Mayor Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools Announce 20 CPS Schools to Receive $500,000 Each as Part of Sustainable Community Schools Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, August 07, 2018

CHICAGO - Chicago Public Schools today announced the 20 schools who will receive a combined $10 million investment to implement the Sustainable Community School Initiative – a new initiative that pairs schools with community organizations to increase access to academic and non-academic programs for children and families. In the months ahead, schools and partner agencies will create detailed plans outlining the specific schedule of services that will be available to families, including afterschool programs, health services, family engagement programs, and more. The Chicago Board of Education approved this investment at its June 2018 Board Meeting, and programming is expected to launch in October.

“When schools and communities work together, great things happen for our children,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “The Sustainable Community Schools Initiative will help foster collaboration and cooperation between schools and communities in neighborhoods across Chicago. This is a win for our students, our schools and our communities.”

“By bringing together community members and educators under the shared mission of strengthening the supports our students and families need to thrive, the Sustainable Community Schools Initiative has the power to transform communities and create new opportunities for our students,” said CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson. “Our investment will provide critical services and programming to 20 school communities across the district in a manner that is tailored to the unique needs of each community and designed to effectively support the students and families who need our support the most.”

The Sustainable Community Schools Initiative was created with the goal of improving access to various programs for children and families, and supporting the relationships between teachers, parents, and school personnel – all while creating a supportive environment where classroom and social support services work together to enhance student achievement. The types of services and programming will be tailored to the unique needs of each school community. Examples of the resources school communities will receive include:

• Health services
• Social and emotional learning supports
• Enrichment and recreational activities
• Homelessness supports and services
• Family programming

A Collaborative Approach

This work is being driven by a 20-member taskforce, involving CPS leaders and union officials, who met on a bi-weekly basis to direct and manage the implementation of the Sustainable Community Schools Initiative. Earlier this year, the joint taskforce developed standardized criteria and invited eligible schools to apply. In order to be considered, the school must be located in a primarily low income community with 81 percent or more of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and must be a neighborhood open enrollment school. Schools that met all of the criteria were invited to apply along with a partner agency of their choice.

The following schools and partner agencies have been selected for this initiative:

Chicago Public Schools serves 371,000 students in 646 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district.

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