Public angered by sudden changes to Board of Ed’s participation rules

Araceli Escobedo approached the Board of Education last week, as she had before, to talk about options on the Southwest Side where she and her five children live.

She knew she had just two minutes to say her piece, and brought an interpreter so she could speak more comfortably in her native Spanish.

But just over two minutes into the speech and interpretation, Escobedo was cut off by board secretary Estella Beltran.

“Ms. Escobedo, Ms. Escobedo, thank you for your comments,” Beltran said. “It’s past your two minutes. . . . Our next speaker, please.”

Escobedo was caught by surprise. She was not alone. Complaints erupted about how public speakers were treated at the monthly meeting Tuesday as parents and teachers lamented a sudden change of public participation rules:

• Each registered group was told Tuesday morning they had to choose just one designated speaker, though at past meetings, they could name two or more.
• Right at the time limit, a security guard bent the microphone away and escorted the speaker from the podium, a new strictness that did not go unnoticed.
• And no extra time was allotted for anyone needing English interpretation.

CPS frequently says it wants more input from parents and communities about how it educates nearly 400,000 children. The district touts its many ways for the public to weigh in, and said it has made recent improvements while remaining open to more.

But when newly appointed board president Frank Clark told one speaker, “This is a board that truly listens,” laughter broke out.

Tensions are high at CPS thanks to a budget crisis that has schools competing fiercely for students and the money accompanying each one. The current budget, which has left many schools feeling the pinch of teacher layoffs, still lacks $480 million CPS hopes will come from a deadlocked Springfield.

The public, at the very least, wants to be heard by the mayor’s appointed school board.

The vocal parent group Raise Your Hand had already boiled down their speakers to two. Tuesday morning, they protested the sudden change to one.

“You know, people took a day off of work,” Raise Your Hand Director Wendy Katten said.

Deborah Hass, who had scrambled to secure a speaking slot, was thwarted.

“I did all kinds of stuff so I could be there,” she said. “Not to find out until you’ve sat there all morning you can’t speak is really disturbing.”

“I understand that public processes can be cumbersome but I feel like what happened . . . is part of a general part of ‘The board doesn’t care.’”

Like Hass, Arnold Stieber from Veterans for Peace wrote a protest letter.

“When CPS clearly states that 60 speaking slots will be filled and then reduces these slots at the meeting, you are limiting the public’s ability to express their opinion,” wrote Stieber, who did not get to speak. “I recommend that you review your Participation Guidelines, clarify them and publish them prominently on your website.”

CPS uses online tools to help people be heard. A new “Get Help Now” button on www.cpsboe.org promises a reply within 48 hours, and CPS launched a survey asking how to improve communications.

On meeting days, people used to have to show up at board headquarters as early as 4 a.m. and wait in line. Names were called to speak until two hours, allowed by board guidelines, were up. In November 2012, the district let some speakers register online, and within months, all 60 spaces were filled that way.

That headed off waiting. But signups start more than a week before meetings, so speakers can’t anticipate last-minute adds to the agenda. Plus, Hass said, the spaces fill up within minutes.

CPS long-timers recalled how the meeting’s tone always varied according to board president.

Board guidelines grant the president discretion about how the rules are enforced, district spokeswoman Emily Bittner said. A countdown clock was installed in the chambers so speakers could watch their time, she said.

The board is considering how to better accommodate English interpretation, she said.

Clark did not respond to emails seeking comment.

“We are always looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of our meetings and dialogue with the public,” Bittner said in a statement. “The board works to ensure all voices are heard during meetings.”

Bittner didn’t reply to questions about why only one spokesperson was allowed this month, why that wasn’t communicated to registered speakers ahead of time or why two full hours of public participation wasn’t filled.

The Spanish-speaking Escobedo said next time she will try English.

“I feel bad for the people who really cannot speak in English,” she said. “I don’t think that is fair, but I don’t think there is anything we can do about it.”