Community Coalition Fight for Dyett HS, Calls Out 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, June 25, 2014

"I opposed closing Dyett High School in 2011. Like the Coalition, I support keeping Dyett open. Specifically, Dyett must be an open enrollment, high quality, neighborhood public high school. The process to work through the details for what that would entail should include community involvement through a collaborative process. Right now, encouraging the Chicago Board of Education to reverse its decision on Dyett is our top collective priority. And that is something that we can all agree on." - 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns
"I opposed closing Dyett High School in 2011. Like the Coalition, I support keeping Dyett open. Specifically, Dyett must be an open enrollment, high quality, neighborhood public high school. The process to work through the details for what that would entail should include community involvement through a collaborative process. Right now, encouraging the Chicago Board of Education to reverse its decision on Dyett is our top collective priority. And that is something that we can all agree on." - 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns

The Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School, which is comprised of local community grassroots and higher education organizations, recently staged an overnight sit-in protest in front of 4th Ward Chicago alderman Will Burns’ office building, 435 E. 35th St., and demanded vocal and demonstrative action to protect Walter H. Dyett High School, 555 E. 51st St., from becoming a “turnaround” school.

“The question we raise with Alderman Burns, since 2011 when we made the destabilizing of this school public, [was] what have you done in support of Dyett HS?,” said Juti Brown, National Director of the Journey for Justice Alliance, who strategized alongside the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) to stage the protest. “The measure of an elected official is not how do you feel, but what did you produce, what did you do, and what he produced is a rash of school closings in his ward. If he was doing his job, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now and that’s the point that we’re making.”

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Photo by: Lee Edwards

Community activists staged an overnight sit-in protest in front of 4th Ward Chicago alderman Will Burns’ office building, 435 E. 35th St. last week demanding vocal and demonstrative action to preserve Walter H. Dyett High School, 555 E. 51st St., from becoming a “turnaround” school.

At the time the Chicago Citizen Newspaper visited the sit-in, over 10 adults accompanied with children were protesting. Brown explained that shifts of no less than five protesters were assembled in front of Burns’ office continuously during the 36 hour demonstration.

Jeanette Taylor, who is currently serving as Local School Council (LSC) Chair at Irvin C. Mollison Elementary, 4415 S. King Dr., and is a member of the Coalition, explained that the purpose of the protest is to place pressure on Burns to act on behalf of the community and to “stop pushing bad policies”.

In response to the sit-in in front of his office and the growing outpour of community discontentment, concerning Dyett, Burns’ office released the following statement to the Chicago Citizen Newspaper:

I opposed closing Dyett High School in 2011. Like the Coalition, I support keeping Dyett open. Specifically, Dyett must be an open enrollment, high quality, neighborhood public high school. The process to work through the details for what that would entail should include community involvement through a collaborative process.

The Coalition has asked me to endorse their specific plan for Dyett. While there are elements of the plan that reflect the values of a high performing high school, the Coalition, to date, has not engaged a wide range of Bronzeville stakeholders like the Bronzeville Community Action Council.

Right now, encouraging the Chicago Board of Education to reverse its decision on Dyett is our top collective priority.

And that is something that we can all agree on.

“Alderman Burns is looking to the Bronzeville community to provide input for the future of Dyett High School through a community planning process,” said Alderman Burns’ Director of Policy & Communications Lars Weborg. “His plan is to meet with the broader community and determine a solution for Dyett that creates a sustainable high quality, open enrollment public school serving the Bronzeville community. He has been very clear and very public with this intent. Ald. Burns opposed the closing of Dyett when he took office in 2011. CPS will make the final determination.”

“Alderman Burns shares the following common goals: to reverse the Board of Education's decision to phaseout Dyett High School, and to create a high quality, open enrollment, public high school,” said Weborg.

"CPS CEO Byrd-Bennett and CPS Board Members continue to receive proposals about the future of Dyett High School and they are interested to learn what the community thinks,” said CPS spokesman Joel Hood. “While there are currently no plans in place following next year's scheduled closure, CPS is committed to working with the community to ensure that students in the North Kenwood and Oakland communities continue to have access to quality education options that will prepare them for success in college, career and in life."

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