HR1121 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Article X of the Illinois Constitution states that: "A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities. The State shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services. Education in public schools through the secondary level shall be free."; and

WHEREAS, The community of Austin on Chicago's West Side is the largest by population of the city's 77 officially defined community areas; the area is over 87% African-American and has a population of about 117,000, of which about 14,000 are of high school-age; Austin, like the other communities of the West Side, continues to suffer from the past recession; and

WHEREAS, Austin Community Academy High School was a public 4-year high school in the Austin neighborhood; during the mid-twentieth century, Austin High School was considered one of the best high schools in the Chicago area; in later years, however, Austin suffered from low test scores, low attendance, and student violence; the Chicago Public School system subsequently began phasing it out in 2004, ordering the school to stop admitting new freshman; the last graduations were held in June of 2007 and the phase-out was completed by the end of summer in 2007; its successor, Austin Community Academy, was open for one year before it was shut down by Mayor Richard M. Daley; and

WHEREAS, The campus that formerly housed Austin Community Academy High School is now home to 3 smaller schools, Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy High School, Austin Polytechnical Academy, and VOISE Academy High School, which have a total attendance of 1,038 students, compared to the 6,000 students the academy held; and

WHEREAS, It is widely felt that these 3 schools do not adequately serve the entire student population of the Austin community and that, if Chicago Public School leaders don't create more high school seats in the West Side neighborhood, more youth will end up in the streets of Chicago's toughest areas; Austin has no public option for high school, forcing students to either travel long distances, apply for selective magnet schools to which they have little chance of acceptance, or drop out of school entirely; and

WHEREAS, On April 24, 2014, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced plans to build the Barack Obama College Preparatory High School, with selective enrollment open for the 2017-2018 school year; the Chicago Public School system is collecting ideas and proposals for more than 40 of the school buildings it shuttered in last year's massive school closings on a website the district launched, and the Chicago Board of Education has asked members of the public and community groups to submit proposals for the old school sites, including the old Emmet School sites; and

WHEREAS, The Chicago Board of Education continues to invest in the improvement of Rockne Stadium just south of the proposed site to be used as an athletic field for team sports; $700,000 in improvements to the CPS-owned stadium were recently announced; and

WHEREAS, A new high school built on the 133,600 square-foot site of the old Emmet School in Chicago, which has been given the proposed name of West Side Unity High School, would ensure that the student population of the Austin community could receive the quality education that they deserve; and

WHEREAS, Building a new high school on the site of the old Emmet School would ensure that the Chicago Public School system would not have to find and purchase a new site, since the proposed site is already owned by CPS; in addition, the land qualifies as a TIF area, which would help fund any new construction project with over $20,000,000; this decision would also rid the Austin community of an eyesore that has proven to be a detriment on the safety and values of properties and businesses in the community and replace it with a building that will reduce crime and increase property values for families on the West Side; and

WHEREAS, Building a new high school at this location would also place it on Madison Street, a street that features numerous public transportation options to enable many students to reach the school safely and easily; and

WHEREAS, Building 2 new high schools simultaneously, utilizing the same blueprints, could prove to be a more cost-effective solution to the problems faced by those on Chicago's West Side; and

WHEREAS, Numerous schools in Chicago's West Side could serve as feeders for a new school at the old Emmet site, including Austin neighborhood schools and Ellington, GR Clark, DePriest, Spencer, Hay, Nash, Brunson, McNair, Lovett, and Young Schools; and

WHEREAS, In this month when we honor the fight that resulted in the Brown v. Board of Education decision, let us come together in our own fight for equal educational opportunities for all; we must fight and work to end racism in education, mass incarceration, and senseless death due to violence; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and all stakeholders to work together to bring a school to the Chicago's West Side to help meet the needs of the tax-paying families in those communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we congratulate President Barack Obama on the dedication of the Barack Obama College Preparatory High School after him and commend Mayor Rahm Emanuel for expanding more opportunities for educational success for families of Chicago; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Governor to come together to bring a new high school to Chicago's West Side; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn.