State Forces Schools to Absorb Costs of Meeting New Graduation Standards
To better prepare students for college and the
workforce, Joliet Township High School District 204 recently adopted high school
graduation requirements consistent with new state standards set forth by Gov.
Rod R. Blagojevich’s Higher Standards, Better Schools
act.
However, to fully comply with the new mandates, Dist. 204 and other districts
across
Illinois
will need significantly increased
funding from the state than they are currently receiving.
“Raising
graduation requirements has a direct financial effect on school districts,” said
Dist. 204 Supt. Paul Swanstrom. “Most will need to extend the length of the
school day or reduce or eliminate elective programs in order to offer new
standard courses.”
To prepare students to
meet more rigorous graduation requirements, Dist. 204’s solution was to
lengthen the freshmen schedule by one period, allowing students to take enrichment
classes in math or reading, or an elective, depending on the
individual’s needs. Staffing the
new
“Freshman
Academy” required hiring about 20 new
employees, and the additional period of instruction increased the cost of the
freshman program by some 17 percent. And Dist. 204 is not alone in bearing
increased costs to meet the new requirements.
“More
than 80 percent of
Illinois
high schools currently do not meet
the state’s new graduation requirements, yet the state continues to under fund
its schools to the tune of $1,240 per student,” said Bindu Batchu, A+ Illinois
campaign manager. “If we are to hold our schools to higher standards, we must
provide them with the funding they need to support both basic educational
expenses and these new requirements.”
For more information, visit www.aplusillinois.org.
A+ Illinois contact: Bindu Batchu, Manager, A+ Illinois,
312.863.6014, bbatchu@aplusillinois.org
Contact: Paul
Swanstrom, Superintendent, Joliet Township High School District 204,
815.727.6970 or pswanstrom@jths.org
CHA and Citywide Partners Must Focus on Smooth Move-Ins, Self-Sufficiency
In its most recent update on the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA)
Plan
for Transformation, the Metropolitan
Planning
Council
(MPC)
spotlights the increase in
investments related to resident services and the need to ensure comprehensive
and coordinated programs to advance resident self-sufficiency. The Council also
urges CHA to publish periodic information on the progress of its service
provision strategy.
Just past the 10-year Plan’s
midway point,
Chicago
already is witnessing the results of
bricks-and-mortar redevelopment. Residents of new mixed-income communities are
moving into affordable, public housing, and market-rate units, as many other
quality homes near occupancy. But attractive
buildings
alone will not build healthy
homes and viable
neighborhoods.
In
its most recent CHA Plan for
Transformation Update,
MPC
recommends the CHA strengthen the system of
support services to public housing residents; carefully coordinate services to
avoid gaps or duplication and ensure smooth resident
transitions as they move from one location to
another; and
qualitatively assess service providers to assure they can meet the unique
challenges of serving public housing residents within mixed-income
communities.
MPC also
recommends
city partners boost their support for the
plan, specifically to invest in building the capacity of organizations working
on the ground with residents.
“It is unrealistic to assume that family self-sufficiency and community
stability fall under the same timetable as the plan’s bricks and mortar
redevelopment activity,” reads MPC’s update. “CHA tenants have new opportunities
to access services to advance on the path to self-sufficiency. The viability of
these opportunities no longer hinges on the CHA alone, but on the entire city’s
social service and workforce structure, the philanthropic community, and the
engagement of business and civic leaders.”
MPC’s update coincided in several aspects with the
findings of CHA Independent Monitor Rita Fry, who in her last report points out
the need to strengthen the accountability and capacity of resident service
providers. The complete MPC July 2005 CHA Plan for Transformation Update is
available at http://www.metroplanning.org/uploads/cms/documents/CHA_update_July_05.pdf.
MPC contact
: Robin Snyderman, Housing Director,
312.863.6007 or
rsnyderman@metroplanning.org
Contact:
Bernard Loyd, President, Urban Juncture, Inc.; and Co-Chair, MPC Housing
Committee, 773.285.5000,
bloyd@urban-juncture.com
Railroad Revamp Needs Sustained Private Sector Support, State Investment
Plan
Though Congress’ $100 million authorization to the Chicago Region
Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program to modernize
freight rail infrastructure was less than hoped, project officials agree that
the funding amassed – from the feds, Metra, and private railroads – is enough to
get the urgently needed project off to a good start.
“Thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in productivity depend on a
healthy regional rail network,” said John S. Gates, Jr., co-chairman of
CenterPoint Properties Trust, developer of the region’s largest intermodal
center in Rochelle, Ill., and immediate past chair of MPC’s Board of Governors.
“CREATE will improve road and rail congestion by unclogging Chicagoland’s
freight bottleneck, so the sooner we get this project off the ground, the sooner
the region will reap the rewards.”
MPC urges the railroads to redouble their support for CREATE, and to
preserve the cooperative alliance achieved by industry leaders that has proven vital
to maintaining a fluid gateway. Meanwhile, the state must create a new capital
investment plan to ensure that Illinois can enjoy the full benefit of funding
earmarked by the federal government and fend off the threat of losing jobs to
more efficient rail networks in other regions.
MPC contact: MarySue Barrett, President, 312.863.6001, msbarrett@metroplanning.org
Contact: John S.
Gates, Jr., Co-Chairman, CenterPoint Properties Trust, 312.578.1600, jgates@centerpoint-prop.com
Regional Housing Initiative Helps Expand Affordable Housing in Chicagoland
The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and MPC are working
with three regional housing authorities (Chicago, Cook, and Lake) to provide
financial incentives to owners and developers providing affordable housing in
opportunity areas. Known as the Regional Housing Initiative (RHI), the program
provides operating subsidies and four extra points in the federal Low-Income
Housing Tax Credit application to developers working to address the shortage of
mixed-income rental housing near jobs and transit, and the scarcity of homes
affordable to families earning less than 50 percent of the area’s median income.
RHI subsidies are also available for eligible, existing multifamily properties.
The program can fund up to 259 apartments within mixed-income communities,
making it an effective tool for Cook and Lake county municipalities working to
expand their stock of affordable homes to meet the goals of the Affordable
Housing Planning and Appeals Act.
A new rolling application process allows owners and developers of affordable
housing to submit proposals for this, the sixth round of RHI, at any time
throughout 2005. However, in order to be eligible for the four points, RHI
participants applying in IHDA’s Dec. 5, 2005 tax credit round must contact
Roberto Requejo, MPC housing associate, as soon as possible – and no later than
Nov. 22, 2005 – to schedule a required meeting to discuss the proposal and
coordinate the applications.
For more information about the RHI application,
including frequently asked questions and applications, visit www.metroplanning.org
.
MPC Contact: Roberto Requejo, Housing
Associate, 312.863.6015, rrequejo@metroplanning.org.
MPC contact: Robin
Snyderman, Housing Director, 312.863.6007, rsnyderman@metroplanning.org