■ Area running group focused on building friendships looking to grow on the West Side PAGE 3
FREE Vol. 36 No. 4
August 24, 2022
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Also serving Garfield Park
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More than 1,400 seats unfilled on city’s Local School Councils South and West side schools have the highest number of unfilled seats By MAURICIO PEÑA and THOMAS WILBURN Block Club Chicago and Chalkbeat
Chicago Public Schools saw its biggest overall voter turnout for the Local School Councils election this spring in a decade. Still, more than 1,400 seats — mostly at South and West Side schools — remain unfilled, according to data obtained by Chalkbeat. Across CPS, 1,408 seats remained empty as of Aug. 5, with more than half of the unfilled positions designated for parents. Students, the largest voting bloc in the spring election, accounted for 239 vacant seats, followed by community representatives with 212 empty seats, according to data Chalkbeat obtained through a records request. The remaining vacancies were among school staff. These mini-school boards have been a fixture of Chicago schools for over three decades, putting school-level decisions in the hands of parents, students, and staff. But as Chicago moves toward a fully elected school board by 2027, it’s unclear what role the hyperlocal governing bodies will play. Natasha Erskine, who holds LSC training workshops independent of the district through the parent advocacy group Raise Your Hand, said it is See SCHOOL COUNCILS on page 5
GOING BACK IN STYLE
Alona McDowell, 52, left, and Letisha White, 41, enjoy Congressman Danny K. Davis’ 43rd Annual Back to School Parade on Aug. 20. The parade kicked off on Bloomingdale’s and Central, ending at Columbus Park. Experience a photo essay about the event on pages 10 and 11. SHANEL ROMAIN/Staff Photographer
Homan Square Foundation breaks ground on housing for people with disabilities Soma Construction to build 21 units on four vacant North Lawndale lots By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter
More affordable housing is coming to the West Side. Representatives with the Foundation for Homan Square, the non-
MY PEDIATRICIAN GAVE ME CONFIDENCE ABOUT VACCINATING MY CHILD
profit lender IFF, Soma Construction, and the Cook County Land Bank Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 18 at 3300-3308 W. Flournoy St. in the Homan Square neighborhood. Developers will build four two-story
buildings with 21 units accessible to people with disabilities on four vacant lots. The project is part of a broader collaboration between the Foundation and IFF to See HOMAN SQUARE on page 8
UMI B.
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