CPS Accepting Proposals for the Dyett School Site

Deborah Bayliss | As of Thursday, October 30, 2014

Following protest by parents and community groups over the slated closure of Dyett High School on Chicago’s South side, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced on Friday, it will issue a request for proposal (RFP) in Dec., seeking plans for a new open enrollment neighborhood high school at the Dyett school site, 555 E. 51st St.

In 2012, the Chicago Board of Education voted to phase out Dyett High School following years of poor performance and declining enrollment. Dyett High School was in its final year of operation and was scheduled to closed after the 2015 school year.

“Members of the community have expressed a strong interest in a new school at the Dyett site, and we look forward to working with the community to develop a new high-quality option for students living in the neighborhood,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. “We are committed to ensuring the new neighborhood school at Dyett meets the community’s needs and will evaluate proposals from all interested parties.” 

Dyett’s student population was down to only 13 seniors and is the only open-enrollment high school in proximity of Kenwood, Oakland, and Bronzeville neighborhoods in Chicago.

Nearby King College Prep High School and Kenwood Academy High School are both selective-enrollment schools.

In a previous statement released to the Chicago Citizen Newspaper, Chicago Ald. Will Burns (4th Ward) who came under fire last month with demonstrations outside his south side office by The Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School, comprised of local community grassroots and higher education organizations, spearheaded by the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO), said he was opposed to closing Dyett High School and that Dyett must be an open enrollment, high quality, neighborhood public high school.

In a statement released today to the Chicago Citizen Newspaper, Burns said, “Three years ago the Chicago Board of Education voted to phase out Dyett High School by 2015. I, along with many other Bronzeville residents and stakeholders, opposed that decision. We engaged in advocacy efforts at the time to stop the Dyett closure. We were not successful in 2011. But I remained undaunted. I continued to argue with CPS officials and the Mayor’s office that Dyett High School should be kept open. The reasons are clear. Between the redevelopment efforts from Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd Ward) and me, we are reversing the decades long hollowing out of Bronzeville. As we add more residents to Bronzeville and the mid-South Side, it is clear that we need another high quality open enrollment high school. Kenwood Academy, one of Chicago’s highest performing open enrollment high schools, is overcrowded, demonstrating that there is a market for another high quality neighborhood option. We were finally heard. On Friday the Board of Education announced that it would seek proposals for a new Dyett High School to open in the fall of 2016. The RFP prohibits an alternative, charter, or selective enrollment school at the site. Friday’s announcement is an unprecedented victory for our community, and recognition of our steadfast efforts…I thank all of the organizations and leaders who worked with me to keep Dyett High School open. I also thank CPS and Mayor Emanuel for listening to our community.”

Attempts to reach Jitu Brown, part of the Coalition to save Dyett School who has acted as spokesman for the group, were unsuccessful by the Chicago Citizen Newspaper press-time.

In order to identify a school model that meets the needs of the local community, CPS will issue an RFP in Dec. Proposals for a new high school at the current Dyett site will be accepted until April 2015.

Interested parties can submit proposals for a new open enrollment neighborhood high school, and CPS will evaluate all proposals that meet the criteria outlined in the forthcoming RFP.

CPS will only consider proposals for open enrollment neighborhood high schools. Charter school proposals are not eligible for the Dyett site.

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