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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The Chicago Public School system (CPS) is studying | ||||||
3 | ways to best
consolidate a school district that according to | ||||||
4 | their formula has too many seats, too few
students to fill | ||||||
5 | those seats, and not nearly enough funds to maintain that | ||||||
6 | excess capacity; and
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7 | WHEREAS, In doing so they have actively sought input from | ||||||
8 | all Chicagoans given the
potentially devastating impact school | ||||||
9 | closures can have on a community; and
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10 | WHEREAS, A major factor contributing to the | ||||||
11 | underutilization of CPS schools is the
expansion of charter | ||||||
12 | schools in Chicago; currently, the number of seats available in | ||||||
13 | charter
schools amounts to more than half of the reported | ||||||
14 | excess capacity; moreover, any future
expansion of charter | ||||||
15 | schools will further exacerbate this problem; and
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16 | WHEREAS, It is not sound fiscal policy to fund the creation | ||||||
17 | of any additional schools
while facing such a large gap between | ||||||
18 | enrollment and capacity; and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, CPS should not simultaneously close schools for | ||||||
20 | budget reasons and fund
the creation of additional privately | ||||||
21 | operated charter schools; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Every seat created in a new charter school | ||||||
2 | potentially increases what CPS
has called the "chronic | ||||||
3 | underutilization" of the public schools; and
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4 | WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has previously passed a | ||||||
5 | resolution advocating the Chicago Board of Education establish | ||||||
6 | a moratorium on charter school expansion for the 2014-2015 | ||||||
7 | school year to allow CPS, parents, and community members time | ||||||
8 | to fully understand the impact of pending school closures; | ||||||
9 | those aldermen approving of such a moratorium are: Matthew | ||||||
10 | O'Shea, Pat Dowell, Ricardo Munoz, Willie Cochran, John Pope, | ||||||
11 | Mary O'Connor, Lona Lane, John Arena, Carrie Austin, JoAnn | ||||||
12 | Thompson, Toni Foulkes, Margaret Laurino, Joe Moreno, Roberto | ||||||
13 | Maldonado, Harry Osterman, James Cappleman, Michael Chandler, | ||||||
14 | Emma Mitts, Ameya Pawar, Roderick Sawyer, Latasha Thomas, Scott | ||||||
15 | Waguespack, Robert Fioretti, Nicholas Sposato, Timothy M. | ||||||
16 | Cullerton, Walter Burnett Jr., Joseph A. Moore, Leslie | ||||||
17 | Hairston, and William Burns; therefore, be it
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18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
19 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
20 | we urge the Chicago Board of Education to establish a | ||||||
21 | moratorium on charter school expansion for the 2014-2015 school | ||||||
22 | year; and be it further
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1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to the Chicago Board of Education.
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