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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, School districts receive funding from the State
3as determined by Section 18-8.15 of the School Code; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Under paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of Section
518-8.15 of the School Code, school districts may apply funds
6received to any fund in which the school district is
7authorized to make expenditures by law; and
 
8    WHEREAS, State funding under Section 18-8.15 of the School
9Code may not be allocated proportionally or as needed to
10schools within City of Chicago School District 299; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Some schools in City of Chicago School District
12299 are facing staffing issues due to a lack of full-time
13teachers; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Some schools in City of Chicago School District
15299 have reported elevated levels of lead in the school's
16water; and
 
17    WHEREAS, 50 schools in City of Chicago School District 299
18were closed in 2013, with the long-term effects of those
19closures still uncertain; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Some schools in City of Chicago School District
2299 have failed health inspections in previous years,
3including the finding of rats and rodent droppings; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In 2019, it was estimated that one in three
5schools in City of Chicago School District 299 had year-long
6teacher vacancies; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 2020, City of Chicago School District 299
8lacked resources to provide for modern e-learning to all
9students at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
 
10    WHEREAS, As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, many students
11in City of Chicago School District 299 did not have access to
12the Internet to access e-learning resources; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Attendance for e-learning at some high schools in
14City of Chicago School District 299 fell below 50%; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In January 2022, students walked out of class in
16response to the forced reopening of in-person education; and
 
17    WHEREAS, In March 2022, City of Chicago School District
18299 reported an unspent amount of approximately 69% of federal
19funds from the American Rescue Plan, funds that were budgeted
20for expenditure for the year; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, City of Chicago School District 299 has continued
2to receive additional pandemic-related federal and State
3funding for the 2022-2023 school year, yet struggles to fill
4new interventionist positions at each of its schools; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In March 2022, City of Chicago School District
6299 reported that total school enrollment has been declining,
7which under student-based budgeting has led to the loss of
8funding for schools with declining enrollment; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The 2020 United States Census indicates that
10around 450,000 school-age students live in the City of
11Chicago; however, only 330,411 students were enrolled at the
12start of the 2021-2022 school year; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
15SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Auditor General is directed
16in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 3 of Article VIII
17of the Illinois Constitution to make an additional report
18covering how City of Chicago School District 299 allocates
19funds to schools provided to City of Chicago School District
20299 by the State Board of Education under Section 18-8.15 of
21the School Code and through other appropriations of funds to
22determine whether some schools have been receiving more

 

 

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1resources than others; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That the additional report shall also cover the
3dropout rate per year of students, the number of students
4during the COVID-19 pandemic who are no longer enrolled in
5City of Chicago School District 299, how the school closures
6in 2013 affected funding and students, any additional plans to
7aid schools that are failing to provide an adequate education
8to their students, and any current plans to re-enroll students
9and assist students who have been impacted by the loss of
10in-person instruction during the pandemic; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That the additional report is not a formal
12examination of City of Chicago School District 299's
13accounting records, financial situation, or compliance with
14some other set of standards; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That we urge City of Chicago School District 299
16to cooperate with the Auditor General in the creation of the
17Auditor General's additional report.