A Moral Obligation

by Mark Cavers An article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday quotes a representative of the Chicago Teachers Union arguing against the CPS decision to explore closing some under enrolled schools in an effort to close a $750 million deficit. The president attacks the decision saying the Chicago Public School system has, “a moral obligation to … stop these...

by Mark Cavers

An article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday quotes a representative of the Chicago Teachers Union arguing against the CPS decision to explore closing some under enrolled schools in an effort to close a $750 million deficit. The president attacks the decision saying the Chicago Public School system has, “a moral obligation to … stop these consolidations and closings. It’s a matter of trust, and trust is the true deficit that we face.”

The Chicago Public Schools face a $750 million dollar deficit, there is no arguing about that; but the teachers union representative is right, we are facing a deficit of trust. When mothers send their sons and daughters to public school everyday they trust that they will receive a great education. When fathers sit at home waiting for their kids to get home at night, they trust they are in a safe environment. When taxpayers pay billions of dollars for public schools they trust those schools will not fail 50% of students. When college graduates get into teaching, they trust that they are entering into one of America’s most important environments, where they will help grow our children into smart and mature young adults.

I disagree with the representative of the Chicago Teachers Union and I think most children, parents, teachers, and elected officials do too. The Chicago Public Schools have a moral obligation to provide every child entrusted to them with an excellent education. Right now, we are not doing that, and fighting over keeping under enrolled schools open is ignoring the major issues. SB 1932 would start to address these issues, its a bill that would empower 30,000 students in Chicago’s worst performing schools with an opportunity scholarship and it passed out of the Senate Education Committee two weeks ago. A report released on Wednesday by the Foundation for Excellence in Education reaffirms what numerous other studies have show: School vouchers work, they provide hope for kids stuck in failing schools, and they are a first step towards earning back the trust parents have put in Chicago’s Public Schools.