D'Amico Working to Pass Legislation Creating Elected Chicago School Board

State Rep. John C. D’Amico, D-Chicago, is working to give local families a voice in their children’s education by backing legislation creating an elected Chicago school board and leading a petition drive urging politicians to take immediate action.

“While local families face the consequences of overcrowded classrooms and underfunded schools, we are still without a voice on the board,” D’Amico said. “Chicago families deserve better and most importantly our children deserve better.”

D’Amico is sponsoring House Bill 4268, which creates an elected school board for the Chicago Public Schools comprised of 13 school board positions from four different regions. This bill ensures the elected board members will be accessible by requiring 50 percent of the meetings to be held after business hours so working parents have an opportunity to attend. Currently, the Chicago Board of Education consists of seven appointed members. This legislation would take that authority and place it in the hands of the people starting with the March 15, 2016 election.

To make sure the community’s voice is heard, D’Amico will be sending out petitions throughout the Chicago neighborhoods in his district demanding the General Assembly pass this legislation. Residents can receive a petition by contacting D’Amico’s fulltime constituent service office at 773-736-0218, johnd@ilga.gov or can sign the electronic petition at http://www.bit.ly/electedschoolboard-damico.

“We need a school board that works for the people and with the people,” D’Amico said. “Our children’s education is vital to their success, as well as the success of our neighborhoods and our city.”

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