Charter School Reform Act of 2009 Positions Illinois as First State to Answer President...

Charter School Reform Act of 2009 Positions Illinois as First State to Answer
President Obama's Call

Illinois Charter Public Schools Win Fight to Lift State's Restrictive Cap

CHICAGO, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The passing of Senate Bill 612
(Charter School Reform Act of 2009) is a significant step in the growth of
Illinois' charter public schools. After four years and countless hours of
lobbying and deliberation, SB 612 passed the House of Representatives without
opposition and the Illinois Senate by a vote of 45-10. The lifting of the
restrictive cap will allow 120 charter schools with limited geographic
constraints. This will include 40 new charter schools in Chicago, 15 for
downstate Illinois and five new schools allocated for drop-out recovery. The
bill will also call for a task force to examine independent charter school
authorizing in Illinois. The task force will report its findings to the
General Assembly on January 1, 2010.

"Illinois has taken an important step forward in helping to bring more
high-quality learning options to underserved communities," said U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan. "Illinois is the first state to deliver on President
Obama's charge to expand charter school opportunities as a means for driving
innovation and accelerating student achievement. As more charters open up in
Illinois, it is important that we maintain high standards of accountability to
ensure results for students and parents."

A Change Has Come

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) Executive Director, Elizabeth
Evans, has led the charge to expand this tried-and-true school model across
the state. "The charter school model puts students first. Our proven track
record of educational success shows that this is an effective approach. We
have fought extremely hard to lift the cap, and I truly believe that we will
see an upswing in academic achievement and a narrowing of our state's
educational achievement gap," said Evans. "Thanks to the leadership of Senator
Kim Lightford, Senator Heather Steans, Representative Jerry Mitchell, the
Civic Committee and other partners like the Chicago Public Schools, there is
new life in the state's public education system," added Evans.

With the lifting of the cap, charter public schools will continue to change
the lives of students, parents, their communities and broader society.
Currently, more than 13,000 families are waiting for the chance to attend a
charter public school. The lifting of the cap will provide them with the
opportunity to reap the benefits that charter schools provide. Currently, only
one in 44,000 students can attend a charter public school; however, the tide
is clearly moving in a more positive direction.

"We owe a great debt of gratitude to all the charter school parents who wrote
letters to their legislators, traveled to Springfield for Charter School Lobby
Days, spoke at events and rallies and spread the word about charter schools to
other parents and friends," said INCS Director of Public Policy, Carlos Perez.
"We will continue to count on their support as we face other challenges,"
Perez concluded.

Contact: Jenni Johnson, CGC Communications, 312-733-0644.

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit
http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE The Illinois Network of Charter Schools

Jenni Johnson of CGC Communications for The Illinois Network of Charter
Schools, +1-312-733-0644