The Paul Vallas magnet–attracts whites only. Near North Career Magnet High School and Jones Commercial High School are being replaced by new magnet schools–supposedly as part of a plan that requires a magnet school in each of the city’s six regions, writes George Schmidt in Substance (June). But “reporters covering the stories have missed the fact that the ‘regions’ extend from the lake all the way west to the city limits, and that in both cases the new magnet schools are being placed within jogging distance of Lake Michigan–but miles from most of the public school students who go to school in those ‘regions.’” Even stranger, both regions already have magnet high schools. “The last time we looked, Whitney Young High School was in Region Three. Whitney Young is arguably (and in most ways, statistically) one of the ten best high schools in Illinois. In Region Two, Lincoln Park High School has long served a mixed population of college-bound students, as well as offering its traditional fare of general courses.” So what’s going on here? “Apparently the mayor and Mr. Vallas believe that a ‘magnet’ high school (at least for those families acquiring property within a mile of Lake Michigan) means a high school that is ‘safely’ within their community–and as white as possible!”
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Where the Senate money comes from. Most of Republican challenger Peter Fitzgerald’s campaign funds that don’t come out of his own pocket come from suburban Barrington and Palatine, according to Federal Election Commission info made accessible on the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics. Democratic incumbent Carol Moseley-Braun’s biggest contributions come from Chicago’s near north side–zip codes 60611, 60614, and 60610.
