Collins supports moratorium on CPS closures
Katharine Eastvold
Published: March 20, 2013
Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus
Department of Communications
www.IllinoisSenateDemocrats.com
State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins
www.SenatorJacquelineCollins.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
March 20, 2013 Katharine Eastvold 217-782-0591
keastvold@senatedem.ilga.gov
Collins supports moratorium on CPS closures
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins issued the following statement on legislation she co-sponsored to prevent Chicago Public Schools (CPS) from closing any school facilities until the end of the 2014-15 school year:
School closures destabilize children, families and communities. They should not be undertaken lightly. I continue to have deep concerns about closing a large number of schools and uprooting their students - particularly children with special needs, children experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable young people - without adequate time to prepare for safe and supportive transitions.
I am not convinced that schools labeled as “failing” have been offered the resources that could put them back on track or that consistent, well-publicized, district-wide criteria are being used to identify schools for closure. A moratorium on school actions will allow CPS to clarify these criteria and identify needs in each underperforming school. It will also allow CPS leadership to pay down the trust deficit that hinders its ability to focus on what should be its highest priority: educating every child. I look forward to seeing the master facilities plan CPS will present this year, and I urge a renewed commitment to community involvement, school-level improvement and thoughtful, measured action.
The moratorium legislation, Senate Bill 1571, received preliminary approval from the Senate Education Committee yesterday.
####