RYH files complaint with Attorney General to force CPS to comply with facilities law | 9.21.17
Raise Your Hand filed a complaint with the Attorney General today to force CPS to comply with the facilities law that requires them to publish a space utilization report by December 31st of each year to show the utilization rate (based on their space use formula) and enrollment for each school.
CPS is currently 264 days late with meeting this obligation, and RYH has made repeated requests for the data via board meetings, social media and even doing a FOIA request in June of this year.
Given CPS includes info on their own website about needing to comply with this law, we question their lack of transparency and unwillingness to follow the basic rules to meet the public trust.
Chicago Public Schools has produced a Space Utilization report that includes the utilization rate and enrollment data for each school. This report can be viewed here: 2015 School Utilization and Enrollment Data. (As required by law, the space utilization report details school buildings operated by CPS and therefore does not include charter schools operated in their own building, as well as alternative schools.)
We know there’s another round of school closings on the horizon at CPS, and CPS has used utilization as one of their main factors in closing schools. As they continue to make plans and policies behind closed doors, we ask that CPS at least comply with the basic minimum standards of releasing data that’s required by law.
You can read the letter to the AG here.