If you have a child that will be attending Rogers Park middle school next fall and have entered your child in the "lottery" for the Stem program, you should know that the odds are stacked against you.
A total of 184 applications were submitted for 100 openings; 131 from Rogers Park and 53 from Broadview. If you are a logical thinker, you might conclude that your child then has a 100/184 chance of being selected, which is slightly more than a 1 in 2 chance. Unfortunately for us logical thinkers, that is not how the "lottery" is being run.
How is the lottery being conducted? Well, 50 openings are being "reserved for Rogers Park students and 50 for Broadview students. So, if you are a Broadview parent, congratulations...your child has nearly a 100% chance of being selected (odds are 50/53). However, if you are a Rogers Park parent, you now only have a 50/131 chance of being selected, which is about a 38%. So, Broadview applicants have nearly a 100% chance of being selected; Rogers Park students only have a 38% chance of being selected. Is that fair treatment of our children? After all, it is about the kids...isn't it? Or is it just about some of the kids?
By the way, I am aware of the overcrowding issue, but that does not give Messrs. Pascarella, Glass or the BOE the right to discriminate against the kids at Rogers Park. I also question the legality of conducting the lottery in this fashion. I left an urgent message for the BOE attorney last Friday and have yet to receive a return phone call. I guess it is time to contact the Mayor's office and Council members. If you also believe the "lottery" is unfair, I urge you to also let your voices be heard.
