Alternative Ed: Segregation or Solution?

Chicago Reporter, The, Nov-Dec, 2001 by Brian J. Rogal, Cyril Mychalejko, Micah Holmquist

The ACLU wants the school to advise parents of their child's need for an alternative program, the program's content and the school's plan for returning them to a regular classroom. Also, the school code should state that students have the right to learn in an ordinary classroom, Wolf said.

The new provisions satisfied some opponents, including Voices for Illinois Children, by allowing evening alternative education programs to continue and providing "necessary safeguards" for new programs, said Voices president Jerry Stermer. The measure passed unanimously in the Senate on May 18.

The House gave final approval by a 9710 vote before the governor signed the bill into law on June 29. Another seven representatives voted "present."

Nine of the opponents were members of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus. Although she voted for the bill when it first came to the House floor, state Rep. Monique Davis, a Southwest Side Democrat, said she was "shocked" to discover it would allow fourth-graders into the alternative programs. Davis, who taught in a South Side public school for nearly 20 years, thinks the board means well, but said it's a mistake to label young children. Many who are "not doing well in the fourth grade shoot up in the sixth."

Lessons Learned

State officials, including Radford-Hill and Barrett, said such criticisms improved the legislation. Although "the major thrust of the bill" was not altered, "the amendments were wonderful," Barrett said. "I think the opposition made the bill much stronger."

But advocates said they fear their work has not changed the state's way of doing business. They point to Ryan's pledge to create the task force charged with rewriting the state school code.

In September Ryan appointed Heybach and representatives of other advocacy groups to serve on committees that advise the task force. But Heybach is concerned they won't have any real influence.

State information about task force members was slow to arrive, she said, making it difficult for others to give input.

The state's approach is "low-profile," Woestehoff said. "There is a lot of lawmaking going on that we don't know about."

Paul Green, director of Roosevelt University's School of Policy Studies, said "if there is enough juice behind something, it can pass very fast." But, he notes, "the General Assembly is a very tough place to keep a secret."

Hazel E. Loucks, Ryan's deputy governor for education, said only groups "who come forward" can take part in the deliberations. The task force will issue a report to the new governor in January 2003.

But even groups who've long worked in Springfield said it is difficult to keep an eye on the goings-on in state government "We have relationships up and down the state with a variety of people," said Stermer. Voices for Illinois Children has a $2.7 million annual budget and a part-time Springfield lobbyist. But Stermer said he heard about the controversial legislation at the same time as other advocacy groups.

"I completely agree with those who say it sometimes feels like our voices are not welcome," Stermer said. Still, he argues, the alternative bill's problems were "ultimately overcome. In my many years down there, I've found that if someone raises an objection, they're listened to."