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Monday, November 9, 2009

Senator James Meeks and the CTU

State Senator James Meeks is coming under fire for his editorial in the Chicago Tribune on October 29th entitled “Their Blood is on Our Hands.” In it, he bemoans the issues of school violence that have put Chicago in the national spotlight. Another story appeared on Friday describing the fallout between CTU and Sen. Meeks, and things are heating up quickly.

I applaud Sen. Meeks for his support of charter schools and his dedication to educational reform, even if our political views and goals do not agree on every point. He was able to put politics aside and speak to the shortcomings of Illinois schools, risking campaign contributions from CTU (which he has now roundly rejected) in the process. But the system will never change if we, as a state, do not stand together to improve Illinois schools.

Charter schools in Illinois serve more than 30,000 students and work for thousands of families. They are changing the face of education. And, since CPS just announced the new charters opening next year, the movement is gaining more support each month. It’s good to receive recognition in the Senator’s sweeping reform plan.

Sen. Meeks concludes his editorial by saying “We must begin making decisions that are in the best interest of children.” We here at INCS could not agree more.

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