Charging that the Board of Education has failed to addressovercrowding, a Hispanic group Sunday demanded a federalinvestigation of a $148.9 million improvement plan for Chicagoschools.
Representatives of the Mexican American Legal Defense andEducational Fund sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Anton Valukasrequesting the investigation because, they said, the board violated afederal consent decree by not giving overcrowded schools top priorityin the improvement plan.
The 1980 Justice Department desegregation decree requires theboard to address overcrowding, said Ruben Castillo, director of thefund's Chicago office.
The plan, to be financed by municipal bonds, calls forrehabilitation of 113 schools. But it provides for added facilitiesat only one overcrowded school, Castillo said.
"We object to the board's decision not to use any of this moneyin a matter which would directly relieve the severe overcrowding inChicago schools that are located in predominantly Hispanicneighborhoods," Castillo said.
Board spokesman Bob Saigh denied overcrowding was not taken intoconsideration and said the organization had a chance to voice itsconcerns at hearings on the plan.
The fund "is either unaware of or deliberately ignoring theboard's efforts where overcrowding is concerned," Saigh said."Overcrowding was addressed in this program and will continue to beaddressed."
Castillo complained that only eight of 56 schools the board hasclassified as overcrowded have been marked for improvements. All 56schools have Hispanic enrollments of at least 54 percent, and manyare using mobile units and busing to relieve the crowding, he said. "For the last five years, the board has indicated that overcrowdedHispanic schools are a top priority, but that there were no fundsavailable to combat the overcrowding," Castillo said.
"Now that the board has found a pot of gold . . . it has failedto use that pot in any way to help the Hispanic community," he said.
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