RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the purpose of Chicago Public Schools is to educate, inspire, and advocate for a quality education for all students that is equitable to their peers in wealthier districts in our state; and,
Whereas, this purpose often becomes mired with barriers that prohibit students from reaching their full potential by not providing them with the essential, general standards of what a solid education entails; and,
Whereas, textbooks and technology are considered a luxury and inconsistent in schools across the city; and,
Whereas, by not offering equitable resources the public school system is failing children in low income neighborhoods; and,
Whereas, librarians, counselors, nurses, and social workers are not represented in schools as widely as they should be to meet the literacy needs, physical health needs, and socioemotional health needs of our students; and,
Whereas, the arts are an underrepresented and underappreciated area of education in schools that is being put on the backburner; and,
Whereas, students' academics are being affected, as they are unable to have a creative outlet when the arts are not funded properly in the city; and,
Whereas, a 2011 study found that, by increasing investing in the arts, students' achievement rates rise as well, and the opposite of this is occurring in schools, contributing to lower rates of achievement; and,
Whereas, students are expected to pay an athletic fee to cover gear, supplies, and at times, personnel, which is adding onto already high student fees and making many students bow out of athletics; and,
Whereas, it has been proven that smaller class sizes benefit students in lower-income communities, yet many students still struggle in classrooms filled with forty or more students packed in a room vying for the teacher's attention and trying to learn; and,
Whereas, CPS has a high teacher and principal turnover rate in its schools, which creates a lack of stability for students and their educational experience; and,
Whereas, the curriculum created for students is constantly rocky and unsure, as the teacher has to learn it along with the student, as they are new to different schools and classes, because of this high turnover rate; and,
Whereas, students are unable to keep up with specific curricular changes causing students to fall behind and suffer because teacher and principals are coming and going from different schools as if through a revolving door; and,
Whereas, students within CPS are expected to preserve in their school environments, yet their schools and the city's general population and media take a hands-off approach in regards to interest and investment in their education; and,
Whereas, students in such environments that do not foster belief and encouragement for students' success and need for education are unable to effectively learn and do well in school; and,
Whereas, students cannot have a healthy lifestyle within their school when their water fountains are filled with toxins like lead; and.
Whereas, students cannot learn on empty stomachs as many would rather not eat than partake in the distasteful options in their school cafeterias; and,
Whereas, it is assumed that students go to school to learn in a safe and clean environment, yet school facilities are not clean nor safe to a point where students' learning experiences are impeded; and.
Whereas, students are concerned about the environment that they are put in to learn instead of dedicating their full, undivided attention to learning itself; and,
Whereas, the CPS system is designed to guide students down a successful path to college but the school system fails to acknowledge that students' pathways can lead to a variety of vocations instead of college; and,
Whereas, students are expected to make their way to school every day, yet the money that it takes for students to make their way to and from school is a burden for students and their families; and,
Whereas, some students do not have a stable system to get to and from school every single day, which causes stress for them and their families and unnecessary absences; therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago should partner with the Chicago Board of Education to use Chicago's vast resources and connections to provide an equitable education that rivals the education of their wealthier, suburban peers; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should reach out to the textbook industry and technology industries within our city and state to provide equitable resources for every child in Chicago; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should work together to equitably staff every CPS school with librarians, counselors, and nurses; and,
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should reach out to the city's very diverse artistic community and ask for partnerships with specific schools to give students real world arts experience and training; and
BE IT RESOLVED, these partnerships would also lead to funding for schools to have their own arts education, which would also give the arts community direct connections to future artists in their area, creating direct pipelines into these industries for the benefit ofthe students and the industries; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should partner with Chicago's acclaimed professional sports organizations and athletic industries to fund athletic programs and provide for equitable necessities such as protective gear and/or uniforms; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should use educational research on class size to make a well-informed decision on class size limits for Chicago's neediest students; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should connect with university and college students to provide their students with work-study opportunities as extra personnel in CPS, especially in hard-to-staff areas; and
BE IT RESOLVED, to help maintain high quality teachers and principals, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should incentivize the careers by making connections to colleges and universities to offer higher-level course-work for free; and
BE IT RESOLVED, to help maintain high quality teachers and principals in hard-to-staff schools and disciplines, the City of Chicago and the CBOE should offer teachers and principals incentives that span the city such as free transit cards, property tax reductions, and/or extra pay; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the Chicago Public Schools would partner with universities to fund professional development experiences to current teachers and principals in exchange for giving their students abilities to connect with future coworkers or employers; and
BE IT RESOLVED, every Chicago Public School should have lead-free drinking water in their fountains for their students, and the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should partner with drinking water industries to offer alternatives like bottled water until this becomes the case; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should partner with restaurant industries and culinary schools around the city to provide healthier, more nutritious, and tastier food for students; and
BE IT RESOLVED, in order to excite more students about their education and harbor better cultures in schools, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should contact places of
interest in and around the city to ask for field trips to be donated to students, and in exchange, the students would spread the word about their businesses, come back, and reach new demographics for such public places; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should partner with construction industries to provide upkeep for schools at a reduced cost; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should partner with the cleaning supplies industry to offer cleaning supplies for schools at a reduced cost, and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago and the CBOE should join with the STEM fields to provide viable career options for graduating CPS students; and
BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of Chicago, the CBOE, and the City Colleges of Chicago should converge to offer every senior in a CPS high school with the opportunity for dual enrollment courses; and
BE IT RESOLVED, Chicago Public Schools in conjunction with the Chicago Transit Authority should create a program that, sponsored by donors, would help fund students' transportation; and
BE IT RESOLVED, Chicago Public Schools, in order to make transportation to and from school affordable to all CPS students who require it, should reach out to rideshare industries and compromise with the Chicago Transit Authority on a family rate instead of an individual rate for school transit; and
BE IT RESOLVED, Chicago will become an educational haven for Chicago students only when students' needs are met equitably in respect to their wealthier, suburban peers; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution, crafted by the Lindblom Math & Science Academy students Curtis Robinson, Alyssa Diaz, Jazmin Gonzalez and Jasmine Lewis, be presented to the Chicago Board of Education and all high schools within the Chicago Public School system for distribution & discussion.