SPRINGFIELD, IL—Illinois State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) has been appointed as co-chairman of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force.  The task force will make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly in regards to Chicago school openings and closings.

“I am honored to have been appointed to this task force by the Senate President,” said Senator Delgado, Chairman of the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee.  “I sponsored this legislation because we need to better understand how school openings, school closing, consolidations, and boundary changes impact students.”

This task force was developed in response to a current program Renaissance 2010, which works to recruit, develop and support new schools and ultimately, hold them accountable to high performance measures.  Opponents of Renaissance 2010 criticize plans which call for the closing and consolidating of schools and staff “turnarounds,” where the entire school staff would be replaced.  Community groups have long been frustrated and confused by the district’s criteria used for these determinations.

The Chicago Education Facilities Task Force will review the city’s school closing and construction policies, as well as the rules that govern these facility decisions made by Chicago Public Schools leaders and determine the best approach to use in future decision making.