Education
A History of Excellence in House District 17
As a father of four and a long-time resident of this district, I know how integral our schools are to our communities. The standards of excellence we set for our schools have brought our district notoriety and represent one of the biggest, if not the biggest, assets of our area. I will not allow our reputation for excellence in education to waiver.
School Choice
Unfortunately, not all schools in Illinois are created equal and many children, particularly in the Chicago Public School System, do not have access to quality education. I am dedicated to empowering families with the ability to take control of their children's education. In order to give students and their families an alternative to under-performing schools, I support school choice. School choice promotes free market competition and genuine reform. It is for this reason that I support State Senator Meeks and State Representative Joyce’s proposal to provide students attending a school performing in the bottom 10% of CPS with an opportunity scholarship voucher. This legislation uses only existing funds and comes at no additional cost to the state. I will vote to empower students and families with the choice to seek a better opportunity, if they chose to do so.
Charter Schools
Charter schools are directly accountable to their local school board and to the state
for maintaining high academic standards. The success of these schools in has been phenomenal. Charter schools in Chicago turned in 6 of the top 10 scores on the ACT last year. This year, the legislature and the Governor chose to double the number of charter schools (from 60 to 120) allowed in Illinois. This is a wonderful step, but it is not enough. I will vote to remove the cap on charter schools, so that the program can continue to grow and flourish and to ensure that supply can keep pace with demand. Currently, nearly 15,000 families are on waiting lists to attend charter schools. Charter schools are public schools open to any student who applies.
Local Control
I will oppose any further centralization of public school funding. Leveling the playing field without reforming how schools conduct their business will only compromise our most successful schools without significantly rectifying the problems in our failing institutions. Additionally, Illinois is a diverse state. There are 879 school districts in Illinois and each district, from the southern tip to inner city Chicago, is unique. Painting all schools with a broad brush will disenfranchise local schools and diminish the communities' ability to have a say in where their tax dollars are going.
Special Needs Education
The proportion of students with cognitive developmental disabilities in Illinois is on the rise. Autism, the fastest growing developmental disability, has increased tenfold over the past decade and now affects one in 110 children. As the number of students with disabilities increases in Illinois, the availability of services for special needs students must increase as well. Though many school districts deliver exemplary services to these students, not all districts are able to. We cannot let students in these districts fall through the cracks. As a legislator, I will fight to ensure that all special needs students receive the educational services they need to succeed.
Hamilton speaking at the Illinois Policy Institute's Turnaround Tour