HR0361enr 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0361 Enrolled LRB098 12122 MST 45985 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION 361

WHEREAS, The Illinois State Constitution provides that the fundamental goal of the people of this State is the educational development of all persons and that the State shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services; and

WHEREAS, It is the intent and policy of the State of Illinois as previously established by the General Assembly to make the individual school in a school district the essential unit for educational governance; and

WHEREAS, The Chicago Public School (CPS) system estimates that it will have a budget deficit exceeding $1 billion for its fiscal year 2014 budget; and

WHEREAS, CPS indicates that it needs to close, co-locate, and turnaround underutilized and underperforming schools in an effort to attempt to close the estimated fiscal year 2014 budget deficit; and

WHEREAS, After providing a preliminary list of 129 schools, and participating in a series of public meetings regarding the schools on the preliminary list, CPS, on March 21, 2013, announced proposed actions involving 114 schools; and

WHEREAS, A major factor contributing to the underutilization of CPS schools is the expansion of school capacity; currently CPS has only about 1% fewer students than it did in 1991 but has almost 100 more school facilities; and

WHEREAS, On May 22, 2013, the Chicago Board of Education voted to close 50 of the original 54 schools from the initial proposed closing list, despite opposition and recommendations against the closure of 13 schools being raised by hearing officers, retired State and federal judges, hired by CPS to vet the closing process; the hearing officers raised doubts about the wisdom of the proposals, that the proposals were insensitive to the needs and educational success of students and in some cases will place them in harm's way; and

WHEREAS, Over 30,000 CPS students will be impacted by overall school actions; and

WHEREAS, The CPS school closing plan, which includes actions affecting welcoming schools, turnaround schools, co-locations, and school phase outs will impact 5,277 students with disabilities, each of whom has an Individualized Educational Plan; and

WHEREAS, School closings often have profound ramifications for the educational experience of students and the surrounding community, as numerous studies have shown that when a school is closed or negative actions take place, student academic outcomes are negatively impacted, safety concerns are increased as children have to travel farther and through sometimes dangerous territory, and parental and community confidence in the school system is shaken; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 97-238 called for significant reporting changes for Chicago District 299 in regards to the State programs included in the General Education and Educational Services Block Grants for which CPS has failed to adequately respond or provide required information; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 97-474 called for the establishment of an "Educational Facilities Master Plan" for CPS that shall provide community area, individual, and school master plans, in addition to community analysis, facility needs, and district requirements that CPS is required to report by October 1, 2013; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the intent and policy of the State of Illinois remains educational success and well being of our children; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge sensitivity to the perspective of students, parents, community leaders, and local school councils by the Chicago Public School system, and we urge CPS to continue to actively engage all parties affected by the school actions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge CPS to honor its commitment to have a 5-year moratorium on school actions as a result of the passage of Public Act 97-1133, and we urge CPS to act in a transparent manner and to fully engage the Illinois General Assembly and all stakeholders, students, parents, and community leaders in a process that is clearly delineated and responsive to the perspective of all involved whenever it engages in school actions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Chicago Public Schools shall fully and timely comply with the requirements of Public Act 97-238 and Public Act 97-474 and provide information to families affected by the school actions and the Illinois General Assembly on cost savings from planned school closing, any extra security and safety programs for students as well as equipment upgrades for "welcoming" schools as passed by the Chicago Board of Education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the City of Chicago School District 299.