IL HR0137

Urges the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and stakeholders to build a new high school on Chicago's West Side, specifically at the site of the old Emmet School, to be named West Side Unity High School.

Notes that Austin Community Academy High School was closed and replaced with 3 smaller schools serving only 1,038 students compared to the original 6,000, leaving an insufficient number of high school seats for approximately 14,000 high school-age students in the Austin community.

Identifies the 133,600 square-foot Emmet School site as already owned by Chicago Public Schools with over $20 million in available Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding to support construction.

Highlights that the proposed location on Madison Street offers convenient public transportation access and building a new high school there would address community needs while replacing a vacant building that negatively impacts neighborhood safety and property values.

Congratulates President Barack Obama on the dedication of Barack Obama College Preparatory High School and commends Mayor Rahm Emanuel for expanding educational opportunities, while specifically urging him and the Governor to collaborate on establishing a new high school on the West Side.