HJ0095 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0095 LRB102 28153 RJT 40860 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, School districts receive funding from the State as determined by Section 18-8.15 of the School Code; and

WHEREAS, Under paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of Section 18-8.15 of the School Code, school districts may apply funds received to any fund in which the school district is authorized to make expenditures by law; and

WHEREAS, State funding under Section 18-8.15 of the School Code may not be allocated proportionally or as needed to schools within City of Chicago School District 299; and

WHEREAS, Some schools in City of Chicago School District 299 are facing staffing issues due to a lack of full-time teachers; and

WHEREAS, Some schools in City of Chicago School District 299 have reported elevated levels of lead in the school's water; and

WHEREAS, 50 schools in City of Chicago School District 299 were closed in 2013, with the long-term effects of those closures still uncertain; and

WHEREAS, Some schools in City of Chicago School District 299 have failed health inspections in previous years, including the finding of rats and rodent droppings; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, it was estimated that one in three schools in City of Chicago School District 299 had year-long teacher vacancies; and

WHEREAS, In 2020, City of Chicago School District 299 lacked resources to provide for modern e-learning to all students at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, many students in City of Chicago School District 299 did not have access to the Internet to access e-learning resources; and

WHEREAS, Attendance for e-learning at some high schools in City of Chicago School District 299 fell below 50%; and

WHEREAS, In January 2022, students walked out of class in response to the forced reopening of in-person education; and

WHEREAS, In March 2022, City of Chicago School District 299 reported an unspent amount of approximately 69% of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, funds that were budgeted for expenditure for the year; and

WHEREAS, City of Chicago School District 299 has continued to receive additional pandemic-related federal and State funding for the 2022-2023 school year, yet struggles to fill new interventionist positions at each of its schools; and

WHEREAS, In March 2022, City of Chicago School District 299 reported that total school enrollment has been declining, which under student-based budgeting has led to the loss of funding for schools with declining enrollment; and

WHEREAS, The 2020 United States Census indicates that around 450,000 school-age students live in the City of Chicago; however, only 330,411 students were enrolled at the start of the 2021-2022 school year; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Auditor General is directed in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 3 of Article VIII of the Illinois Constitution to make an additional report covering how City of Chicago School District 299 allocates funds to schools provided to City of Chicago School District 299 by the State Board of Education under Section 18-8.15 of the School Code and through other appropriations of funds to determine whether some schools have been receiving more resources than others; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the additional report shall also cover the dropout rate per year of students, the number of students during the COVID-19 pandemic who are no longer enrolled in City of Chicago School District 299, how the school closures in 2013 affected funding and students, any additional plans to aid schools that are failing to provide an adequate education to their students, and any current plans to re-enroll students and assist students who have been impacted by the loss of in-person instruction during the pandemic; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the additional report is not a formal examination of City of Chicago School District 299's accounting records, financial situation, or compliance with some other set of standards; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge City of Chicago School District 299 to cooperate with the Auditor General in the creation of the Auditor General's additional report.