Former Simeon HS Electrician Teacher Rallies Community

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, July 30, 2014

“The last thing that should be done is to rob Chicago Public School (CPS) students of the opportunity to learn electricity at Simeon Career Academy.” - Latisa Kindred, former electricity teacher at Simeon Career Academy.
“The last thing that should be done is to rob Chicago Public School (CPS) students of the opportunity to learn electricity at Simeon Career Academy.” - Latisa Kindred, former electricity teacher at Simeon Career Academy. Photo by Lee Edwards.

Former Simeon Career Academy electricity teacher, Latisa Kindred, held a press conference last week outside the entrance of Simeon, 8147 S. Vincenness Ave., to alert the community about the closing of the school’s electricity shop class.

“The last thing that should be done is to rob Chicago Public School (CPS) students of the opportunity to learn electricity at Simeon Career Academy,” said Kindred at the press conference. “You need to contact [Simeon principal], Dr. [Sheldon] House, here at Simeon, let him know that he needs to re-open the shop here at Simeon. You need to contact [CPS Chief of Schools Network 11], Elizabeth Kirby, and CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and let them know that this shop is too valuable to be closed,” implored Kindred.

Kindred told the Chicago Citizen Newspaper that on June 26 she received a phone call from Dr. House stating that the decision to remove the program was made by him along with the network in order to “meet the goals of the building with the focus on core subjects”. Until that time, Kindred said she was unaware that the electricity program at Simeon was at-risk.

Several messages left to Dr. House were not returned before press time.

When asked by the Chicago Citizen Newspaper if the press conference was the first time Kindred has spoken out to the community about the closing of her program she responded, ”This is not the first time I’ve spoken, I’ve been running my mouth for the last week.

“Everything I learned in Ms. Kindred’s class has helped me get a head start, an advantage, in the field I’m in today,” said Simeon Class of 2012 graduate Edward Lockett, who was at the press conference and is currently serving in the U.S. Navy.

“If I didn’t learn what I learned in that class, I would not be here today; this [class] introduced me to everything, I am very thankful for what [Kindred] did for me” said Brandon Davenport, a former student of Kindred who was at the press conference. Davenport currently has an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) apprenticeship which Kindred helped him earn.


Many at the press conference were staunchly against the removal of any viable vocational program at Simeon that would enable students to earn a living by learning a trade.

“This is not just cutting one class, this is cutting away opportunity for our youth and we have to stand up and say, “no”, “stop”,” said Michael Brunson, Recording Secretary, Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU). “We have to stop this here; this is the only electrical program that we had in our city.”

Some local politicians leaders voiced their opinion at the event, agreeing that cutting Simeon's electricity shop program was a wrong move.

“This program is bigger than one teacher, one school; it’s about the future of our kids,” said City of Chicago Alderman Howard B. Brookins (D-21st) at the press conference. “Everybody here knows that one of the main problems in our community is high paying jobs. This program represents a way out of poverty; this program represents those high paying jobs and a true career that you can get in without going to college.”

“For them to cut out any vocational programs in the city of Chicago it is criminal,” said Simeon Class of 1970 graduate, Ill. State Rep. Mary Flowers, (D-31). “[They] are trying to further perpetuate the crime that’s going on in our community and that’s not going to happen.”

Two days following the press conference, at CPS’ Board of Education monthly board meeting held at 125 S. Clark St., Chief Officer of Networks, Denise Little, responded to Board of Education board member, Andrea L. Zopp’s, inquiries as to why the electrical program at Simeon was closed.

“Forty of the current incoming 365 9th graders chose electricity as a CTE (Career and Technical Education) course of study, however, only 18 would have been enrolled because they also choose other majors ahead of electricity,” said Little. “As such, there was not enough student interest to justify maintaining the electricity program. Of the students currently enrolled in the program, only four, or five percent, have earned qualifying certifications. The principal along with the leadership team held extensive information sessions with students in order to increase interest and participation in the program at Simeon.”

Zopp responded to Little asking, ”So that decision then was driven by the principal and his team at the school?”

To which Little replied, “Yes, it was. If I might add, Board Member Zopp, the program was not removed because of budget reduction; it was students’ interest to enroll in it.”

Following Little’s statement, both Ald. Brookins and Brunson advocated for funding and support for all of CPS’ vocational programs and specifically mentioned the electrical program at Simeon HS as a program that needed to be maintained.

For more information visit http://www.cps.edu/Pages/home.aspx.

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