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Manierre Principal 'Pushed Out' Over Residency Charges

By Ted Cox | June 9, 2017 10:47am | Updated on June 12, 2017 8:05am
 Manierre Elementary Principal Derrick Orr was known for having taken the school's eighth-graders on college tours to encourage them to stay in school.
Manierre Elementary Principal Derrick Orr was known for having taken the school's eighth-graders on college tours to encourage them to stay in school.
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

OLD TOWN — Manierre Elementary Principal Derrick Orr said Friday he is being "pushed out" by Chicago Public Schools over a contentious residency issue.

Orr said Friday he'd submitted his resignation in the face of CPS threats that he could be "walked out of my school."

Calling it "very classless," Orr said he "couldn't risk the embarrassment and decided to resign instead."

According to Orr, teachers at Manierre, 1420 N. Dayton Ave., were being told of his resignation Friday.

Orr was renowned for taking a school pegged for closure four years ago and lifting it to the brink of full compliance with CPS standards. He also used his own money to help pay for college trips for Manierre's eighth-graders in a bid to encourage them to stay in school.

 Manierre Elementary School staved off closure four years ago and was said to be on the verge of full compliance with CPS standards.
Manierre Elementary School staved off closure four years ago and was said to be on the verge of full compliance with CPS standards.
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

Orr said he had been flipping houses in recent years and recently spent time in a house in the south suburbs, prompting the CPS residency investigation, but he insisted that he remained a Chicago resident.

"I have flipped rehab properties for the last 13 years," Orr said Friday in an email explaining his resignation. Orr said he had been called into a meeting on short notice about the CPS probe, and "told the Investigator that I just purchased this property in the south suburbs six months ago, but decided to stay there during rehab construction until I decided to sell it."

Orr said, "I have a home in Chicago that I pay taxes on," but "was told that it doesn't matter what my intentions are, because I'm there the majority of the time I was being charged with violating the residency rule."

Orr pleaded, "I have thousands of dollars invested and can't risk any break-ins," but was told "it doesn't matter."

He said he was told "I could possibly be terminated, and I had to wait for a call from CPS lawyers.

"I was extremely hurt that a district that gives waivers to plenty of people who live outside the area would do this to a top principal," Orr added. "I waited and waited, willing to take a reprimand, warning or suspension considering I have never been disciplined before. I was told that I could be walked out of my school. I couldn't risk the embarrassment and decided to resign instead."

Manierre was one of 54 schools being considered for closure four years ago, but was saved at the 11th hour after Orr made the case for keeping the school open to then-CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett.

Orr recently spoke about the difficulties of being a child in the Manierre area, where two 12-year-old boys were shot a block from the school on Sedgwick Street in April. One of the 12-year-olds was a Jenner Elementary student, the other a Manierre student.

"We went from a school slated to be closed," Orr said, "to being [within] a tenth of a point of being a [high-ranking] school last year. We received the highest rating possible on the Five Essentials survey this year for leadership and school culture. We were able to hold a school celebration because our preliminary [tests] were even higher in reading and math this year. We were positive that we would be a Level One school once school began in September.

"All of this two weeks before graduation and the end of the school year while some students are still completing their NWEA test," Orr added. "Very classless.

"Clearly, I must have pissed someone off. But success will do that," Orr said.

Dennis Hauser, an Old Town resident who's cheered the school's progress and helped with fundraising for the annual college trip, said Friday he was still processing the news.

"All I know at this moment is Manierre will likely be a Level One school after the most recent tests are compiled, and Principal Orr was a key contributor," Hauser said. "We must continue supporting students and staff to ensure future success. It's important for the neighborhood."

CPS did not respond to requests for comment.

"I would prefer to go to another district that would love and respect its top workers, not treat them like they were nothing," Orr said. "I'm sure the school community is outraged, and I am also, but I chose to take the high road and be professional."