Thursday Is "Andersonville Loves Trumbull Day"

A press release from the Andersonville Development Corporation:

Local Businesses Rally to Keep School Open.  On Thursday, April 4, 2013, from 3PM – 5:30PM, businesses in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood will partner with parents and teachers in “Andersonville Loves Trumbull” Day, an initiative to demonstrate the importance of Trumbull Elementary School to the neighborhood.  Trumbull is one of the fifty-three schools slated to be closed by Chicago Public Schools at the end of August.

“Walk-able, quality schools are an essential element of strong communities,” noted Ellen Shepard, executive director of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and Andersonville Development Corporation.  “In addition, Trumbull has been an important economic driver for our commercial district for over 100 years, serving our residents and employees and providing customers for our businesses. The building itself is one of the most significant structures in our Andersonville National Historic District. It should be maintained, and maintained as a public school.”

During “Andersonville Loves Trumbull” Day, Trumbull parents, teachers, and friends will patronize local Andersonville businesses en masse to show mutual support for the community and demonstrate the economic impact that the school has on the neighborhood. Along with business owners, they will distribute materials explaining why Trumbull should remain open and how Andersonville constituents can advocate for it.

“By its own standards, CPS should not have put Trumbull on the list of schools to be closed,” said Trumbull Local School Council member Alison Burke. CPS committed to not close schools that had 80% or greater occupancy. Trumbull’s highly-regarded special education program necessitates that the school have smaller class sizes. When determining Trumbull’s occupancy percentage, CPS deemed it to have lower than 80% occupancy, which is incorrect if the special education standards are applied. Trumbull is one of the fifty-three schools that Chicago Public Schools has slated for closure by August.

Advocate for keeping Trumbull open by calling CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett (773.553.1500) and Alderman Patrick J. O’Connor (773.769.1140) and telling them how important Trumbull Elementary School is to our community.