O'Shea, Sutherland Announce Public Meetings to Discuss Changes in Neighborhood Schools

CHICAGO, IL -- Addressing neighborhood shock and concern about his proposed plan to reconfigure the 19th Ward’s public elementary schools, Ald. Matt O’Shea announced his first public forum scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12. The meeting will be held at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St.

O’Shea sent out an email blast to residents on Tuesday, informing them of his proposal to split Mt. Greenwood Elementary into a 2-school campus, taking over the building currently occupied by Keller Regional Gifted Center at 3020 W. 108th St. The proposed plan calls for Keller to move into the current Kellogg school building at 9241 S. Leavitt.

Further, Kellogg would be consolidated with Sutherland Elementary School. The student bodies from both schools would be merged into the Sutherland building at 10015 S Leavitt St.

RELATED: O'Shea Lays Out Proposal to Move and Consolidate 19th Ward Public Schools

O’Shea cited the four public schools’ gains and deficits in student enrollment over the past decade. A member of O’Shea’s staff said the plan was entirely the alderman’s and that O’Shea was not approached by anyone at Chicago Public Schools or the Chicago Board of Education to address enrollment or building issues at the schools.

A hastily organized special meeting by Kellogg’s Local School Council was held Tuesday evening, the same day O’Shea’s mass email to the community was sent. During the emotionally charged meeting, parents voiced their concerns to O’Shea.

According to Bevelry Review, O’Shea said he ordered CPS to audit student enrollment at Kellogg and Sutherland for possible out-of-district students who may be unlawfully registered at either school. A parent at Tuesday’s meeting also questioned the alderman, asking if similar audits were underway for Mt. Greenwood and Keller.

O’Shea responded there were not, but that he would order CPS to also audit Mt. Greenwood and Keller, Beverly Review reported.

CPS has a program called “Options for Knowledge” that allows Chicago families to apply to enroll their children at public schools outside their attendance boundaries. In the 2016-2017 edition of the informational guide, both Kellogg and Sutherland state near capacity enrollment.

The last available enrollment numbers for 2015 placed Kellogg’s student enrollment at 257, which showed a deficit from the 303 students enrolled in 2011. Sutherland’s total student enrollment for the same time period was 733, a decline from the 773 recorded in 2011, according the Illinois State Board of Education’s School Report Card.

ISBE indicated that Mt. Greenwood’s student enrollment climbed from 837 in 2011 to 1,062 students in 2015. Keller’s student enrollment declined from 244 in 2011, to 231 in 2015.

The Sutherland LSC will also be holding a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9. The school is located at 10015 S Leavitt St.

The Keller LSC is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13.

O’Shea has indicated he will be holding several public forums over the coming weeks to gain community input to his proposed plan. The alderman also said he would be unable to attend the LSC meeting at Sutherland on Friday because of a prior family obligation.

However, in his most recent mass email from Thursday, he invited community members to attend his meeting at BAC on Monday.

“I am also happy to meet with parents and residents on a one on one basis,” O’Shea stated.