IL HR0814

Urges the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and stakeholders to build a new traditional neighborhood high school in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.

Requests support for Michele Clark Academic Preparatory Magnet High School alongside the construction of a new traditional high school to meet community educational needs.

Notes that the West Side currently has only three smaller high schools with combined enrollment under 800 students, compared to the former Austin Community Academy High School which served 6,000 students.

Cites that 58% of West Side high school students attended schools outside their district region in 2022-23, forcing residents to travel long distances or leave the Chicago Public School system entirely.

Calls on Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker to support establishment of the traditional high school as essential to addressing educational inequities and community needs.