Aid. William D. Burns
Fourth Ward, City of Chicago
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, A1980 school desegregation decree mandating that no Chicago selective enrollment school admit more than 35 percent white students was lifted in 2009; and
WHEREAS, A recent analysis shows that lifting that decree has produced predicted outcomes where white student enrollment in the top-four schools increased as minority and low income student enrollment decreased in the top-four schools; and
WHEREAS, that analysis shows that enrollment numbers for white students at the top-four most selective schools jumped in 2010, the first year white student enrollment was no longer limited by the decree; and
WHEREAS, in the top-four most selective schools, minority and low income enrollment dropped just as quickly as white student enrollment rose upon the lifting of the decree; and
WHEREAS, Chicago Public Schools reports that minority student enrollment has risen from 75.7 percent to 78.5 percent between 2008 and 2013; and
WHEREAS, it is the duty of this City Council to ensure equal access to the best education the City of Chicago has to offer; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes in the benefit of racial and socioeconomic diversity in an education setting; and
WHEREAS, enrollment formulas already account for census tiers based on median household income, adult education levels and the percentages of single-parent households, owner-occupied homes and non-English speakers; and,
WHEREAS, the recent analysis indicates these formulas may not dictate enrollment standards in a way that optimizes racial and socioeconomic diversity; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Chicago' Committee on Education hold a hearing to review enrollment standards for Chicago Public Schools' most selective enrollment high schools.