Isaiah White

🏃‍♂️ Running for School Board in District 6A
🏫 Let's build a better CPS!
SECA | Democrat | Organizer

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

Every public dollar is precious.

Every public dollar needs to work as hard as possible.

Public dollars shouldn't go to the friends of the powerful.

It hurts faith in the power of government to be a force for good when officials behave like this.

[Alderman Hopkins @AldermanHopkins]

@ChicagosMayor did you see the front page of today’s Tribune, Mayor? story about your administration taking highly inappropriate actions to direct millions of tax dollars to unaccountable entities that support your political machine. Bad day to complain that we won’t let you raise taxes again.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@JimmDispensa My petition validity rate was *NOT* 75%.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@JimmDispensa #goalsUnrealized

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

Reminder: 150 million is ~1.51% of the CPS budget.

All of this disruption and chaos over 1.51%.

Wild, reckless, and unbelievably cruel to our kids.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

This is precisely why you don't wager the education of your kids on a Hail Mary.

Never mind all the workers whose salaries depends on a balanced budget.

It doesn't have to be this way. Chaos is a choice. The electorate also has a choice in November.

[Paris Schutz @paschutz]

Welch to @MaryAnnAhernNBC on $$ promised to CTU for CPS: "The number $150 million never came up with me. I was talking in general that I’m gonna go to Springfield and do what I do and lead that fight and fight for more funding for every school district.”

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

As someone who's worked in a few sustainable community schools - I can say it's very clear that the program isn't designed to work. There are other more successful community school models out and we should seek to emulate them.

[Paris Schutz @paschutz]

Exclusive @NBC5Investigate : Mayor Johnson and @CTU touted an expansion of the $38 million CPS "Sustainable Community Schools" program - where targeted schools get an extra half million per year to bring in non-profit providers for mental health, tutoring, etc. Why an internal audit shows the money has not been well spent, and "Sustainable Community Schools" have failed to make the grade. 4:30pm

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

Yep. It really *really* is.

There's nothing progressive about taking huge risks on the back of our kids.

Or our workers.

Or anyone, really.

[Jessica Biggs @biggs4chicago]

WATCH: Jessica responds to the recent CPS budget vote.

"This amendment is delusional at best and deeply harmful to students and working people at worst"

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@ParentCps @mollyfleck That just gets in the way and the applicant finds something else in the meantime. And other times it's a quasi formal policy from central to leave them unfilled.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

And despite all this additional staffing and declining enrollment, class sizes have remained roughly the same.

My north star is that our dollars should go to our classrooms first.

[Austin Berg @Austin__Berg]

Since 2019, Chicago Public Schools has added nearly 10,000 staff (+26%) and $4B in new spending (+31% in real terms) despite enrollment dropping
by 45,000 students (-12.5%).

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked how he would grade the current school system after taking office in 2023.

“I personally don’t give a lot of attention to grades. I don’t,” he said.

“My responsibility is not simply to grade the system, but to fund the system. That’s how I’m ultimately going to grade whether or not our public school system is working. Based upon the investments that we make for the people who rely upon it.”

Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union are now pushing for a bailout from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@ParentCps @mollyfleck Of course, I'm just thrilled to have this opportunity to make change for my kids and I love talking about it anyway!

Yes exactly: positions budgeted for that were never filled.

Sometimes it's a principal's choice or inaction. Other times it's central office bureaucracy.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@declatom @mollyfleck That's a really interesting observation. I'm going to FOIA the numbers and investigate that - I always just assumed it was across the board.

Yeah agreed on the surge in 1:1s. That behavior/socialization component is huge.

I'll take you up on that "expand for hours" offer!

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@ParentCps @mollyfleck 3) between school years which makes mid year vacancies a particular challenge.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@ParentCps @mollyfleck 2) I *understand* us as budgeting the number of SECA lines needed to deliver the number of minutes required. However, we often don't hire for all the lines we budget for.

I'd also note that it is less likely that a position will be filled if it's not filled over the summer

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@rothschild48154 As I'm sure you know, Claude, the proper response to policy we don't agree with is to unelect those who passed it, not call for them to be jailed.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

My statement on the CPS budget amendment. Hint: I don't like it.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@mollyfleck Of course!

Indeed, data is often the missing piece in how our government makes decisions. Alas.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@mollyfleck 4) every case where we currently rely on them. The true number we need to deliver maximum outcomes unfortunately just isn't known.
At the end of the day, we need the research to catch up so we can be properly informed in our policy making.

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@mollyfleck 2) is deployed.
An important caveat is that we offer much more than academic support. For example, personal care — think cleaning, or supporting the physical movement of students who aren't ambulatory.
The answer to your other question is also not cut and dried. For example, many

[Isaiah White @Isaiah4CPS]

@mollyfleck 🧵1) As a SECA, I'm inclined to say that yes, SPED assistants improve academic outcomes. I've certainly seen that in my own practice.
However, the literature doesn't unambiguously back that up. Studies show outcomes are mixed and highly conditional on how the special ed assistant