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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Article X of the Illinois Constitution states
3		that: "A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the
4		educational development of all persons to the limits of their
5		capacities. The State shall provide for an efficient system of
6		high quality public educational institutions and services.
7		Education in public schools through the secondary level shall
8		be free."; and
9		WHEREAS, The community of Austin on Chicago's West Side is
10		the largest by population of the city's 77 officially defined
11		community areas; the area is over 87% African-American and has
12		a population of about 117,000, of which about 14,000 are of
13		high school-age; Austin, like the other communities of the West
14		Side, continues to suffer from the past recession; and
15		WHEREAS, Austin Community Academy High School was a public
16		4-year high school in the Austin neighborhood; during the
17		mid-twentieth century, Austin High School was considered one of
18		the best high schools in the Chicago area; in later years,
19		however, Austin suffered from low test scores, low attendance,
20		and student violence; the Chicago Public School system
21		subsequently began phasing it out in 2004, ordering the school
22		to stop admitting new freshman; the last graduations were held
23		in June of 2007 and the phase-out was completed by the end of

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1		summer in 2007; its successor, Austin Community Academy, was
2		open for one year before it was shut down by Mayor Richard M.
3		Daley; and
4		WHEREAS, The campus that formerly housed Austin Community
5		Academy High School is now home to 3 smaller schools, Austin
6		Business and Entrepreneurship Academy High School, Austin
7		Polytechnical Academy, and VOISE Academy High School, which
8		have a total attendance of 1,038 students, compared to the
9		6,000 students the academy held; and
10		WHEREAS, It is widely felt that these 3 schools do not
11		adequately serve the entire student population of the Austin
12		community and that, if Chicago Public School leaders don't
13		create more high school seats in the West Side neighborhood,
14		more youth will end up in the streets of Chicago's toughest
15		areas; Austin has no public option for high school, forcing
16		students to either travel long distances, apply for selective
17		magnet schools to which they have little chance of acceptance,
18		or drop out of school entirely; and
19		WHEREAS, On April 24, 2014, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
20		announced plans to build the Barack Obama College Preparatory
21		High School, with selective enrollment open for the 2017-2018
22		school year; the Chicago Public School system is collecting
23		ideas and proposals for more than 40 of the school buildings it

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1		shuttered in last year's massive school closings on a website
2		the district launched, and the Chicago Board of Education has
3		asked members of the public and community groups to submit
4		proposals for the old school sites, including the old Emmet
5		School sites; and
6		WHEREAS, The Chicago Board of Education continues to invest
7		in the improvement of Rockne Stadium just south of the proposed
8		site to be used as an athletic field for team sports; $700,000
9		in improvements to the CPS-owned stadium were recently
10		announced; and
11		WHEREAS, A new high school built on the 133,600 square-foot
12		site of the old Emmet School in Chicago, which has been given
13		the proposed name of West Side Unity High School, would ensure
14		that the student population of the Austin community could
15		receive the quality education that they deserve; and
16		WHEREAS, Building a new high school on the site of the old
17		Emmet School would ensure that the Chicago Public School system
18		would not have to find and purchase a new site, since the
19		proposed site is already owned by CPS; in addition, the land
20		qualifies as a TIF area, which would help fund any new
21		construction project with over $20,000,000; this decision
22		would also rid the Austin community of an eyesore that has
23		proven to be a detriment on the safety and values of properties

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1		and businesses in the community and replace it with a building
2		that will reduce crime and increase property values for
3		families on the West Side; and
4		WHEREAS, Building a new high school at this location would
5		also place it on Madison Street, a street that features
6		numerous public transportation options to enable many students
7		to reach the school safely and easily; and
8		WHEREAS, Building 2 new high schools simultaneously,
9		utilizing the same blueprints, could prove to be a more
10		cost-effective solution to the problems faced by those on
11		Chicago's West Side; and
12		WHEREAS, Numerous schools in Chicago's West Side could
13		serve as feeders for a new school at the old Emmet site,
14		including Austin neighborhood schools and Ellington, GR Clark,
15		DePriest, Spencer, Hay, Nash, Brunson, McNair, Lovett, and
16		Young Schools; and
17		WHEREAS, In this month when we honor the fight that
18		resulted in the Brown v. Board of Education decision, let us
19		come together in our own fight for equal educational
20		opportunities for all; we must fight and work to end racism in
21		education, mass incarceration, and senseless death due to
22		violence; therefore, be it

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1		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2		NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3		urge the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and all
4		stakeholders to work together to bring a school to the
5		Chicago's West Side to help meet the needs of the tax-paying
6		families in those communities; and be it further
7		RESOLVED, That we congratulate President Barack Obama on
8		the dedication of the Barack Obama College Preparatory High
9		School after him and commend Mayor Rahm Emanuel for expanding
10		more opportunities for educational success for families of
11		Chicago; and be it further
12		RESOLVED, That we urge Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the
13		Governor to come together to bring a new high school to
14		Chicago's West Side; and be it further
15		RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
16		delivered to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce
17		Rauner.