CPS has proposed to spend $65MM to construct a new South Loop Elementary school at 16th & Dearborn slated to open in 2019.  In conjunction, CPS would spend another $10MM to convert National Teachers Academy into a high school for the south loop community.  We are opposed to this plan which ignores the constituents south of 18th street and does not equitably address the educational needs of the South Loop and the Near South Side which serves more non-white and low income students.

CPS has dismissed an alternative plan presented to invest in Dunbar Vocational High School to increase its academic standing and enrollment numbers citing the statistic "less than 4 percent of teenagers who graduated from Near South Side elementary schools in the last decade chose to attend nearby high schools such as Wendell Phillips Academy in Bronzeville or Tilden Career Community Academy in Canaryville. Less than 6 percent of those graduates attended Dunbar Vocational high school, which is also in Bronzeville." It is clear that CPS has not seriously considered this proposal simply because they do not think people would choose to attend Dunbar.

Our request is to appoint an independent 3rd party group to facilitate a transparent community-lead process working with Dunbar, South Loop, and Chinatown to determine the best programs to add to Dunbar to honor its legacy and history while attracting more students from diverse backgrounds.

To date, CPS has failed to seek the input of National Teachers Academy and Dunbar in developing the plan.