As a counterpoint to the last four years of school cuts, closings, testing, and privatization, I urge you to watch a recent speech—which you can find here—by Elizabeth Heurtefeu, a former public school principal.
In 2007—again on a whim—she applied for the job as LaSalle’s principal.
“We received an e-mail on the Fourth of July from the CEO telling us that [in a few days] we had to report for mandatory five-day training,” Heurtefeu says. “What a waste of time. But when you are told by the CEO you have to go, you have to go.”
After the officials spoke, Heurtefeu stepped to the microphone to resounding cheers. Even Mayor Emanuel rose to his feet.
“That’s a deal,” she said. “And we have seen it.”
Heurtefeu then said the state should change its teacher certification policies. Claypool nodded in agreement to that—because everyone’s got the mayor’s permission to blame stuff on Springfield.
