Transcript of the Testimony of Date: January 16, 2019 Case: THE PROPOSED REASSIGNED BOUNDARY CHANGE OF OROZCO COMMUNITYACADEMY AND COOPER DUAL LANGUAGE ACADEMYY TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2019 COMMENCING AT 6:00 P.M. COOPER DUAL LANGUAGE ACADEMY HELD AT 1624 WEST 19TH STREET CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RE: THE PROPOSED REASSIGNED BOUNDARY CHANGE OF OROZCO COMMUNITY ACADEMY AND COOPER DUAL LANGUAGE ACADEMY The Report of Proceedings had in the meeting of the above-entitled cause, taken before TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 ROBBIN M. OCHENKOWSKI, a Certified Shorthand Reporter in and for the County of Cook and State of Illinois, at 1624 West 19th Street, Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday, January 16th, 2019, at 6:00 o'clock p.m. CPS STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: CHERYL NEVINS (Timekeeper), Director of Demographic Analysis & Planning CRISTINA CARRETO (Presenter), Family and Community Engagement Manager for Network 7 MINERVA GARCIA-SANCHEZ (Facilitator), Chief of Schools for Network 7 ANNA DIAZ - NOTE-TAKER SPANISH INTERPRETER TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 2 1 I N D E X OPENING COMMENTS 2 PAGE 3 Ms. Carreto 3 Ms. Garcia-Sanchez 6 4 Ms. Carreto 9 5 PUBLIC COMMUNITY SPEAKERS 6 STUDENT ALYSSA 10 7 STUDENT KEVIN 11 8 ALREDO CALDERON 11 9 MARIBEL ALQUISINO 13 10 MARISSA SANTIAGO 14 11 GUADALUPE CAMERON 15 12 NOMISOL DE PAZ 16 13 THERESA FRAGA 17 (Spanish interpretation by Mary Hawkin) 18 14 MONTSSERRAT HERNANDEZ 19 15 MARIA RAMIREZ 21 16 CLAUDIA MOLINE 23 17 PRINCIPAL EFRAIN MARTINEZ 24 18 PRINCIPAL MARTHA ALBA 24 19 STATE REPRESENTATIVE THERESA MAH 25 - 27 20 (Spanish interpretation by Unknown Male Speaker) 26 21 CONCLUDING COMMENTS 22 PAGE 23 Ms. Carreto 26 - 29 24 - - - - - TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 3 1 MS. CARRETO: Hello, Everybody. Good evening, 2 Everybody. We're going to get the meeting started. 3 It's 6:00 o'clock on the dot. So we run these meetings 4 from 6:00 to 7:30. If I start on time, I'll end it on 5 time. If not, I won't have you go past 7:30, and I'm 6 sure nobody wants to do that. So I just want to welcome 7 everybody. 8 And my name is Cristina Carreto. I'm the FACE 9 manager, the second community meeting manager for 10 schools in Pilsen and Little Village. 11 And I just want to welcome you to the meeting 12 regarding the Proposed Reassigned Boundary Change of 13 Orozco Community Academy and Cooper Dual Language 14 Academy. 15 The meeting for the most part will be bilingual 16 except when we have two public comments. If the 17 comments are in Spanish, we do have for time purposes 18 headsets so that you can hear the comments into English. 19 If your comment is in English up here, we have someone 20 who will come and translate it into Spanish. Okay? So 21 we're just trying to maximize our time for this 22 community meeting. 23 I also wanted to note that we have joining us 24 today the Chief of Schools for Network 7 TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 4 1 Minerva Garcia-Sanchez. She will be here presenting 2 today -- 3 (Applause.) 4 MS. CARRETO: (Speaking Spanish.) 5 MS. CARRETO: I also want to note that we have a 6 stenographer here who is taking notes and the note-taker 7 from the District as well, okay? 8 Okay. So this is just the agenda for today. 9 We're going to have an introduction and meeting 10 logistics. The presentation will be given by the 11 School Chief on the Action Plan, and then we'll open up 12 to public comments. 13 MS. CARRETO: (Speaking Spanish.) 14 MS. CARRETO: This meeting will be -- 15 Sorry. The English-Spanish mind. 16 This meeting will be mainly consisting of a 17 short presentation of the school action by the Chief and 18 then time for public feedback and comments. 19 And I also mentioned that we have a 20 stenographer and note-taker. 21 For those of you who have questions or 22 comments, we ask that you please sign up in the front 23 entrance. There's things -- papers. If want to be a 24 speaker, it's important that you sign up so that we have TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 5 1 that on record. 2 Each participant will have two minutes to speak 3 and provide any questions or comments regarding the 4 school action. You will receive notice. We have a 5 timekeeper up front who will tell you when you're a 6 minute, 30 seconds and your time is up. We do that just 7 to try and make sure that we get as many comments as we 8 can in the time that we're here. 9 If you do not have a chance to comment or wish 10 to provide your comments on the mic, I know it could be 11 a little nerve-racking to come up to the microphone and, 12 you know, give the comments, we ask that you please send 13 any questions, comments or concerns to the e-mail 14 provided over there at [email protected], okay? 15 MS. CARRETO: (Speaking Spanish.) 16 MS. CARRETO: Okay. So just an overview of the 17 legal process of these meetings and why we have to hold 18 these meetings: 19 On October 1st, 2018, CPS published draft 20 guidelines for school actions; 21 Prior to December 1st, 2018, CPS proposed 22 school actions and sent notice letters and draft 23 transition plans to parents and communities and staff; 24 January 2019 we have to hold two community TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 6 1 meetings. This is the second meeting. The first one 2 was held last Wednesday at Orozco School Academy; 3 And then we have one more public hearing 4 downtown. That information is coming in a future slide 5 so you'll have that information for that hearing; 6 And then by February 2019 or later, CPS will 7 make recommendations to the Board after community 8 meetings and hearings or the Board will then vote on any 9 recommendations for school actions; 10 That vote can occur at the February board 11 meeting or later. 12 MS. CARRETO: (Speaking Spanish.) 13 MS. CARRETO: Okay. Now the Chief of Schools will 14 present on the school action. 15 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: (Speaking Spanish.) 16 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: Thank you. 17 And good evening to everyone. 18 So I'm going to read to you the slides. 19 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: (Speaking Spanish.) 20 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: So the overview of proposed 21 school action: 22 We are proposing to adjust the Cooper 23 attendance area grades served to include sixth grade in 24 the 2019-2020 school year; TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 7 1 Then we will adjust the Cooper attendance area 2 grades served to include seventh grade in the 2021 3 school year; 4 In the following year, adjust the Cooper 5 attendance area grades served to include eighth 6 graduated in the 2021-'22 school year; 7 We are also going to -- well, Orozco will then 8 also expand its bilingual gifted program to serve more 9 bilingual students. 10 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: (Speaking Spanish.) 11 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: Engagement and feedback to 12 date: 13 School communities, elected officials and both 14 LSC's have advocated for this reassigned boundary change 15 including: 16 Elected officials: 17 The Illinois State Representative; 18 The Cook County Commissioner/U.S. Congressman; 19 The Alderman of the 25th Ward; 20 Community Support/Educational Partners: 21 Cooper/Orozco Parent Collaboration; 22 The Chicago Commons Association; 23 The Chicago Mariachi Project/Pilsen Arts & 24 Culture Committee; TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648 January 16, 2019 Page 8 1 Frida Kahlo Community Organization; 2 The Pilsen Education Task Force - School 3 Specialization Initiative; 4 Pilsen Neighborhoods Community Council; 5 And the Resurrection Project - Quality of Life 6 Plan - Education Component. 7 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: (Speaking Spanish.) 8 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: Okay. So key facts and 9 figures: 10 Cooper is an attendance area school located at 11 1624 West 19th Street that serves K-5 and with a Pre-K 12 program; 13 Cooper currently serves 418 students. Cooper 14 currently has 73 students in Grade 5 that would be 15 eligible to stay at Cooper for Grade 6 in school year 16 2019-2020; 17 Orozco is located at 1940 West 18th Street and 18 serves kindergarten through eighth grade in its, 19 bilingual gifted program or pre-k program and sixth 20 through eighth grade in its neighborhood program; 21 Orozco currently serves a total of 542 22 students, with 116 students in Grade 6, 110 students in 23 Grade 7 and 110 in eighth grade. 24 MS. GARCIA-SANCHEZ: (Speaking Spanish.) TOOMEY REPORTING 312-853-0648