FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:      

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

 

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter (D–Chicago) passed legislation today that gives parents and community members a stronger voice in school-closing decisions. The measure, Senate Bill 630, fixes some problems with a bill passed earlier this year and is based on recommendations of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force (CEFTF) that was created in the 96th General Assembly.

"The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force was created to ensure that public schools meet the needs of the children and communities," Hunter said. "Families felt that CPS was not addressing their concerns when making sudden school closures. A child could be redirected to a school miles from their home instead of one a few blocks away. There just did not seem to be a sensible process for placing children in new schools. Now the community will have a seat at the table to address these problems by creating a student transfer plan."

The commission is also responsible for creating capital improvement plans, drawing up educational facility master plans, and developing a student transitional plan.

Senate Bill 630 will make the process of transferring students to new schools opened to address overcrowding quicker, helping ease the stress on teachers and students. The measure also fixes technical issues in the previous legislation, Senate Bill 620, such as delaying the implementation of annual capital reports until Fiscal Year 2013.

"Over the past year, the CEFTF found that the old process for closing schools, budgeting, and facility planning and improvement has had a negative impact on families," Hunter said. "Through this new process, we are opening up the decision-making process to the community, allowing for more transparency and the opportunity for community input."

　

　

######