Legislators calling for moratorium on Chicago closings and turnarounds after CPS thumbs nose at the law
Illinois State Representative Cynthia Soto introduced a bill in Springfield to put a halt to the Chicago Board of Educations plans to close public schools and turn them over to private operators to be turned-around.
Soto's latest legislation is an answer to part of the annual “hit list” announcement of the Chicago Board of Education and the proposal before the Board to again expand the city's failing charter schools. This school year, the Board has announced that it is planning to close down and/or “turn around” 20 neighborhood public schools. Ten of those schools will be subjected to so-called "turnaround" if the announced plans of the mayor and the Board go through.
Illinois House Bill 4487 is the reaction to wide spread iregularities, coercion, rent-a-protestors and manipulation of data to hand public school buildings and students over to private coontractors some of whom have contributed to Mayor Emanuel's political campaign.
The full text of the bill is below.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4487&GAID=11&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=64142&SessionID=84&GA=97
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB4487
Introduced 1/31/2012 , by Rep. Cynthia Soto - Robert W. Pritchard - Derrick Smith - Maria Antonia Berrios - Mary E. Flowers
105 ILCS 5/34-18.43a new
Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that there shall be a moratorium on school closings, consolidations, and phase-outs in the school district in the 2012-2013 school year. Provides that any of these actions that are subsequently appropriate must be carried out no sooner than the end of the 2013-2014 school year, subject to any new set of requirements adopted by the General Assembly. During this moratorium period, requires the district to establish polices that address and remedy the academic performance of schools in which Illinois Standards Achievement Test scores reflect students performing at or below 75%. Requires these policies to establish clear criteria or processes for establishing criteria for making school facility decisions and include clear criteria for setting priorities with respect to school openings, school closings, school consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs, school construction, school repairs, school modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related school facility decisions, including the encouragement of multiple community uses for school space. Effective immediately.
1
AN ACT concerning education.
2
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:
4
Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
5
34-18.43a as follows:
6
(105 ILCS 5/34-18.43a new)
7
Sec. 34-18.43a. Moratorium on school closings,
8
consolidations, and phase-outs.
9
(a) The General Assembly recognizes all of the following:
10
(1) The Illinois Constitution indicates that a
11
"fundamental goal of the People of the State is the
12
educational development of all persons to the limits of
13
their capacities".
14
(2) Quality educational facilities are essential for
15
fostering the maximum educational development of all
16
persons through their educational experience from
17
prekindergarten through high school.
18
(3) The public school is a major institution in
19
communities that offers resources and opportunities for
20
many stakeholders, including not only families with
21
children who seek and deserve a quality education, but also
22
the entire community that seeks educational improvement.
23
(4) The equitable and efficient use of available
HB4487 - 2 - LRB097 17600 NHT 62807 b
1
facilities-related resources among different schools,
2
among racial, ethnic, income, and disability groups, and
3
among various types of schools is essential to maximize the
4
development of quality educational facilities for all
5
children, youth, and adults.
6
(5) The closing or opening of schools, as well as
7
school repairs, school additions, school phase-outs,
8
school consolidations, and school boundary changes, often
9
have profound impacts on education in a community. These
10
decisions should be carried out only according to clear
11
system-wide criteria and with the genuine involvement of
12
local school councils, parents, educators, and the
13
community in decision making.
14
(6) The General Assembly has previously stated that it
15
intended to make the individual school in the school
16
district the essential unit for educational governance and
17
improvement and to place the primary responsibility for
18
school governance and improvement in the hands of parents,
19
teachers, and community residents at each school. A
20
facility policy must be consistent with these principles.
21
(7) The school district has failed to address the needs
22
of schools placed on academic probation and failed to
23
adhere to the requirements of this Code and established
24
policies regarding the closure, consolidation, and
25
phase-out of its schools.
26
(b) Because of the finality of school closings,
HB4487 - 3 - LRB097 17600 NHT 62807 b
1
consolidations, and phase-outs and their wide-reaching
2
effects, there shall be a moratorium on these actions in the
3
school district in the 2012-2013 school year, and any of these
4
actions that are subsequently appropriate must be carried out
5
no sooner than the end of the 2013-2014 school year, subject to
6
any new set of requirements adopted by the General Assembly.
7
During this moratorium period, the district shall establish
8
polices that address and remedy the academic performance of
9
schools in which Illinois Standards Achievement Test scores
10
reflect students performing at or below 75%. These policies
11
must establish clear criteria or processes for establishing
12
criteria for making school facility decisions and include clear
13
criteria for setting priorities with respect to school
14
openings, school closings, school consolidations, school
15
turnarounds, school phase-outs, school construction, school
16
repairs, school modernizations, school boundary changes, and
17
other related school facility decisions, including the
18
encouragement of multiple community uses for school space.
19
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20
becoming law.
Comments:
By: john kugler
Turnarounds are facilities actions... Please see Golar video
Rep golar made it clear in her testimony during Tilden turnaround hearing that task force and legislation would work to stop all school actions, considering turnarounds to be facilities actions. Please watch the video in the Golas story from last weekend.
By: Maria Guerrero
HB4487
I'm a little concerned about the wording of HB4487 , and that turnarounds might not be included in the moratorium because they are not mentioned in that opening sentence. They are mentioned in the text, in regards to future actions.
Do you think turnarounds are included in the moratorium call ?