Education Inequity in Chicago Public Schools

Education Inequity in Chicago Public Schools

By Juan Bahena

When asked about a social justice issue, one thing that immediately comes to mind is the Education Inequity in Chicago Public Schools. I first noticed this issue when I was in middle school but did not think much of it. I had family members that attended school in other districts and realized how much more of an advantage they had compared to students within my district. For example, the elementary and middle schools I attended did not offer a foreign language class, whereas students in a different district had languages such as Spanish and French offered to them. This went beyond middle/ elementary schools, going up to high schools as well. My neighborhood high school offers only 2 languages; Mandarin and Spanish. Compared to the selective enrollment high school I attended which offers 7 different languages; Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. As I was doing research, I realized this was not only as issue within CPS but nationally, however, we will mainly focus on inequity in Chicago. The article I read states "because school funds are raised partially from property taxes…the amount school districts spend can range from $1,500 per student annually to $15,000, depending on where a student lives" meaning for students who live in low-income neighborhoods, there are pretty much, for lack of a better word, screwed (Koch). They are going to lack resources like new textbooks, new technology, new equipment, the list goes on and on. This can lead to overcrowded, underfunded schools which can influence the direction of many students. If they see their school is not cared for, not funded, they too will loose interest and may ask themselves, "am I not important enough to receive a good education?", and this is a reality amongst many minority children. Their education is limited by the funding they receive.

To make matters worse, "parents in poor areas pay a larger chunk of their income for public education than rich parents do. Because their property values are higher, affluent parents can raise larger amounts of money at lower tax rates than parents in poorer districts can" even though parents in disadvantaged areas pay more for property taxes, they don't see the rewards of it going to their local schools (Koch). The lack of education funding leads to another issue dare I say, gentrification. Many families from poor neighborhoods decide to move to a well-funded district, and frankly wealthy folks see this. They know the prices of homes in disadvantage neighborhoods are much lower, because of this they purchase homes, remodel them and rent or sell them at ridiculous prices only more affluent people can afford, and they promote their homes by saying "located in an up and coming neighborhood." This, however, is another can of worms for another day.

In this short film, I will highlight two community high schools, located in the southside of Chicago, talk about their cases, demographics and how funding has impacted them. Shortly after, I will analyze two selective enrollment high schools, located in the northside of Chicago, and focus on how their funding has benefited them. There will be some brief history on some schools just so you have context, but nothing too in depth. Although these schools are both located in the city, their funding varies and you will be able to see just how much.

There is still hope nonetheless. Many have proposed equitable funding to help aid disadvantaged schools. One thing I say we need to address is weighted school funding, the city should allocate more funds to students with higher needs, this includes but not limited to special education students, English as a Secondary Language (ESL) students, etc. Schools should be funded on a need basis, this includes poverty rates, student demographics, retention rates, among other factors. Property taxes need to be reformed as well, doing so will reduce disparities between district funding, based on where you live. Equipment and infrastructure funding, schools with little or old technology should be upgraded so their students can do more, technology is part of our future and we need to learn how to use it and work with it. This also includes infrastructure, maintaining the schools whether it be painting, remodels, facility upgrades etc. It will take time but it can be done, and to ensure if gets done correctly, school staff, board members and partners should regularly review funding and adjust them as needed to respond to changing demographics and educational needs. This is not just an issue of funding but a social justice issue because it involves unequal distribution of educational resources, opportunities, and outcomes based on factors such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, and other demographic characteristics. If we don't invest in our children's education then who will?

Citations:

• Koch, K. (1999). Reforming school funding. In CQ Researcher. CQ Press https://doi.org/10.4135/cqresrre19991210
• Wilson, C. M. (2022). Examining Covert and Explicit Mechanisms of Education Inequity to Foster Just Public Education and Authentic Democracies: Special Issue Commentary. Education Policy Analysis Archives 30(10–17), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.7350
• "Little Village Lawndale High School Campus." Little Village Lawndale High School Campus,

https://www.lvlhs.org/m/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=345860&type=d. Accessed 26 November 2023.

• "FARRAGUT CAREER ACADEMY HS | Dropout Rate By Demographics." Illinois Report Card,

https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/school.aspx?source=studentcharacteristics&source2=dropoutrate&Schoolid=150162990250011. Accessed 26 November 2023.

• "INFINITY MATH SCIENCE & TECH HS | Dropout Rate By Demographics." Illinois Report Card, https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/school.aspx?source=studentcharacteristics&source2=dropoutrate&Schoolid=150162990250837. Accessed 26 November 2023.
• Savedra, Madison. "Little Village's Farragut Career Academy Is Getting A New Turf Field, Basketball Court And Other Upgrades." Block Club Chicago, 17 May 2022, https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/05/17/little-villages-farragut-career-academy-is-getting-a-new-turf-field-basketball-court-and-other-upgrades/. Accessed 26 November 2023.
• Spielman, Fran. "Farragut Career Academy in Little Village gets sorely-needed investment." Chicago Sun-Times, 17 May 2022, https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/5/17/23098913/farragut-career-academy-high-school-investment-renovation-athletic-field-little-village-toledo. Accessed 26 November 2023.
• Johnson, Robert. "Chicago Youth Population Chart | Arresting Justice." Arresting Justice, https://arrestjustice.wordpress.com/appendix/chicago-youth-population-chart/.

Accessed 26 November 2023.

• Nelson, Jack T. "History." Lane Tech, https://lanetech.org/about/history/. Accessed 26 November 2023.