Committee on Education and Child Development
City Council Meeting May 23, 2018
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, 371,382 students were enrolled at Chicago Public Schools at the start of the 2017-2018 school year; and
WHEREAS, 77.7% of those students are economically disadvantaged; and
WHEREAS, it is the legal and moral obligation of the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois to provide public education to all students; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago Public Schools are funded by taxpayers, with more than half of taxpayer dollars going to the Board of Education; and
WHEREAS, staffing deficiencies exist as it relates to librarians, nurses, social workers and counselors are rampant in CPS; and
WHEREAS, there are currently only 296 social workers at CPS to service the more than 371,000 students in CPS; and
WHEREAS, CPS currently employs only 109 occupational therapists to serve the students of CPS; and
WHEREAS, there are only 120 full-time nurses employed by CPS; and
WHEREAS, in 2017-2018 CPS budgeted for less than a third of the number of librarians staffed in the 2012 school year; and
WHEREAS, three out of four Chicago Public Schools do not have a librarian, with only 25 of 167 Chicago Public School staffing at least one full time librarian; and
WHEREAS, the total number of certified librarians at CPS is 40; and
WHEREAS, numerous studies show that students with access to a full-time librarians achieve better test scores in reading and writing than those students without access to librarians; and
WHEREAS, the American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-student counselor ratio of 250:1, yet the current ratio of students to counselors in CPS is roughly 1000:1; and
WHEREAS, failure to provide school counselors disproportionately impacts first-generation and low-income students; and
WHEREAS, failure to provide students and staff with these supportive services is detrimental to education of students and the learning environment as a whole;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and the members of City Council call for hearings before the Committee on Education and Child Development at which CPS appear to discuss:
Current and historical staffing of librarians, nurses, social workers and counselors; CPS' plan to engage and fill the staff needed in each school and what resources will be required; and,
The public health and education ramifications of failure to provide these essential services to CPS students.
Susan Sadlowski-Garza Alderwoman, 10th Ward
acott Waguespack Alderman, 32nd Ward
Sophia King Alderman, 4th Ward
Leslie Hairston Alderman, 5th Ward
Roderick Sawyer Alderman, 6th Ward
Toni Foulkes Alderman, 16th Ward
David Moore Alderman, 17th Ward
Ricardo Munoz Alderman, 22nd Ward
Christopher Taliaferro Alderman, 29th Ward
John Arena Alderman, 45th Ward
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa Alderman, 35th Ward