Charter schools were fully entitled to receive federal COVID-19 loans

We are confused by your recent coverage of charter school access to federal loans. Amid a global pandemic and decades of disinvestment on the West and South sides where we serve students, the article singled out charter schools’ access to additional federal resources needed to serve students and keep teachers and staff employed. Talk about misplaced priorities.

The federal paycheck protection program (PPP) made nonprofit organizations eligible to apply for a loan. Under Illinois law, every charter school in the state is a nonprofit and therefore eligible, provided they can demonstrate financial need and meet the criteria set forth in the federal guidelines.

That is exactly what a small number of charter schools did.

When the pandemic closed school buildings in March, many charter schools moved quickly to get remote learning up and running. That required the purchase of thousands of computers and related equipment. To accommodate these unexpected expenses, charters had to use existing budgets and therefore were considering furloughs and layoffs. The federal support allowed them to keep existing staff levels while handling these new expenses.

Charter schools continued serving nearly 60,000 Chicago public school students without substantial interruption this spring. Without those resources, thousands of Chicago children would not have had the same level of instructional support.

If the argument is that charters should not apply for funding they were plainly eligible for under terms of the federal grant, that reflects a misguided zero-sum approach.

Unfortunately, it also furthers a recent trend of politicizing anything that has to do with charter schools to the detriment of the families and students who choose them. Hundreds of Illinois nonprofit organizations applied for PPP support and received loans. But the narrow focus on charter schools says more about Chicago’s political environment than it does about the facts on the ground and the needs of students and schools.

The real issue missing here is how do all public schools — charters and district-run — come together to ensure schools and educators have the funding and resources necessary to stay safe and continue to serve our students and communities who need us most. We welcome coverage that puts that issue out front.

Andrew Broy, president, Illinois Network of Charter Schools

Video doorbells would help curb violence

Chicago has experienced an unacceptable surge in violence over the last month and a rise in shootings each month of 2020. Last week, the alleged driver of the vehicle used in the shooting of a 7-year-old was captured due to a video from a home.

Why can’t the city, with corporate support, offer to install the popular Ring Doorbells on every house in communities where there is a high rate of violence, with the city and state pushing for free internet service to operate them?

I believe homeowners would gladly welcome the Ring Doorbell to provide more protection for their homes. Police would have added surveillance to help catch criminal behavior. At a time when we are seeing babies killed before our eyes, I believe we must be willing to think outside the box and try new and innovative approaches against violence.

Knowing that Ring Doorbells are on every home in a neighborhood would not only be a deterrent to crime but would help solve criminal activity in places where residents are afraid to speak up.

Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, Senior Pastor
The Faith Community of Saint Sabina