Daley: Principals need to make sure there's no cheating on applications

February 5, 2008
BY FRAN SPIELMAN, City Hall Reporter - Chicago Sun-Times>

Chicago Public School principals should verify magnet school applications to make certain there’s no repeat of the cheating uncovered at Sabin Magnet, Mayor Daley said Tuesday.

Daley stopped short of endorsing the systemwide audit of magnet school applications proposed by the Better Government Association.

But the mayor said disclosures that 12 applicants falsely claimed to have “siblings” at Sabin — giving them a clear admissions edge — underscore the need for principals to do a little digging.

“Everybody wants to get in magnet schools. Let’s be realistic. When a parent wants to make a decision on their [child’s] education, they’ll do anything. I mean — they want their kid to get in this school,” he said.

“No one should do cheating or anything….Principals should check that — principals in charge of each school. Give them [that] responsibility.”

Daley appeared to be less concerned about widespread cheating than he was thrilled about the motivation behind the scandal: It means that parents are finally clamoring to get their children into Chicago Public Schools instead of trying to yank them out.

“They’re usually fleeing public schools….Going to private schools. Going to the suburban area…It’s the first time in the history of Chicago trying to get children into a public school,” he said.

“We have to build more magnet programs in every school so they don’t feel they have to go to a magnet school. ..What they have to do is build more magnet schools in every community and have magnet programs in neighborhood schools as well.”

BGA Executive Director Jay Stewart said principals already have “a ton of responsibility” and don’t have time to “double-check the applications of every single student.”

“By that standard, let’s have the mayor check every employment application for the city. It’s great this one principal blew the whistle. But counting on principals to catch this on their own and weather the storm of criticism they will receive is asking a lot,” he said.

Instead of heaping even more responsibility on inundated principals, Stewart advised CPS to give its inspector general, James Sullivan, the resources he needs to conduct “some sort of audit.”

“It doesn’t need to be a complete audit of every single school. But randomly pick some. If you don’t look at it, how do you know” application forging isn’t widespread? Stewart said.

Uncovered by Sabin Principal Barton Dassinger and disclosed by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Sabin scandal marks the first finding of magnet application tampering in the 27-year history of the marquee program.

Sabin clerk Sandra Alverio resigned last year after the IG found that Alverio’s niece was falsely listed as the “sibling” of five Sabin applicants. Alverio has denied any wrongdoing.

Sullivan said one parent told his investigators she saw Alverio add Alverio’s niece’s name to her child’s application. Another parent said Alverio advised her to claim her own children’s cousin as a “sibling” to grease their entry.

Other parents who did not implicate Alverio tried to pass off their children’s cousins as “siblings,” including the parent of one child whose cousin shared the same last name.