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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, A fundamental goal of the People of this State is | ||||||
3 | the educational development of all persons to the limits of | ||||||
4 | their capacities, this State shall provide for an efficient | ||||||
5 | system of high quality, public educational institutions and | ||||||
6 | services, education in public schools through the secondary | ||||||
7 | level shall be free, there may be such other free education as | ||||||
8 | the General Assembly provides by law, and this State has the | ||||||
9 | primary responsibility for financing the system of public | ||||||
10 | education; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, It is the intent and policy of the State of Illinois | ||||||
12 | that every student, regardless of the economic or social | ||||||
13 | circumstances and regardless of the school to which the student | ||||||
14 | is assigned, has the right to the same level of educational | ||||||
15 | services as every other student in this State, to the extent | ||||||
16 | allowed by State funds; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Twenty-nine percent of students in the Chicago | ||||||
18 | Public School system (CPS) did not meet State testing standards | ||||||
19 | in reading and 21% of students in CPS did not meet State | ||||||
20 | testing standards in mathematics in 2012; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Only 68% of CPS students graduate high school, and | ||||||
22 | 30% of students are chronically truant; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, CPS has reported a plan to close 54 schools in the | ||||||
2 | district; and | ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, Students who are at least 2 grade levels behind in | ||||||
4 | reading or mathematics, based on an assessment of the student's | ||||||
5 | reading and mathematics skills, would benefit from being placed | ||||||
6 | in a basic skills class when the student is in the 4th, 5th, | ||||||
7 | and 6th grades until he or she completes 6th grade or attains | ||||||
8 | reading or mathematics skills that are at or above the 6th | ||||||
9 | grade level, whichever occurs first; and
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10 | WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the State Board of | ||||||
11 | Education to take action against CPS for the failure to | ||||||
12 | adequately educate its students; and
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13 | WHEREAS, CPS has the opportunity to help failing students | ||||||
14 | by developing a plan that would address the issues students | ||||||
15 | within the district face; and
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16 | WHEREAS, CPS can help students by developing such a plan to | ||||||
17 | help build a foundation that helps students excel academically; | ||||||
18 | therefore, be it
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19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
20 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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1 | we urge the State Board of Education to withhold State funding | ||||||
2 | from the Chicago Public School system until the school district | ||||||
3 | has developed a plan to aid students within the district in | ||||||
4 | becoming academically successful and further evaluated the | ||||||
5 | impact of school closings to students and the community; and be | ||||||
6 | it further
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7 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
8 | delivered to the State Board of Education and City of Chicago | ||||||
9 | School District 299.
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