Archive for October, 2008
Cell Phone Tower Trauma
Watching the cell phone tower offer unfold at the our neighborhood school (where I am on the LSC) has been interesting, to say the least. The LSC decided to solicit opinions from the school population via several methods: email, a mailbox in the school, and a group message board. In all, 22 families made their opinion known on the matter, only one of which was in favor of erecting the antennas in exchange for upwards of $72K per year. So what does that mean about the remaining 260 or so families that didn’t express an opinion? They don’t give a rip? They forgot to write in? They figured that other people were posting negative comments so they didn’t need to? It’s hard to interpret. How does an LSC take the votes into account? And assuming the majority doesn’t care, do you nix the tower because of a small but vocal group? And for that matter, should the LSC even be polling the school on issues when they were elected to represent that school?
It has also been interesting to see the level of concern over the antennas. There is no proof that they cause any harm, nor is there any proof that they don’t. Basically, the things are untested over time, much like many things we encounter in life. It makes me wonder if parents in the 1950’s worried about TV’s emitting dangerous waves. Come to think of it, has long term TV exposure actually ever been tested? I suppose it’s safe or I would be a mutant by now based solely on my rate of watching Scooby Doo during the 70’s.
In any case, one of the most compelling arguments I have heard so far against the tower comes from a teacher who’s classroom would likely be located directly under the antenna. Despite any hardcore evidence, I can’t say that I’d personally feel comfortable having an antenna sitting over my head day after day for what could be years (CPS teachers need to be in service for something like 34 years to get their pension.) If she or one of the kids in the school got seriously ill in the next decade I don’t think I’d want to always be wondering if that cell antenna that we voted for had been related in any way.
Many of the parents who are opposed to the antennas follow up their opinion with the comment, “there are other ways to raise the money.” Now that is the million dollar question (or $72K question in this case.) WHAT exactly are those other ways?
Add comment October 30, 2008
Alcott to add High School
It’s been officially announced… Alcott will be adding high school classes starting in 2009. Parents there worked with the principal and CPS – pushing, proposing, and I’m sure jumping through hoops to get this going. The school will be a college-prep high school with a Humanities focus.
They’ll take up to 150 kids per grade. Alcott kids get first priority, then there will a combo of a neighborhood lottery and city lottery. Read more on the school’s web site:
http://www.alcottschool.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=407&Itemid=50
Its encouraging to see that CPS is starting to consider more creative options for high schools. As we elementary parents are well aware, that will be our next frontier of angst so lucky for us we have some parents ahead of us paving the way.
2 comments October 22, 2008
Roofs for Sale
Did you know that many CPS schools are “selling” their roof space to cell phone companies in exchange for putting up cell phone towers? Schools that are offered this opportunity can earn $24,000 per antenna, with a typical offer of up to three per school. That is some serious money for schools that are getting minimal funding from the city. Supposedly there are over 100 schools that now have cell antennas on their roofs including Bell and Bateman on the north side. The cell companies need to fill in their dead zones and schools often have the highest roof in residential neighborhoods.
The trouble, of course, is the nagging questions of whether these antennas are causing a health risk to the students and teachers who spent all day every day in the buildings. You can search the Internet until eternity and find “research” that supports both sides. The American Cancer Society says there is no theoretical reason why a cell antenna should cause health problems. But we live in reality, not theory. The antennas DO emit microwaves. The questions is whether prolonged exposure to these waves affect the human body. There has been no long term definitive study that proves either safety or danger.
So what is a school to do? Making up for $72K through fund-raising is daunting, if not impossible. But if a kid in a school gets seriously ill a couple years after the antenna goes up, who wants to be left wondering if their decision was part of the cause? On the other hand, these microwaves are in tons of products are us every day and if the phone companies don’t get their antennas on the schools, chances are they’ll find some other building nearby who is eager for the money (so the microwaves will be nearby anyhow.) Its easy to argue each side.
The guy from CPS who brokers these deals is an impressive smooth-talker but left me on the defensive based on two things from his pitch that reminded me of a late night infomercial:
- The school needed to “act quickly” so they wouldn’t lose the opportunity.
- He would provide the research about safety only after we made an official expression of interest.
Any comments are appreciated. I think only people in the city with kids in CPS can really understand a school’s desperate need for money.
Add comment October 13, 2008
Class size and the September Shuffle
A parent writes: “My kid ended up at XYZ CPS School. At first i was freaking out because the class sizes were 32 ,32 and 33. After about 2 weeks or so we heard through a parent that we were “getting” an extra class but it would be a half day only. No one signed up for it so we waited for the next repsonse, that came a few days later,they then said we would get a full time teacher and that they would take 5 kids from each class and put into the new one. “
I seem to recall having a conversation about this topic with a parent last Spring. Perhaps even this exact same parent — who knows after all my school-related yammering sessions. Anyhow, the parent claimed that the school had small classes, to which I replied that you never know how many neighborhood kids will walk in on that first day or school and surprise the principal. Schools that are in the growing stage will often take in a bunch of kids via the CPS lottery, which makes sense since each kid is really a check for $$$ disguised as a cute little munchkin with a giant backpack. More kids = more money. But… how is a school to know how many to take in? They want to have nice mid-size classrooms, but what happens when kids from the hood show up who haven’t registered? The school has to take them in and mad scrambling ensues. As it did in this school.
The “rule” with CPS is that if you have more than 28 kids, you get another teacher. But lets face it – they won’t pay for another teacher if you have 29 or 30, splitting the class into 15/15. The reality is that sometimes they will let the classrooms go higher than 28 or even 30. Then if you wind up with one or two crazy-energy kids in there, running the giant classroom becomes every adult’s worst nightmare (well, mine at least.) So just to be sure kids have ended up where they really want to be, CPS waits almost 3 weeks before officially taking the count and assigning the new teachers. And with a new teacher is usually the need to scramble for classroom furniture and supplies. Stuff don’t just show up all shiny and new because you added another teacher. In any case, it results in September chaos and kids being shifted to different teachers and classrooms just when they get used to their first one. The kind of stuff that makes parents of Kindergarteners crazy when all we wanted was a peaceful transition into school.
In the end, it worked out well at this school because they ended up with nice small class sizes. And they were able to find a way to pay for the Full Day Kindergarten out of their limited funds.
What to do about it? Get the school to do everything in their power to encourage registation well before school starts. See if someone can post little flyers at the local park reminding people to register for school. When you encounter people who say their child is attending your school say “you ARE registered, right?!” and express shock and moral disapproval if they say no. Stand at the entryway and heckle those who are not registered on day 1. Not really on that last one unless you’re pretty brave.
4 comments October 8, 2008
