HR0834 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0834 LRB099 15056 GRL 39266 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Pope Francis, in his address to Congress, called upon the American people to come together in aiding those "trapped in a cycle of poverty"; in his address, Pope Francis asserted that "[t]he Golden Rule . . . reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development"; and

WHEREAS, Article X, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution states that a fundamental goal of the people of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities; and

WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of this State to ensure that every child has access to the high quality education he or she deserves, whether in the childcare context, early childhood education classrooms, elementary school, middle school, high school, or college; and

WHEREAS, House Resolution 56 of the 96th General Assembly urged the State Board of Education to establish a comprehensive plan to close the student achievement gap by the 2010-2011 school year; and

WHEREAS, Time and time again, schools in low-income communities are strapped for resources and are labeled underperforming; and

WHEREAS, The ongoing inequality of education resources is a potential human rights violation that needs to be investigated immediately; and

WHEREAS, Illinois should support gifted students with educational resources, regardless of school district; and

WHEREAS, Low-income neighborhoods have a clear disadvantage in our State's education system and this body seeks to be responsive to the needs of these communities; and

WHEREAS, A closer look at systemic income-related discrimination in our schools is needed to develop a clear understanding of the challenges we face and what we can do to overcome them; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Task Force on Equality in Education be created to conduct an investigation on education services provided to low-income families; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force shall consist of the following members: 3 task force members appointed by the Speaker of the House; 3 task force members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House; one task force member from the Department of Human Rights, appointed by the Governor; one task force member from the State Board of Education, appointed by the Governor; one task force member who is an educator representing a statewide professional teachers' organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education; one task force member who is an educator representing a different statewide professional teachers' organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education; one task force member who is an educator representing a professional teachers' organization in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education; one task force member from an organization that exists to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education; and one task force member from an organization that works for economic, educational, and social progress for African Americans and promotes strong, sustainable communities through advocacy, collaboration, and innovation, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force be appointed and hold its first meeting by March 1, 2016; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force shall take voluntary assistance and testimony from individuals and professional organizations and institutions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the task force shall serve without compensation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Human Rights shall provide staffing and administrative support services to the task force upon request; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force shall submit its final report to the General Assembly and the Governor no later than December 31, 2016.