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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The last two Chicago mayors took some news media heat for not sending their kids to public schools, as did Chicagoan Barack Obama when he pushed for education reforms. So, this particular issue is obviously not out of bounds in the city and nobody in public life should expect otherwise.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates has in the past pointed with pride to the fact that all three of her kids attended public schools. While others often chafed at reporters’ questions about their children, Davis Gates did just the opposite, centering her children as part of who she is as a progressive activist.
“I’m also a mother,” Davis Gates said on March 6, 2022, according to NBC 5 Chicago. “My children go to Chicago Public Schools. These are the things that legitimize my space within the coalition.”
“I can’t advocate on behalf of public education and the children of this city and educators in this city without it taking root in my own household,” she told Chicago Magazine a month later.
Davis Gates has also been a fiery and longtime opponent of “school choice.” Last August, after a retired Chicago firefighter posted on social media: “School choice is the civil rights struggle of our generation. Keeping poor children of color trapped in failing public schools is inherently racist,” Davis Gates fired back: “School choice was actually the choice of racists. It was created to avoid integrating schools with Black children.”
And then it came out last week that Davis Gates was sending one of her kids to a private Catholic school.
She had to have known this would blow up in the news media. The CTU has held protests outside of elected officials’ private residences, so Davis Gates couldn’t possibly expect a privacy pass. And you don’t just walk in a day before school starts and register your kid for a private high school, so she had plenty of time to contemplate her response.
If Davis Gates had simply defended her family’s decision by saying something like her son really had his heart set on going to that school, then I don’t think anyone could really disagree with her choice.
Instead, the union president initially stonewalled when faced with questions and then offered up an explanation to a local public radio station which threw the South and West sides under the bus and, more importantly, just wasn’t true.
Davis Gates said basically three things last week to a WBEZ reporter: 1) Course offerings for high schools on the South Side and West Side “are very marginal and limited”; 2) Selective enrollment and magnet public high schools were just too far away and would’ve forced her son to, according to the article, “spend hours traveling”; 3) A public high school with a good soccer program (a sport played by her son) and strong extracurriculars are just not available close by, or are in Latino neighborhoods that were too far away.
Look, there’s no doubt whatsoever that problems exist in public schools on the South and West sides. But that doesn’t mean the areas are completely bereft, no matter what internet trolls scream online.
Just as a small sampling, Davis Gates lives only three miles from Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, a high quality selective enrollment high school which has a soccer team and extracurricular activities.
Lindblom Math and Science Academy in the West Englewood neighborhood has a pretty darned good soccer team and is 6 miles from the union president’s home.
The Catholic school her son is attending, on the other hand, is almost 9 miles from Davis Gates’ home.
Not to mention the area’s charter schools, which are taxpayer-funded and privately operated.
An argument is currently being made that Davis Gates should now switch positions and support extending the life of the Invest in Kids Act, a 75% state income tax credit for donations to private school organizations that expires at the end of the year.
That’s never gonna happen, even though the private school her son attends does promote and apparently benefits from Invest in Kids. The CTU’s position is that the program takes tax revenues away from public schools, which the union has always claimed are underfunded and in bad shape.
The lesson here is that life is full of nuance and is only very rarely about evil vs. good. More people should keep this in mind because you just never know what life might bring you.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:15 am
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Other important factors, her son has to test into Brooks or Lindbloom and must have a safe commute, with two busy working parents.
Comment by Maureen Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:30 am
===Other important factors===
Which she didn’t mention.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:35 am
===must have a safe commute===
If you’re gonna make it about “crime” in a driveby… odds are you will make anything about Chicago in a negative be about, you guessed it, “crime”
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:40 am
This is an embarrassment for Davis Gates, which is her problem to deal with. No sympathy here.
But she’s not wrong that the “school choice” movement is associated with right wing types who want taxpayers to pay for their kids to go to a school of their choice.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:43 am
Magnet and selective enrollment requires testing to be able to get in. Many kids do not get in and some wait until right before school starts to see if a spot opens up. In many cases, those spots are all filled with many kids having to scramble on where to attend. I won’t be surprised that this was the case for Stacy’s family. For those that don’t get in to their desired school, Catholic schools is the next option.
Comment by Miguel Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:44 am
===odds are you will make anything about Chicago in a negative===
Meh. CTU bots. We’ll be seeing a lot of those here today.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:46 am
I’m going to ignore her hypocrisy and focus on the underlying argument. What’s good public policy and what’s good for individuals isn’t always the same thing. If some public schools are “failing”, they should be fixed, they shouldn’t have their funding taken away and spread out among private schools. Unless private schools are willing and able to take EVERY kid at EVERY “failing” public school? No. School choice is individuals saying “F&*K everyone else, I’m getting mine.” and then lying to people about it.
Comment by Perrid Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:46 am
AAU soccer leagues have existed for over a hundred years for the explicit purpose to fill the gap she supposedly is filling with her excuse.
“life is full of nuance”
Sometimes, but not this time. This is the mealy mouth way of excusing a lack of integrity.
It’s not a crime to lack integrity. The teachers union can decide if this lack of integrity is what they want representing them in the next union election. I know I certainly wouldn’t want someone bargaining on my behalf who lacks integrity, but I’m not in the teachers union.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 8:54 am
== No. School choice is individuals saying “F&*K everyone else, I’m getting mine.” and then lying to people about it. ==
But people don’t think of it as “I’m getting mine”, it’s “I am getting what I think is best for my kid” and there is a huge difference. I am sure there are folks with kids in CPS who think the selective school program is unfair (I know one personally) who still send their kids to selective enrollment schools. I mean shouldn’t those resources be spent to help the kids who have challenges vs. at a school that limits who can attend?
I would have sent my kids to IMSA in a heartbeat if they had qualified, regardless of the fact that money spent providing that level of education to a few may take away from the many.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:10 am
It’s more than hypocrisy — it’s the Gary Hart-level of arrogance before the most recent legislation became a hot button issue. Johnson was defined by his CTU ties and he’ll continue to be. Everyone knew he was playing with fire.
Comment by Torco Sign Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:16 am
What does “…or are in Latino neighborhoods that were too far away” mean? Isn’t saying others schools are too far away sufficient? Is she implying she does not want her kid going to school with Latinos or in Latino areas?
Comment by BigLou Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:29 am
This is a complete self own. A competent politician usually understands they need to have some formal manner of addressing when they do something that makes them look a bit like a hypocrite instead of focusing on the idea of “maybe no one will notice” or “maybe I won’t say anything.”
If she didn’t promptly notify her support staff of her decision that threatens her credibility with the public when she made the decision on where to send her son, then she may not really understand her role as a leader isn’t just about scoring points with good rhetoric when you can.
This could be a teachable moment for other leaders and future leaders. A lot was not handled as well as it could have been handled by someone who should understand that they’re creating a potential issue for the organization they’re leading.
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:32 am
The opposition to the school choice moves rooted in racism, sexism and misogyny.
Comment by Voted for Epton Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:32 am
“But she’s not wrong that the “school choice” movement is associated with right wing types…”
@Friendly Bob Adams:
Your argument have more validity if referring to private schools in Alabama, Mississippi, and other southern states.
Most of the private schools in Chicago were founded by Catholic immigrants seeking to have their children educated at schools where religious instruction was part of the curriculum. The schools in the Chicago Archdiocese were not established as segregation academies as Davis Gates has claimed. That may be true in the Deep South, but it is an unfair claim about Chicago schools.
Comment by Gravitas Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:42 am
===Voted for Epton - Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:32 am
The opposition to the school choice moves rooted in racism, sexism and misogyny.===
The Epton first… then the words that follow is like sting irony is when you get a shirt back from the dry cleaners and it’s super irony.
In-law uncles unite.
To the post,
First, Invest in Kids is about the schools, not the kids. Those so concerned about “the kids” should get the donors to “see the good the kids are doing” and invest anyway. No discussion to that, right? Hmm.
Rich’s own work here, it’s the next level understanding that readers crave.
For me, the hypocrisy or leading a group on policy while counterproductive in her own choice… then being less than honest to the enrollment… I’m shocked there isn’t more *public* internal rumblings.
It is about education, the choice made can’t be personal while talking choices outside personal but to a greater, larger policy.
Welcome to politics. It’s a self own.
It’s Monday. What will this look like by this upcoming “Friday Hews Dump”
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:42 am
Stacey Davis Gates’(SDG) problem is that her rhetoric leaves no room for anyone and now herself. She chose a school that worked for her child. That’s wonderful. SDG also fights for fully funding neighborhood schools so parents can send their children to them. That’s noble. However, SDG and CTU have targeted public officials in the past for not sending their children to public schools, accusing them of being out of touch or not with the broader Democratic movement. They also say that everyone who supports the tax credit is a fascist or racist, and that just isn’t true. It is true that right-wingers like Rauner, a CTU nemesis, pushed the tax credit bill, but it is gross to assume everyone who wants the credit has the same agenda as Rauner. The accusations come with nasty/ugly rhetoric that could bring danger to children and families, and for this, SDG has never been held accountable –until now. To Rich’s point, life is full of nuance, and people’s choices are filled with them as well. Hopefully, SDG realizes that the ends do not always justify the means.
Comment by pragmatist Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:45 am
By definition the selective enrollment schools don’t let everyone in
The pressure on junior high school students in Chicago navigating
the maze of testing into the selective enrollment schools is enormous.
So many families leave the city before the high school years rather than subject themselves to the process.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:48 am
Is she implying she does not want her kid going to school with Latinos or in Latino areas?
Right? I agree, BigLou, when I read the statement I was shocked that part was in there. Isn’t that literal racism?
Comment by The Truth Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:52 am
===gross to assume everyone who wants the credit has the same agenda as Rauner. The accusations come with nasty/ugly rhetoric that could bring danger===
You can’t be a victim of your choice. Sorry
Also, stop with this idea that Rauner and “school choice” folks are pragmatists. The goal of the exercise is first to break the union and second to break public education.
There’s no idea of “working in concert”, it’s the idea like Kristen McQueary and what a hurricane could mean to, say, education and schools.
The parochial schools embrace (to this day) the far right thinking to the virus, the dangers, and science to health, and why… enrollment… a lever to get more students… and that’s the ball game… full circle… it’s about the schools existing not education of students in an altruistic lens.
With respect.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:53 am
It’s very possible her son did not get a high enough score to get into the selective enrollment schools. There is no shame in that — only a small percentage make it. Still, I get that she didn’t want to embarrass him by making that public. That prompted her to offer a series of other “factors” that don’t really hold up.
That doesn’t change Rich’s “life is full of nuance” point. She drew attention to her own moral purity on this issue. She shouldn’t expect to be granted any leeway.
Comment by TNR Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 9:57 am
=Magnet and selective enrollment requires testing to be able to get in.=
Right, and you think the CTU president’s child wouldn’t get in? LOL.
=Most of the private schools in Chicago were founded by Catholic immigrants seeking to have their children educated at schools where religious instruction was part of the curriculum.=
And you think these schools are inclusive?
Also, you want public funds then you follow the same rules as other publicly funded schools.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 10:03 am
It isn’t just Rauner rhetoric that is the problem. Listen to the current Republican party rhetoric in Illinois. Listen to Empower Illinois that administers the scholarships….they equate NAEP proficiency with being in grade level and trash public schools quite often. Lots of other bad rhetoric. They also opposed getting funding to lower income schools and districts without funding. Jerry Stock who was head of the Macon County Republican party called remodeling our buildings a waste of tax payer funds.
Comment by DTownResident Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 10:06 am
At the end of the day, most parents will not gamble with their kid’s futures. Simply put, she got busted. Her credibility has taken a huge hit. Be honest and fess up. Rich, your digging into what is available to her put the X is exposed.
Comment by levivotedforjudy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 10:19 am
==Is she implying she does not want her kid going to school with Latinos or in Latino areas?==
For what it’s worth, I read that quote as well and never saw the negative aspect of it. In the competitive soccer world, “Latino schools/players/clubs/etc.” is shorthand for excellent, high-level soccer. If soccer was your priority, you’d want your kid to be on one of those teams. For example, over half of the player on the private school team she chose for her son are Hispanic.
Was it racism? I don’t think so. Should she have thought about how others who didn’t understand her verbal shorthand might perceive it? Certainly.
Comment by Dysfunction Junction Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 10:48 am
Some parents select communities based on the academic reputation of the school system. A school that provides a solid academic foundation along with extracurricular activities creates a positive environment for students.
A measure of academic success for each school is revealed in test scores. The SAT/ACT scores reveal the overall academic prowess of the school’s students, the rigor of the curricula, and future opportunities for post-secondary education.
Ms. Davis-Gates will need an extra large shovel to dig herself out of this hole. As a union official and representative of CTU, one should choose words wisely. She did not. Too much rhetoric can cloud reason.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 10:58 am
The lesson here is do as I say, not as I do. There, fixed it.
Comment by allknowingmasterofraccoondom Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 11:10 am
I am in a town with excellent public schools, but I sent my kids to a private school because I wanted them to have a Catholic education. She should have said that.
Comment by Paddyrollingstone Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 11:30 am
Gravitas- Respectfully, I didn’t say anything about segregation or race or religion or anyone’s personal motives.
What I’m saying is that the modern “school choice” movement is about people who want to send their kids to private school but don’t want to pay for it themselves.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 11:46 am
To the post,
Rich hits it right here where any and all discussion must agree on the situation;
=== She had to have known this would blow up in the news media. The CTU has held protests outside of elected officials’ private residences, so Davis Gates couldn’t possibly expect a privacy pass. And you don’t just walk in a day before school starts and register your kid for a private high school, so she had plenty of time to contemplate her response.===
That’s everything.
Either side trying to discuss away from this genesis and the aftermath must first come to this opening as the genesis of he politics to the choice made… by this specific parent with her unique job surrounding it all.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 11:48 am
Gates has gone as far as calling private school supporters racists. Enough said
Comment by Sue Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:08 pm
=What I’m saying is that the modern “school choice” movement is about people who want to send their kids to private school but don’t want to pay for it themselves.=
Spot on. And it extends to a lot of other things for the anti-tax folks. They still want all of the services, just not the tab.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:13 pm
SDG minions and CTU are doing some great word salad on the X. They’re spinning the whole deal as no big deal. Personal choice, best for the kid, she never said private schools were bad….. blah blah blah.
I’m waiting for the “Why is everyone attacking a strong black woman for making a decision in the best interest of her child?”
Also if being on the best soccer team is associated with Latinos why wouldn’t you send your soccer prodigy to a Latino school?
I think this would be a great opportunity for SDG to walk back comments about school choice being set up solely to keep black kids from integrating.
Comment by Frida's boss Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:28 pm
Several years ago, I taught at a Jesuit-affiliated school in Chicago. Their mission, to educate all students, took a u-turn when faculty and administration realized that an open enrollment policy would not accommodate the goals of the institution.
Many students needed remediation in reading and math. Students with ADHD and other conditions like Oppositional Defiant Disorder had no services available for them. The following year, the policy changed.
The institution informed parents that their students could finish the school year but were not permitted to enroll for the following year. The school suggested that parents enroll their students in public schools.
Going forward, admissions were based on test scores; only prepared students who could meet the rigorous curriculum were admitted.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:33 pm
Brooks might have been a good option for her son.
Principals and coaches at the magnet schools can admit a small number of students into the schools without regard to test scores. I’d think she’d have the clout to do that even if her kid doesn’t test well.
However, if he’s just an average or somewhat average student De Lasalle might have been a better choice. With the exception of Saint Ignatius all the Catholic High schools in the city
have “tracts” for kids from your mediocre types to the very smart.
Safety might have been an issue too. Brooks is a low violence campus, but the other public high schools on the south side aren’t. Even Kenwood has issues with some of their less high performing students.
Comment by Lakeview in the 46th Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:37 pm
===she never said private schools were bad===
lol, yeah, I saw some of that stuff.
She called private schools “segregation academies.” Maybe I should’ve included that in the column, but I only get so much space.
https://news.yahoo.com/chicago-teachers-union-boss-denounced-173434848.html
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:44 pm
I think I vaguely recall some CTU members were also opposed to CPS’s own selective enrollment high schools as a drain on resources for high schools overall? Anybody remember if that was ever just a discussion topic or something that actually made it into CTU policy platform?
Comment by ChicagoBars Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 12:55 pm
The head of CTU sending her kid to a private school is no different than if the president of Ford owned BMWs and Toyotas.
If you really believe Chicago Public Schools are world class schools, second to none, and your teachers are worth every penny, then why aren’t you sending your kid there?
And if they aren’t good enough for your kid, why *must* they be good enough for mine? Because you have more money than I do? How positively *capitalist* of you, Mrs. CTU.
*That* is why this matters to the school choice debate. For some people, their personal choice is a public, political matter.
As they say, such is life
Comment by JB13 Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 2:35 pm
=== The head of CTU sending her kid to a private school is no different than if the president of Ford owned BMWs and Toyotas.===
This is embarrassingly awful.
Try this;
This would be like the UAW president of a local buying an auto made by a manufacturer that won’t recognize their local.
Love of Pete…
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 3:14 pm
This alone…
=== *That* is why this matters to the school choice debate. For some people, their personal choice is a public, political matter.===
No, it matters because in this instance it’s the words prior by the Prez and the actions of the Prez after.
The debate would magically end if the Prez stepped down and the new Prez had all their kids in CPS schools.
No one going to debate your Chicago neighbors’ choice if they aren’t the CTU Prez, or how this was muffed.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 3:20 pm
@Osewgo Willy
It’d be more akin to the head of the USPS sending all his important stuff via FedEx and saying “Hey, this is real important stuff and I gotta know I’m getting the best.”
Comment by Old IL Dude Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 6:06 pm
The issue I have with SDG’s school choice for her son is her criticism of the local CPS high schools as not offering programs her son wanted. SDG and the CTU have been very opposed to school co solidstion that would produce schools with sufficient critical mass to offer more programs. You can’t have a school appear program in a high school with 120 students! So SDG’s criticism is a natural co sequence of the policies she pushes. You can’t demand no school consolidation and then condemn schools for being too small to offer an array of programs.
Maybe CTU could get on board with consolidations so future students won’t face the dilemma in CPS tha les her to select a private school..
Comment by Concerned Monday, Sep 11, 23 @ 7:49 pm