*** UPDATE *** Bruce’s daughter was admitted and enrolled in 2008. CPS changed the attendance factor in admissions in 2009. Here is a post about it:

“http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/09/28/attendance-wont-count-for-selective-enrollment-high-schools-any-more/”>http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/09/28/attendance-wont-count-for-selective-enrollment-high-schools-any-more/

From that story…

In light of the H1N1 virus that affected the attendance of a significant number of students, a notification was issued during the 2008-2009 school year stating that application procedures for Selective Enrollment and GEAP schools would be revisited this year in order to consider the extenuating circumstances. As a result, it has been determined that, beginning with the upcoming application process for the 2010-2011 school year, attendance will not be included in the criteria for the selection of students for Selective Enrollment High Schools, Academic Centers, and International Gifted Programs (formerly International Baccalaureate Preparatory Programs).

*** UPDATE 2 *** The Quinn campaign just called to point out that the attendance issue is a red herring. If you look at what Inspector General Sullivan said, you’ll see that the crux of this matter is that Ms. Rauner didn’t test high enough for admissions…

The bar was very high for white students. She tested very well, just not quite high enough to meet Payton’s standards.

And Rauner has been saying for months now that she tested well. According to Sullivan, she didn’t test well enough.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Sun-Times…

A top aide to Arne Duncan — who was then the Chicago Schools CEO and is now the U.S. secretary of education — even kept a log of calls he fielded about would-be admissions from politicians and others, including current gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner.

After that call from Rauner in 2008, the aide called the principal of Payton College Prep, who then admitted Rauner’s daughter — even though her scores didn’t meet Payton admission standards that year, and even though the “principal pick” process had not started, Sullivan said.

So the principal angle is off the table now as well.

[ *** End Of Updates *** ]

* We all know that Bruce Rauner has changed his story about how his daughter was admitted into the high-performing, limited enrollment Chicago public school Payton Prep. Here’s Bernie’s story from January…

Rauner told me in a Sept. 3 interview. She was let in through something called the principal’s list, he said, which at that time was available for 5 percent of admissions for those with “special circumstances.”

The clout part of this story includes an allegation that Rauner called ARNE DUNCAN, who was then CEO of Chicago Public Schools and is now U.S. secretary of education.

In that Sept. 3 interview, I asked Rauner:

“Did you talk to Mr. Duncan about it?”

“I did not,” Rauner responded.

* Rauner eventually admitted making that call. And he explained at the time that his daughter’s admission problem was due to poor attendance caused by ill health…

Rauner admits making a call to former Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan to see how he could get his daughter into Payton, despite what he calls a middle school attendance record marred by illness. He says principals have some discretion in admitting a small percentage of students, and parents have a right to make an appeal like he did.

Back to Bernie’s story, which quotes Rauner’s spokesman…

“So they … saw and spoke with Arne Duncan multiple times throughout the year,” Schrimpf said. “The exact date of when they might have brought it up, I don’t have that. But at some point, they said they were applying. … They knew their daughter had top grades, top test scores, but had the absences, and they wanted to go to Chicago public schools. So they inquired as to … if she would even have a shot at being admitted, and were told that she should go ahead and apply, and if she doesn’t get in via the first route … then she sounds like her situation is why the discretionary pool exists.”

* But that’s not what retiring Chicago Public Schools Inspector General James Sullivan found during his own investigation. IG Sullivan was on Chicago Tonight last night and here’s what he had to say…

At the time there [was] a consent decree in place mandating racial preferences at the schools. Only up to 35 percent white students, 65 percent non-white students could be taken.

The bar was very high for white students. She tested very well, just not quite high enough to meet Payton’s standards.

Our investigation revealed that there was a phone call made to the CEO’s office by Mr. Rauner, and after that somebody in the CEO’s office called Walter Payton and his daughter was admitted to the school.

* OK, so her test scores just weren’t high enough. But were her attendance problems a factor? Nope…

All students that were applying that year, 7th Grade attendance is no longer an element of the application process.

I don’t know what her score was in that 100-point range, but everybody was graded on the same scale.

* Video of the exchange…

The full interview is here.

Obviously, we need further clarification about this story.