What does a Community Action Council do, you ask? CACs "consist of 25 to 30 voting members who are directly involved in developing a strategic plan for educational success within their communities." There are nine of them across Chicago. cps.edu/services-and-s…

Tonight's meeting is slated to feature a discussion of the Annual Regional Analysis (ARA) put out by Chicago Public Schools. ara.cps.edu

Also, the HPKCAC will likely vote on whether to formally support the Right to Play Bill (SB654), which would require all IL public elementary schools to give students self-directed play time every day. ilfps.org/playeveryday

SB654 has passed the Illinois State Senate, and is now being heard in the Illinois House of Representatives. ilga.gov/legislation/Bi…

The meeting is now starting. Agenda for tonight: docs.google.com/document/d/1m5…

Prentice Butler, 4th Ward Ald. Sophia King’s Chief of Staff tells the CAC that last week, he held a community meeting to inform attendees about how TIF funds can be used for the community.

TIF funds can be applied to a certain geographical location; they must be applied to the boundaries that the TIF district covers. chicago.gov/city/en/depts/….

A CAC member asks if TIF funds can be used for the playground in Nichols Park. Butler responds yes, subject to governmental agreement.

Butler asks CAC members to share suggestions/a “wish list” for school improvements in the area. Kenneth Newman, a CAC member, mentions fixing the lighting for the baseball field in Nichols Park.

Carl Hurdlik, a CAC member, asks how the Alderwoman’s office selects which TIF proposals to fund. Butler says that funding school improvements is a priority, and mentions Reavis and King by name.

Raven Patterson-Talley, the principal of Reavis, asks about the status of repairs in the Reavis parking lot. Butler provides her with a timeline.

TIF funds are permitted to fund capital improvements for schools, but probably not permitted to fund programming, says Butler.

Butler shares a map of TIF districts, a very helpful reference: webapps1.chicago.gov/ChicagoTif/

Lauryn Fullerton, the Chief for Network 17 in CPS, is here to present data about attendance. Unfortunately, attendance is down in schools in the district this year, she says. (The schools include: Kenwood High School, Dyett, King, and Hyde Park Academy.)

Fullerton says that King had a significant enrollment increase this year, their highest enrollment in 8 years. King’s principal has done a lot of work to increase enrollment, says Fullerton.

Dyett has a senior picnic on June 2nd, prom on the 5th, and graduation on the 12th. There’s been discussion about Comed installing lights in the parking lot; the community is happy that that’s moving forward.

Kenwood HS is building a new stem lab. Their senior finals week and graduation are both coming up soon.

Hyde Park is undergoing a redesign; they’re looking at ways to make the offerings more robust to attract a more diverse student body.

In response to a CAC member’s question, Fullerton says that Hyde Park Academy had a meeting to discuss partnering with the future Obama Presidential Center, which will be right across the street. (The CAC member is an alumnus of Hyde Park Academy.)

Shaz Rasul asks about how many students are still remote. Fullerton says that around 30 percent of the kids in Network 17 are learning virtually.

Fullerton mentions that all four schools will be having robust summer programming, which will hopefully make up for the learning loss that’s occurred this year.

Katie Gruber, a former chair of the CAC, is now speaking about the aforementioned Right to Play Bill (SB654). If passed, children in grades K-5 would not be permitted to lose recess privileges as a punishment.

In the form that passed the State Senate, SB654 would require that children in grades K-8 be granted 60 minutes of self-directed play time each day. (Gym does not count towards that.)

After compromise with the bill’s opponents, the House form of the bill would grant children in K-5 30 minutes of recess each day.

A CAC member asks why someone would oppose the bill. Gruber says: some people don't want their hands tied when it comes to this + some opponents say that children in their school would prefer to work with their teachers during recess, which wouldn't be permitted with the bill.

Gruber encourages CAC members to fill out witness slips as proponents of the bill. Zanette Sanders (the CAC’s chair) motions for the CAC to consider supporting this bill as a CAC. It is seconded.

The motion passes, with all but 2 CAC members supporting it. (CAC members Shaz Rasul and Carl Hurdlik abstained from the vote.)

Zanette Sanders is presenting a chair report to the CAC now. Sanders says that Chip Johnson, the CPS Chair of Family and Community Engagement in Education (FACE) is retiring.

The CACs plan to send a letter to the Board President and Mayor that states that they want to be a part of the process in selecting Johnson’s replacement.

The CAC is discussing the upcoming Illinois General Assembly vote concerning an Elected School Board. Mayor Lightfoot introduced a plan that would create a hybrid board, with her retaining the power to appoint the majority of members.

One Illinois legislature bill would establish a 21-person elected school board. (chicago.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/19/2239…) CAC Member Joy Clendenning says the size of the board is so that it can be more representative of the many communities in the city, as opposed to a smaller board.

CAC Members Lorraine Richardson and Kenneth Newman both say they think the size of the board is too large: arguably, they say, it’s too many people to form a consensus easily, and too many people to schedule meetings around.

Some CAC members point out that a larger school board will be more difficult for businesses to control, since there will be more elections to spend campaign cash in.

CAC member Katie Gruber moves for the HPKCAC to support the 21-person elected school board being considered in Springfield. CAC member Hannah Hayes seconds it. The motion passes, with 9 ayes and 3 abstentions.

CAC Chair Sanders is proceeding through some more announcements on her agenda. Among them: there will be a combined Greater Bronzeville-Hyde Park CAC ARA follow-up meeting on Friday, June 18, 2021 from 9 to 10 am.

Bret Harte Elementary has a new mural, and they have an online bingo raffle fundraiser. Reavis has been working on a post-pandemic wishlist for the school. Reavis Principal Raven Patterson-Talley says Reavis will be partnering with UChicago to do a beautification event in June.

The next meeting of the HPKCAC will take place on Wednesday, June 23 (the 4th Wednesday of the month). At 8:03, the meeting is adjourned.

This concludes my coverage for @CHIDocumenters. For more details about what went down at this meeting, be sure to check out documenters.org/reporting/, where you’ll find notes about this meeting by Ayanna Watkins. Have a good night ! #CHIDocumenters