CRYSTAL YEDNAK
Crystal Yednak writes about education for the Chicago News Cooperative and coordinates CNC’s education initiatives.
Crystal started her career covering schools and local governments in the south suburbs of Chicago. She moved to Texas, where she was the higher-education reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Crystal returned to her hometown of Chicago in 2001 as a staff writer at the Chicago Tribune, where she wrote about schools, local government and state politics. After covering the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board and the Teachers Retirement System, Crystal joined a team of reporters investigating corruption in former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration. Among other things, her work uncovered the misuse of scholarship funds by a key player in the Blagojevich case who was later indicted for the scheme.
A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Crystal has also written for The New York Times, Crain’s Chicago Business and other publications.
Recent Contributions
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Aug 15, 2011
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a plan Monday to award merit pay to Chicago Public Schools principals who perform well on a new set of evaluative metrics as critics questioned whether the program will lead to gains in student achievement. The performance rewards—which may be based on student test scores, school climate and leadership skills, among
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Aug 11, 2011
When Chicago Public Schools officials started talking about the district’s 2012 budget, they repeatedly directed the public eye to one number: a $712 million deficit. Officials cited the number when denying teachers a 4 percent contractual raise, making unpopular cuts to programming and, just last week, when announcing plans to increase property taxes to the
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Jun 15, 2011
Pleading poverty, the newly-seated Chicago Board of Education voted Wednesday to rescind a scheduled 4 percent raise for Chicago Public Schools teachers that would have cost almost $100 million. The board’s unanimous decision came after it revealed that the CPS budget deficit — which it said is now $712 million — includes millions of dollars
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Jun 14, 2011
When the Chicago Board of Education meets Wednesday to vote on a scheduled 4 percent raise for teachers, one figure will be crucial to the debate: The $724 million deficit the Emanuel administration says Chicago Public Schools is facing for the upcoming year. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard have repeatedly cited the
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Jun 3, 2011
Chicago public school principals finally received their budgets for next school year Friday afternoon, and while class sizes are expected to remain the same, an estimated $720 million deficit will force cuts to some schools, according to a letter CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard sent to principals. The individual school budgets also do not account for
by CRYSTAL YEDNAK | May 19, 2011
Once city teachers have achieved tenure after three years of service, it can be difficult to remove them. But Chicago Public Schools can dismiss teachers swiftly in their first few years. Beginning educators are classified as “probationary teachers.” According to the union contract, just before the end of the school year, the principal can notify
by CRYSTAL YEDNAK and REBECCA VEVEA | May 6, 2011
Over a decade ago, before Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel chose him to run the third-largest school system in the country, Jean-Claude Brizard was a rookie principal with a daunting mandate: Remake a troubled vocational high school in Brooklyn that had been given one last chance to avoid closure. George Westinghouse High School, described as chaotic by
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Apr 27, 2011
With a rare ripple of dissension among its own ranks, the Chicago Board of Education approved the consolidation of several schools Wednesday at the final meeting of the current board. The controversial merger decisions, which will affect 12 schools, prompted angry reaction from an alderman, community members and parents who said they felt disenfranchised and
by CRYSTAL YEDNAK and REBECCA VEVEA | Apr 22, 2011
When Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel introduced Jean-Claude Brizard as his choice to lead Chicago Public Schools, he pointed to an increase in the graduation rates in Rochester, N.Y. under Brizard’s watch. Contrary to Emanuel’s claim, graduation rates actually declined during Brizard’s time as head of the Rochester schools, but a school board member there said the
by REBECCA VEVEA and CRYSTAL YEDNAK | Apr 21, 2011
When Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel introduced Jean-Claude Brizard as his new schools CEO, he touted Brizard’s success in improving graduation rates in Rochester, N.Y., but a review of the record shows a murkier picture. During a press conference Monday, Emanuel said Rochester graduation rates climbed from 39 percent to 51 percent during the three years Brizard
