SR0664 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0664 LRB094 19787 WGH 56823 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Southwest Side of Chicago, with a racially diverse population, suffers from a crisis in overcrowded schools; and

WHEREAS, Every school day thousands of children on the Southwest Side of Chicago are bussed from their homes to distant neighborhoods because their neighborhood schools are absolutely filled with students; and

WHEREAS, A brand new high school campus, the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus, opened in September of 2005 at a cost of at least $67 million but only serves 400 students from North Lawndale and Little Village today; and

WHEREAS, The four schools at the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus plan to enroll only another 340 freshman students next year, as the 400 current freshman students become sophomores; and

WHEREAS, Only one additional class of students will be enrolled at the four schools at the Campus so that the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus will not be at full enrollment until September of 2008; and

WHEREAS, The Little Village Lawndale High School Campus reflects the faces of the neighborhoods and enjoys a diverse student body; and

WHEREAS, Racial and ethnic diversity enhances the educational experience of all students; and

WHEREAS, Each of the four autonomous high schools in the Campus is scheduled to serve only 400 students for a total of 1,600 students served at the Campus; and

WHEREAS, There are far more than 1,600 students in North Lawndale and Little Village who need the educational resources of the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus; and

WHEREAS, Ethnic diversity in the schools provides children with tremendous learning opportunities and remains a federal mandate for the Chicago Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, A diverse student body with different races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, and socio-economic backgrounds is consistent with the highest ideals of the United States of America and is a precious benefit to protect in the Chicago Public Schools and in the Little Village and North Lawndale neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, Politics should play no role in determining which students from the neighborhoods of North Lawndale and Little Village get access to the world-class facilities of the Campus; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Chicago Public Schools to recognize the crisis of overcrowding and fill the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus to its full capacity of 1,600 students in September of 2006, and not to wait until 2008 to fill the school in order to end the insult of empty classrooms and full busses; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the racial and ethnic diversity of the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus should be protected and enhanced as a valuable educational component for all students; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the attendance boundary of the Campus should be moved farther east, from the current boundary of Pulaski Avenue, in order to provide more opportunities for children in both the North Lawndale and Little Village neighborhoods; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Chicago Public Schools to expand the maximum enrollment of the Campus beyond 400 students per high school to a more reasonable and appropriate level to serve more children from North Lawndale and Little Village without sacrificing educational quality.