RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE CLOSURE OF CERTAIN VOCATIONAL TRAINING CLASSES AT SIMEON CAREER ACADEMY AND THE FUTURE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
WHEREAS, One of the bas-relief panels sculpted on the facade of the entrance to Chicago's City Hall depicts the education of the youth of this city as a principal pillar of municipal service. The city's basic covenant with its citizens to provide a comprehensive public education is endangered through the dismantling of educational policy built from the institutional knowledge and experience of multiple generations of Chicagoans from all walks of life who hold the common belief that a good public education offers a broad-based elementary and secondary curriculum that includes relevant vocational education; and
WHEREAS, From 1880 until very recent times, the Chicago Public School's Boards of Education and all former Superintendents have championed vocational education as a desirable and necessary adjunct to college preparatory curricula. A 2011 Harvard Graduate School of Education report stated "This surge in educational attainment laid the foundation for the staggering increase in American wealth and power that came to be known as the American Century ... Within the U.S. economy, there is also growing evidence of a 'skills gap' in which many young adults lack the skills and work ethic needed for many jobs that pay a middle-class wage. Simultaneously, there has been a dramatic decline in the ability of adolescents and young adults to find work. Indeed, the percentage of teens and young adults who have jobs is now at the lowest level since World War II"; and
WHEREAS, Current CPS policy appears to be shifting from an education for the students it has, toward only providing programs that cater to the needs of students it desires. There has been a decided erosion of the traditional curriculum that provides balanced academic, artistic and vocational offerings that address the requisites and aspirations of all...
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