About an hour ago, Ald. Cappleman tweeted: "Victory for our neighborhood schools. Noble will not move to 46 Ward!"
The Tribune confirms in more detail:
"Noble charter drops plans for Uptown campus.
After encountering a growing chorus of community opposition, the Noble Network of Charter Schools has decided to abandon plans to open a campus in the Uptown area next school year, officials said Thursday.
The Noble Academy will instead move from its current Loop campus to Chicago Public Schools-owned property on the Near North Side, sharing space next year with another charter school currently occupying part of a site at 1443 N. Ogden Ave."
The entire story is here.
Readers have commented on Facebook that they are concerned about the building at Irving Park and Marine Drive sitting empty after the departure of Lycée Français de Chicago. While the French school's absence will leave many empty rooms in one of the three buildings on the 3.3-acre site, it remains the campus for the American Islamic College, which has its classrooms, administrative offices, a 1000-seat auditorium, and a 60-bed dormitory there. It also will remain the home of the Park View Montessori School.
So what will AIC do? Maybe use the classrooms to expand its own campus. Maybe look for another tenant to replace Lycée Français. It won't be abandoned.
Update: The Sun-Times article is here.
Update: Ald. Pawar explains in his weekly newsletter why he was against Noble Academy coming to Uptown.
Government workers protecting their own again and afraid of competing with a possibly better alternative. Really pathetic. Plus rejecting the potential great use of a now empty space. Looks like a sad day for Uptown.
ReplyDeleteYou might feel otherwise if your daily life was affected by the traffic & student activity associated w/another large school in that facility. This issue is not a two-sided coin, but a multi-layered onion, if only you care to peel back all the stinky parts & dig into each facet. Plz don't be so quick to assume the worst of politicians. Cappleman has a good track record of pushing for things in the best interest of Buena Park!
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ReplyDeleteThe future will show what a missed opportunity this was for Uptown. As a Noble High School Alumnus and Uptown homeowner, the alderman's words of "This school is a threat to our community," really upset me. With the issues of violence on our streets, the top charter school in the city wanting to relocate, into the soon to be vacant space, was deemed a threat?? It would have given families and students more educational opportunities here in Uptown.
ReplyDeleteNoble Academy will continue on to greater success, but Uptown students will unfortunately not have that opportunity be in their neighborhood. That will now go to Lincoln Park, because they need in more right?
Everyone should realize that charter schools and neighborhood schools can coexist! They make each other better, but the alderman's words made that impossible (playing politics I guess).
I wish our existing CPS school the best and I hope they bring the same successes to Uptown that Noble would have brought in just 1 year.
Well said. Poor choice of words James.
DeleteDisappointed in the alderman's comment. This school was only a threat to poor education. Cappleman seems more interested in protecting CPS union jobs and the support he receives from government workers than in the optimal education for the ward's children.
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