools is key.

"I've battled for health care and against police misconduct," said Acree, who believes there to be a direct correlation between literacy and violence. "I'm willing to die for this cause."

He brought his daughter, Nicole, a sophomore at Oak Park-River Forest High School.

"I go to one of the best schools in the country and I want Chicago Public School kids to see they deserve what we have and what (New Trier) has," she said.

According to New Trier administrators, the affluent high school spent close to $17,000 per student in 2005-06. When combined with its six feeder districts, the figure drops to $14,000, still significantly more than the $10,500 CPS spent on its students.

New Trier School Board President Jim Koch doesn't agree with Meeks' methods, but applauds him for putting the spotlight on the issue and pressure on legislators.

"I don't think your kid or mine wants an adequate or good or decent education," Koch said. "They should get a great education."

Chants of "We love New Trier!" could be heard from many buses, which started arriving around 11 a.m.

They were in turn cheered on by a few dozen residents who came to show their support. Many raised welcome signs and shook hands with students.

Karen Roth, a New Trier parent from Northfield and an educator, sees the boycott as a learning opportunity.

"Experiential learning is vital and this is an historical and political issue," Roth said. "Students on both sides will leave here reflecting on this event."

Meeks is calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to live up to a 2006 promise to sell the state lottery and put $10 billion into education over a number of years.

"We gullibly elected him and now the governor is trying to use the same lottery money to fund a capital bill," said Meeks of the desire for a massive public works program. "We want him to invest in human capital, not bridges."

He's also proposing a three-year pilot program that would funnel $120 million into four clusters of floundering schools in Chicago, the south suburbs and downstate.

For the next three days, Meeks and others are setting up four-hour "classes" in lobbies of various downtown buildings to keep the focus on the issue.

James Lard, who made the trip with his uncle and grandmother, instead will be at Frederick Douglass Academy today to start his junior year. But he won't soon forget Tuesday.

"I wanted to see for myself and I can't believe this (campus) is just for freshmen," he said. "My school would fit in that auditorium. It's not right."

Protest Demonstrators to set up 'classes' in downtown buildings to make their point

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=232073">Suburban leaders still seeking viable funding change <span class="date">[09/02/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=231803">How does Chicago school funding stack up? <span class="date">[09/02/08]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=229">Chicago students register at New Trier </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/newtrierletter.pdf">Read New Trier's letter to parents </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>