There are 148 CPS schools with enrolled students missing from the most recent Space Utilization Report. 148 Schools. With no Space Utilization Data released to the public.
It was disappointing that CPS chose to stop releasing the Space Utilization Data for Charter schools, Contract Schools, and some other schools (unless they are co-located with Regular schools and then you have to do some estimating to try and understand the utilization.) The only explanation that I can find is something to akin to “no law is forcing us to, therefore we aren’t.”
**Interpreting “operated by the District” to mean…no charter data? No alternative school data? What about Special Education schools operated by the District…like Beard Elementary? Why are they being omitted?
Because decisions made using Space Utilization Data about consolidations, closings, where to open new schools, how to redraw boundaries, etc. VERY MUCH depend on seeing all of the schools in a community in the Chicago Public Schools Portfolio, it is important to see the data for every public school in the community. With all available data clearly presented in a format where schools can be easily compared and analyzed….including data negotiated into contracts and charters.
If the District is supporting “Choice,” then it is important that there is clear and transparent data on every choice (school) under the District’s control. Otherwise, that is not choice. That is being purposefully misleading. That is manipulation.
Therefore, the following CPS schools Space Utilization Data were not represented on the most recent 2017-2018 report, but have enrolled students.
148 CPS Schools missing Space Utilization Data in the Report Released in 2017-2018
Also surprising, the following schools’ Space Utilization Data were not represented on the 2015 report, but had enrolled students in 2015.
113 CPS Schools missing Space Utilization Data in the Report Released in 2015-2016
We can figure out a way around that, however.
Because I have so many questions. Like:
How many seats did we add back into a steadily shrinking District since almost 50 schools were closed five years ago? When we knew we already had too many schools/seats?
Did those new schools get added to communities where schools were overcrowded? Or to communities where schools were already underutilized?
There are some very specific reasons why we left SchoolCuts.org up and running after the last round of school closures. Being able to revisit these types of decisions, their effects, and the quality of decision-making before more closures occur…that’s one reason.
Apples 2 Apples in Chicago Public Schools 