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CPS Students, Staff Protest Budget Cuts: 'Something Has To Be Done'

By Evan F. Moore | February 17, 2016 11:31am | Updated on February 17, 2016 11:34am
 Students, teachers, and staff gathered in front John Hancock High School in Brighton Park Wednesday to schedule a protest budget cuts.
Students, teachers, and staff gathered in front John Hancock High School in Brighton Park Wednesday to schedule a protest budget cuts.
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DNAinfo/Evan F. Moore

BRIGHTON PARK—  John Hancock High School student Alondra Estrada sees the effects of budget cuts for Chicago Public Schools in class every day.

She says there are too many students in his classes and not enough funding for supplies.

"When I need help with something, it is really hard for the teacher because there's so many kids in the classroom," Estrada said. "In my chemistry class, we can't do lab [experiments] as often as I would like because we don't have money to buy the equipment we need."

Estrada, along with the teachers and staff at Hancock, 4034 W. 56th St., held a "walk-in" along with dozens of other schools on the Southwest Side schools and citywide Wednesday morning. 

Walk-ins were planned at high schools including Lane Tech, Whitney Young and Walter Payton, as well as North Side elementary schools like Waters and a broad coalition of South Side schools. Also included are walk-ins at Vaughn Occupational High School and Hitch Elementary School in Jefferson Park, Zapata Academy in Little Village and Andrew Jackson Language Academy on the Near West Side.

The “walk-ins” were part of National Day of Action for Education Equity in more than 30 cities across the country coordinated by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.

Students, staff and teachers at Hancock called on elected officials such as Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois governor Bruce Rauner to properly fund public schools.

"We want to be educated, not humiliated," one sign read.

Karen Boran, the school's principal, told the crowd the budget crisis is a huge problem.

"This is not civil disobedience. Something has to do done," Boran said. " ... If the people who are supposed to take care of us won't do that, we have to figure something out."

 

Here's Hancock HS principal Dr. Karen Boran speaking to those assembled at the "walk-in." @DNAinfoCHI pic.twitter.com/acTb72EKal

— Evan F. Moore (@evanFmoore) February 17, 2016

Art and sculpture teacher Jeanne Walker echoed Boran's sentiments.

"Rahm Emanuel and Rauner need to own this financial mess were in and not lay it on teachers and act like we're greedy," Walker said. "We're not greedy. We work really hard to show up and to do what we are supposed to do. If we were greedy, we wouldn't be doing this job."

After the students and staff spoke, they marched around the perimeter of the school before school started for the day. 

Stephen Farr, a chemistry teacher at Hancock, said his students supported the action.

"They liked the idea of protesting without missing class," Farr said. "When you explain to them something was promised to them was now being taken away, they realized how serious this is."

Estrada, a sophomore who is also the vice president of the school's student council, also complained about the quality of school lunches.

"They give us pizza and chicken patties everyday along with 'fresh' fruit," Estrada said. " Some of the fruit is moldy and disgusting. I want my school to get some resources."

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