On Sept. 29, 2009, 7 members of UWL met with Rev. Sen. Meeks to discuss ways we could work together to bridge the class, race, and geography gap in public school education.

United We Learn, a grassroots group of parents, teachers and community leaders, coalesced in August 2008 with the immediate aim of creating an atmosphere of welcome for the State Sen. Rev. Meeks-sponsored boycott and rally at New Trier High School on September 2, 2008. UWL supports the aims of all Illinois Public School communities to secure a higher quality public school education – and brighter future – for all our children. For more information on United We Learn or to join, you may download this flyer, or contact Gail, (847) 501-5762, ext. 406, or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text71205 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rev. Karl Adair of Rogers Park/Evanston and Lali Watt at Salem Baptist Church headquarters in Chicago

 

United We Learn plans for meeting with Rev. Sen. Meeks. From left to right, Sherry Medwin, Anthony Anderson, Rev. Karl Adair, Lali Watt

Rev. Sen. Meeks tells United We Learn members his admiration for their energy and commitment coming out of the North Shore is "through the roof" and invites UWL to set up three activities: (1) bus tour he would host of Fenger High School and the Robbins Public Library, illustrating the need for state funding intervention; (2) north suburban community forum on Chicago Urban League civil rights lawsuit against the state of Illinois for disparate impact based on race in the state's over-reliance on the property tax for public school funding; and (3) north suburban community forum on legislative solutions, featuring Ralph Martire, tax policy expert heading the Center for Tax & Budget Accountability, and himself.

Photo Report Author: Gail Schechter

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United We Learn Hits the Road!

On a sunny Monday, October 19, 2009, United We Learn members toured Fenger High School in Chicago, an overwhelmingly African American and low-income school in Chicago which recently had a student beaten to death by classmates, and the Robbins Public Library, scheduled to close because of the inadequacy of property tax revenues in this poor southern suburb.

Rev. Sen. James Meeks hosted the bus tour of north suburbanites. "Education funding" was our mantra for the day. At Fenger, the group was joined by Republican Senator Chris Lauzen, invited by Rev. Sen. Meeks. The group heard from Principal Dozier and her staff about the challenges of teaching extremely impoverished students, more than a third of whom enter at a 4th grade reading level. With discretionary funding used for bus passes, meals, and security and the like, the principal is unable to add more literacy teachers. Over 100 children are homeless -- that is, completely on their own, not counting those homeless with family. It became clear to those of us from Evanston, Wilmette, Northbrook and other northern suburbs that even if a school spends the same amount of money per student, where it goes can be vastly different. This trajectory starts in early childhood. Principal Dozier said, "Equity is not necessarily fairness."

The tour was news for several outlets:

North Shore activists tour Fenger High School for school funding lesson: United We Learn group joins Sen. James Meeks on fact-finding mission by Lisa Black
Chicago Tribune, October 20, 2009

North Shore residents support Meeks' cry for more school money by Irv Leavitt
Pioneer Press, October 20, 2009

On a tour of Fenger, north suburban parents confront a new ground zero by Sofia Resnick, Kelsey Snell and Danny Yadron
Medill Reports, October 20, 2009

United We Learn gathers!

Rev. Sen. James Meeks and staff on the bus.

At the Robbins Public Library

Robbins Library staff and volunteers

Robbins computer is down. The whole library will be down without $100,000 in new funds.

Rev. Sen. Meeks and United We Learn return to Salem House of Hope, Chicago

Photo Report Author: Gail Schechter

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Racism Undercutting Education? Chicago Urban League Lawsuit Over Public School Funding: Forum in Wilmette

0ver 50 north suburbanites ventured on a rainy October 22nd evening to learn more about the Chicago Urban League's civil rights lawsuit against the state of Illinois over the reliance on the property tax for public school funding. The community forum took place at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette. David Thigpen of the CUL and CUL's attorney from Jenner & Block, Lisa Scruggs, outlined the data and described the legal arguments. Chicago has the 4th most racially segregated school system in the nation. And school systems throughout Illinois suffer from "inequitable instructional resources," with nearly 4-to-1 spending differences between rich and poor districts. In a racially segregated state, this has a disparate discriminatory effect on children in African American and Latino districts. There could be a ruling before the end of 2009. "The goal is to lift all boats," said Scruggs. UWL's forum was co-sponsored by Education Justice Committee of Congregation Hakafa, Glencoe, Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs, League of Women Voters of Wilmette, Legislative Task Force of School District 65/202 PTA Council,and Rabbi Paul F. Cohen, D.Min., and Temple Jeremiah, Northfield.

The Wilmette Forum made the news:

Equity lawsuit gains allies by Karen Berkowitz
Pioneer Press, October 29, 2009

Lawsuit asks state to change how schools are funded by Melissa Tussing
Medill Reports, November 11, 2009

North Shore education advocacy group aims to educate its own by Melissa Tussing
Medill Reports, November 17, 2009

David Thigpen of the Chicago Urban League and Lisa Scruggs of Jenner & Block, welcomed by Rev. Kirk Reed at Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette

Learning about the lawsuit.

Photo Report Author: Gail Schechter

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School Funding Reform: Equity AND Excellence! Community Forum with Rev. Sen. James Meeks & Ralph Martire

A crowd of 85 people came to the Winnetka Community House on the evening on December 1, 2009 to hear Rev. Sen. James Meeks and Ralph Martire talk about the urgency of now when it comes to school funding form. The audience was diverse: suburbanite/Chicagoan (one pastor came all the way up north from E. 79th St.), Black & White, teachers & lay leaders, school board reps, political candidates, students, long-time advocates, and Superintendent Linda Yonke of New Trier High School, who seconded Rev. Meeks' comments about a state commitment to holistically improving life for all families and "Whitney Young [High Schools] in every neighborhood."

Click here for Ralph Martire's PowerPoint presentation of data on unequal school outcomes by race and income of the school district, and Illinois' "structural deficit" in which revenues can never outpace expenses under current tax policy.

Martire's key points include:

• It would take at least $2.1 billion of new state funds to ensure that children in "foundation level" schools (that is, schools in low tax base areas -- attended by 77% of Illinois children!) can meet educational standards as set by the state. This amount is less than one-half of one percent of the state's $633 billion budget -- "not even measurable!," according to Martire.
• Property taxes have grown 15-18 times faster than incomes over the last 30 years.
• The State of Illinois is not raising revenues consistent with the inflation rate or population growth. If the State were, we'd have $1.3-4 billion more in revenues.
• Illinois doesn't tax its residents or businesses all that much compared to the rest of the nation. We're 41st among the states (inclusive of all taxes and fees).
• Real wages for African Americans in Illinois have gone down drastically. We now have a wage gap of 126% (!!!) between Blacks and Whites. (Martire used this statistic to point out the cost of not educating our children; and in fact the number of Illinois prison inmates who are high school dropouts is 77%, according to Meeks.)
• At-risk children (that is, children from challenged backgrounds) require double the spending of other children.

Rev. Sen. Meeks described Illinois as a "deadbeat state" -- not even willing to meet its obligations to private companies that have provided services to residents but have yet to be paid (to the tune of $4 billion). He said even without spending another dime on education, the state is in a terrible hole.

Where do we go from here? They both said send letters -- not e-mails -- to House Speaker Mike Madigan to move a tax and education policy reform agenda forward! The group was also urged to continually raise this issue with north suburban elected officials and candidates.

UWL's forum was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wilmette, Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs, Legislative Task Force of School District 65/202 PTA Council, Illinois Council of Students, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, Education Justice Committee of Congregation Hakafa, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, New Beginnings North Shore Church-Evanston, St. Peter UCC Northbrook, Temple Jeremiah.

The Winnetka Forum made the news:

Meeks returns to familiar ground in school-funding fight by Karen Berkowitz
Pioneer Press, December 1, 2009

State Sen. James Meeks says higher state income tax will fix schools by Brian Cox
Chicago Tribune, December 4, 2009

At the Winnetka Community House

Rev. Sen. James Meeks and Ralph Martire in action

Rev. Sen. James Meeks and Ralph Martire

Rev. Sen. Meeks with (left to right) Audrey Moy, Rian Watt, Julia Sheppard, Lali Watt, and Gail Schechter

Photo Report Author: Gail Schechter