“A long overdue configuration of Bowen High School”……

As a fifth generation family of good old Bowen….I have been advocating to convert Bowen back to the original one school it was when it was opened in  1910         .

The school was transformed into four small schools in 2000. They include Bowen Environmental Studies Team (B.E.S.T.), Chicago Discovery Academy (C.D.A), Global Vision Academy and New Millennium School of Health.

Each is an autonomous school with it’s own principal, staff , budget and space all shared at 2710 East 89^th Street.

The original discussions occurred and were firmed up on Sept 11th the same time as the N.Y bombing occurred. The then C.E.O. Arne Duncan was in the school social room with the school principal and L.S.C. as well as others identifying a source of funding becoming available from the Gates Foundation to assist in this process should that be the desired goal.

A year later and lots of dollars later, the school was transformed.

Low and behold, the continued shrinking budget and resources, stringent guidelines by CPS and continued social problems with low achievement and violence, negatively under minded the entire concept .

Now years later, we have four small schools that are generally having difficulty attracting the desired freshmen enrollment of 125. Two are under half that level. In the meantime, Renaissance 2010 and Charter Schools continue to attract potential Bowen students as well as the Washington, Jones Academic, etc. the handwriting is on the wall.

A new high school just opened it’s doors at the former South Chicago Community School that once housed Sullivan Elementary on East 83^rd. A brand new state of the art community high school is planned for the shuttered South Works Property at 86^th to 87^th Burley . That is planned for construction once the new proposed elementary school planned for the East Side (to alleviate overcrowding at Gallistel, Addams and Taylor) is completed.

How can we justify almost a million dollars in administration for the 4 small schools with a combined student population of less than Bowen had a few years before the conversion? Then we can address the difficulties of operating four schools under one roof between the respective students and staff. This has not been at all successful around the city with other similar designs.

PLEASE do not get me wrong….there have been tremendous positive strides and gains in the building with the schools. The many, many success stories do not make the headlines or news. Only the negative things that the media thrives on. It is not about this. It is about making Bowen mean and lean again with the kind of academic and vocational offerings in the curriculum that will once again attract the student level needed to compete with the other schools.