School built for 900 enrolls 28, none of whom can read
The Chicago Public Schools are still terribly failing our kids and the debacle at Douglass High School is a prime example.
The Heritage Foundation's Corey A. DeAngelis recently revealed the unbelievable numbers from the Austin neighborhood high school that could not be more heartbreaking.
DeAngelis took to his X account to note that Douglass High School was built for 912 students but today has only 28 kids thanks to the number of people moving away each year from Brandon Johnson’s drowning Windy City.
Despite that the school is almost entirely empty and has only a fraction of the number of students it once had, it still doesn't have any kids who can read at grade level. Let that sink in. Not one of its 28 students are proficient at reading.
Wirepoints also noted CPS runs 53 schools where not a single student is proficient in math, and 17 schools where no students are proficient in reading.
So, how does Mayor Brandon Johnson explain these failures? Just like every Democrat, he insists he doesn't have enough tax dollars to throw at the problem. Indeed, he claims he won't accept cost cutting because "That’s not what the people of Chicago elected me to do."
In addition, like a true Democrat and those before him, Johnson has helped preside over per-student spending that has nearly doubled in the last nine years.
The proper move would be to close the doors on schools like Douglass and consolidate students in other areas. That would literally save the school district and the city millions a year operating, heating, and keeping the lights on in buildings that serve a tiny number of students.
Not to mention the city could eliminate hundreds of useless administrative jobs that truly serve no purpose. Douglas is a perfect example. Absurdly, there is nearly one administrator for every student there. Why?
But none of that is happening. Johnson is too captured by race baiting and his blind support for the anti-education Chicago Teacher's Union (CTU).
The CTU opposes closing schools to save millions annually. Not long ago, for instance, the union opposed any closures of the Acero Charter Schools claiming any closures would "destabilize schools in predominantly Latine and low-income neighborhoods."
Johnson and the CTU aren't the only ones opposing sensible school closures. The Chicago Board of Education also strongly opposes closing any schools to save money. Indeed, the Board is pushing a policy that would prevent any closures at all until after 2027, despite a recent report that said around 100 schools could easily be closed and students consolidated into other schools.
Racebaiting is yet another reason why Johnson refuses to make the sensible moves to save the city millions.
Like the CTU, he is refusing to close these underpopulated schools because they are mostly in minority neighborhoods. And he would rather waste millions and give big payoffs to the CTU than be seen doing the right thing. It’s all about race and politics, not common sense. And it certainly isn't about helping our children.
There are paths too solvency and a better education for Chicago’s children. But Brandon Johnson has dedicated himself to doing anything but becoming the solution.
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