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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate recognize that
3the State Board of Education's decision to implement the Common
4Core State Standards was not authorized by the General
5Assembly; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2010, Illinois became one of 45 states to opt
7into the Common Core State Standards Initiative by accepting
8federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
9of 2009 and through the Race to the Top initiative of the
10federal government; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Over the next few years, the Common Core State
12Standards, which are largely untested in the United States,
13will substantively change the educational standards for
14students in Illinois, thus affecting every teacher and student
15in the State; and
 
16    WHEREAS, There are many unknown and significant costs
17associated with the Common Core State Standards and the
18Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and
19Careers; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The only substantive cost analysis of the
21implementation of the Common Core State Standards was conducted

 

 

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1by the Pioneer Institute, a non-partisan, privately funded
2research organization, which estimates the financial impact
3for Illinois to be close to $773 million over 7 years; and
 
4    WHEREAS, There are many school districts who lack the
5technology, infrastructure, and funding to create an
6environment for the online-standards testing required by the
7Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
8or the new textbooks that will be needed to teach to the Common
9Core State Standards; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has not secured
11funding for schools that will need curricular, technological,
12and infrastructure upgrades; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The most recent data shows that over 60% of school
14districts are operating with a deficit, the prospect of a
15pension cost-shift, and other expensive unfunded mandates by
16the State; and
 
17    WHEREAS, It is inconceivable to require districts to incur
18costs to upgrade schools in their respective districts because
19the State Board of Education unilaterally made the decision to
20move to the Common Core State Standards, without counsel from
21school districts, without a strong statewide informational
22campaign about the Common Core State Standards, and without

 

 

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1performing a cost analysis for school districts and the State;
2and
 
3    WHEREAS, Indiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have opted
4out of the Common Core State Standards and more than a dozen
5states are considering legislation to repeal involvement in
6Common Core; 7 Governors have also issued executive orders to
7reexamine, change, or delay implementation or use of Common
8Core; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the State
11Superintendent of Education and the State Board of Education to
12opt out of the Common Core State Standards until a
13Board-authorized and conducted study shows the costs
14associated with the Common Core State Standards and the
15Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and
16Careers; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education and General
18Assembly create a viable plan to provide funding to school
19districts that need improvements and modernizations to comply
20with the new Common Core State Standards and the Partnership
21for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers; and be it
22further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2delivered to the State Superintendent of Education and the
3State Board of Education.