District 299 The Chicago Schools Blog

Hand Washing, Baby Wipes, and Head Start

From a reader:  "I think that people on the blog may find it interesting to know that at the North Side Head Start meeting the other day (probably happened at the South Side meeting too), we were told that we could no longer ask families for Kleenex, soap, paper towels or baby wipes. As in "no school supply list." They said if we were caught doing this, we would be out of compliance with Head Start and the Federal Government for "soliciting donations." This of course set off an interesting array of commentary from the masses. The kids in my Head Start room come in attire costlier than my attire most days, yet I can't ask them for a box of Kleenex? Another interesting topic of debate was the subject of hand washing. Apparently we are supposed to teach the preschoolers to wash their hands as surgeons would. They are supposed to wash their hands about 7 - 8 times in the 2.5 hour program. (When they enter the room, before breakfast, after breakfast, after being outside, after touching art/sand/water, after going to the bathroom, after touching their nose, before lunch and after lunch). Many of these times we obviously would be washing hands anyway, however, some of these times sanitizer or a baby wipe should be sufficient. However, this is not an option if running water is available. Those in charge of this new rule have obviously not tried to have 20 three year olds wash their hands in one available sink."

Four Principals Off To Harvard

According to CPS, four principals have been given the chance to go to Harvard for a week, thanks to Washington Mutual bank.

The participating principals are Tresa Dunbar, Nash Elementary School; Shirley Ewings, Beidler Elementary School; Dr. Shirley Scott, Ellington Elementary School; and Dr. Shirl ey A. Scott, Faraday Elementary School.

Congrats, condolences.

Rochelle Lee Fund Jobs

Three Rochelle Lee Fund jobs are curently available, including one for program director . 

Check them out.

Barbara Buell Sets Up Shop

Former Chicago Panel ED and longtime educationista Barbara Buell has set up shop as an independent education consultant and recently announced a new website, Iss ues-And-Answers.com.  Check below for more details.

Not Much Coming, Not Much Going

Not much news in the latest Catalyst Comings & Goings -- we already knew Hammock was in as Vitale's replacement, and that Guidelia Lopez was the new person at CCT replacing Mark Rigdon, and that Bill Gerstein was leaving South Shore to join Austin Polytech. No mention of Pat Bacillieri joining the Board -- a rumor I heard somewhere. But there are a handful of new principal contracts and some other tidbits to check out. 

Job Of The Week: ED, RISE Chicago

Looking for a new job?  Check out this one.

Question Of The Week: Who Are You?

People always ask who reads District 299, and I always say that I don't really know.  And it's true -- other than a few folks out there who sign their names, it's hard for me to tell.  So let's see if we can find out -- short of having anyone say what school they're at or what their name is. 

Are you a teacher, parent, nonprofiteer, or administrator?  North side, South side?  Charter, magnet, or neighborhood school?  New to CPS or a long-timer? 

Koch For State Supe

The Gov announced Chris Koch for State Supe today -- not sure if that's good, bad, or indifferent news.  Here are some of the details:

"Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced today that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) named Dr. Christopher Koch to serve as the State Superintendent of Education. Dr. Koch, who has been with ISBE since 1994, served as Interim Superintendent since December 2006, and was selected to lead the agency after a national search. The State Superintendent serves as the chief education officer in Illinois for elementary and secondary schools."

Power Couples In Education

Power couples crop up not just in the world of pop culture but also in politics, as this Washington Monthly story reminds us:  journalists married to campaign staff, judges married to lobbyists, etc. 

But are there any power couples in Chicago's education world -- teachers, administrators, central office staff, foundations, reformers?  I'm sure there have to be, but I can't think of any off hand.  Got any ideas?  Send 'em in.

Principals Go, Principals Come

"Chicago Public Schools will be hit this year with a record number of principal vacancies," reports Catalyst (Updates).  "One in five school leaders—120 systemwide—have notified the district that they will step down from their jobs at the end of the year, CPS reported in mid-March."

As the article reports, it's a big increase over last year, and will likely still climb higher since principals have another month almost to announce.  Of course, there are more than enough people in the pipeline -- certified, etc. include over 500 -- but maybe not all of them the right people, the article seems to suggest. And of course, not every principal that an AIO wants to retire has signed up, not by far.

Check out the article for why the big increase this year, and how if at all the latest LSC dustup has affected the retirement and candidacy situation.