South Loop Elementary’s gifted program will be moved to another school nearby next fall, and the National Teachers Academy at the far end of the South Loop could be its new home.

Last November, South Loop Elementary principal Tara Shelton announced in an email that her school would cut its gifted program in an effort to make more space for local students in the jam-packed building, phasing it out one class at a time beginning this fall.

In May, the Chicago Public Schools announced that they would relocate the program to another school that was between two and five miles away in 2013.

CPS has been coy since then, saying that all options were still on the table as they engaged with the community. However, they said in May that a decision would be made by August.

According to Ald. Pat Dowell, (3rd), the National Teachers Academy is one of the main contenders.

“Right now, it’s not a done deal — that’s the purpose of the community meetings,” she said. “But NTA is a prime candidate.”

The National Teachers Academy, much of which sits unused, has often been floated as a possible destination for South Loop Elementary students as a solution to overcrowding, but the pushes have been met with resistance from parents and gained little traction with CPS officials.

A community meeting discussing the possibility of the gifted center’s move will be held Wednesday night, Aug. 22, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the National Teachers Academy, 55 W. Cermak Road.

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By Edgardo Indong Jandayan
Posted: 06/17/2013 4:09 AM

Teachers were born to be as the best molder and model of the life of the students. - Google Autocomplete

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By South Looper from South Loop
Posted: 08/21/2012 9:00 AM

I wont be able to make this meeting, but hope someone can ask Ald Dowell (who is fully aware and agrees) about steps that could take place that to make area more friendly. The area is generally safe, but there is still a stigma & some crime surrounding the area with some loitering around State and Cermak. Parents in the area would love to utilize this facility, but the police need to continue to discourage ALL loitering and the run down retail needs to get redeveloped.