New charter school opens in Back of Yards

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, along with other lawmakers and public officials, attended the Thursday opening of UNO’s Officer Donald J. Marquez Charter School to show their support and criticize recent cuts Gov. Rod Blagojevich made when approving the state’s new budget earlier this month.

“Some people might call that money pork, but our children are not pork,” said Juan Rangel, CEO of United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) Charter Schools Network, Chicago’s largest Hispanic organization that has been involved with education reform the past 20 years.

Madigan, along with Rep. Susana Mendoza (D-Chicago) spoke against the governor’s $3.9 million cut to the new state budget, which was part of a larger $463 million cut Blagojevich made in the original $61 billion spending plan. That $3.9 million was meant for schools, said Mendoza and Madigan.

“We plan to go back to the legislature in a few weeks to try to override the governor,” Madigan said and then urged the crowd to talk to other state legislators to tell them to support their action.

“When people say they are for education but cut money from education, that’s wrong. Join the fight against what’s wrong and say you believe we need to invest more in our schools,” said Mendoza to about 150 parents and students.

Although the Aug. 30th opening ceremony had political overtones, the focus was honoring the school’s namesake, officer Donald J. Marquez, who grew up and lived in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, where the new school is located. Marquez, a 20-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, was shot to death while trying to serve court papers March 18, 2002. The 47-year-old man left behind a wife and four children.

To honor him, the newest edition to the UNO Charter School Network was named after Marquez.

Three of Marquez’s children were among the many family members that attended the dedication. Family members said they hope students attending the school will begin viewing police officers as their friends instead of their enemies.

Marquez was described by colleagues, including recently retired Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline, as a great man and an officer who made an exceptional effort to try to help the troubled youth in his beat and in his neighborhood.

Mendoza called Marquez a friend and described him to students as “a big teddy bear with the biggest smile you could imagine,” and added their school was proudly named after a real hero born and raised in their own neighborhood.

The Marquez campus is the sixth UNO elementary charter school in Chicago. All UNO charters are public schools that focus on individualized attention in smaller classroom settings. UNO also has a campus in New Orleans and is working on plans to open a Chicago-area public high school next year.

The school has generated a lot of interest. Veronica Alanis, chairwoman of the UNO board of directors, said more than 900 students applied to the Marquez school, which has 530 spots available.

Kenyon Kemp, dean of students at the Marquez campus, said while he’s not excited about the $3.9 million cut, the school is still a much better alternative to the overcrowded conditions of neighboring schools.

“We have a focus on our after-school programs,” Kemp said. “These programs are essentially lost in Chicago public schools today, and we’re implementing them.”

Kemp said some of the after-school programs offered to students include fine arts classes and music lessons where students can learn to play the guitar and drums. He also said there will be a sports program that will be run through the school, which Kemp said isn’t common in Chicago elementary schools.

One 6th-grade student, Saul Gonzalez, , was very excited about the prospect of playing sports through his new school. “There’s more stuff for me to do and learn about here – like gym and playing sports. That’s what I’m really excited for.” Although Saul said gym was his “favorite subject.” he said he’s looking forward to learning about his next favorite subject – history.

Ald. George Cardenas (12th), Danny Solis (25th) and Ed Burke (14th) were also in attendance to help dedicate the school to Marquez’s name.

Burke, who’s donating a book to the school’s library about Chicago’s 534 fallen officers, said, “Through this school, Marquez’s name is honored as is the life he lived. It is my hope that the students who study here learn to become heroes themselves.”