Attached is my June 23rd interview with Dr. Jimmy A. Lugos, the principal of Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School in Humboldt Park, Chicago. This was the first interview I conducted this summer, and I’m only including it here because it’s the only file that was short enough to post on WordPress. Regardless, I think it is a really insightful interview that touches on the various topics I’m here researching: neighborhood change, the role of educational institutions in gentrifying neighborhoods, the often suffocating bureaucratic minutiae of urban public schools, and the like.
It was interesting to see how gentrification affects elementary schools such as Harriet Beecher Stowe. Because of the plethora of other options such as charters and selective enrollment schools in the area, gentrifier families often place their children in non-neigborhood schools, leaving institutions like Stowe severely under-attended. Given how Chicago Public Schools funds its schools on a per-pupil basis, under-attendance reeks havoc on schools’ budgets and therefore their ability to provide for their staff and pupils.
I thank Dr. Lugos for being as accommodating to me as he was, quickly responding to my request for an interview and even inviting me back for a follow-up were I to feel one was necessary. It’s fascinating to listen to this interview and consider how this process has allowed me to progress as an interviewer — allowing more time for pauses, and feeling more comfortable digging deeper.
Yes, you really have done a great job with the interview! You’re asking great questions that show that you’re listening to what Dr. Lugos has to say and you are allowing him the space to speak his mind. Great! I appreciate what he has to say about the 606 and how he sees Stowe integrating learning into the space, while also being wary of the effect of the rail trail on increasing rental prices. When he talks about gentrification of Wicker Park and East Humboldt Park in the ’70s and ’80s, I’d love to hear what that looked like to him. What does that really mean? And is it different from what he sees now (or is this just an accelerated version)?
(Two small notes: “wreaks havoc,” not “reeks havoc” and change the title of the post to reflect the person you interviewed here.)