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Good Afternoon! My name is Linda Bond and I am the principal of St, John De La Salle Catholic School Academy of Fine Arts. St. John is located at 10212 S. Vernon Avenue on the southside of Chicago. Thank you for the opportunity to address some concerns I have about the fair allocation of State Funds to Illinois Schools. St. John is a co-ed catholic school with an enrollment of 282 African-American students. 85% of our students receive free or reduced lunch. State funding for St. John's students is VITAL to its existence. There is a great need for current textbooks and technology at St. John. Currently, we receive Title VI funding from The Federal Government to aid us with the purchase of textbooks. This allows us however to serve only a fraction of our student bodies annually. Only selected grades are allocated $23.00 per student for textbooks. At this rate we will not be able to update our textbooks without raising tuition, that will eventually close our doors. I applaud the Federal Government for sponsoring the Title I program that helps students at risk of academic failure and counseling. These two programs, Title I and Title VI have been helpful but much more needs to be done to bring equality to all schools. The Fair allocation of State Funding would encourage quality education for all children. I am suggesting that the State Government use in determining the poverty level of families the "FREE REDUCED LUNCH FORMULA" This formula offers a fair assessment of poverty and insures all students an opportunity for success. A GOOD EDUCATION IS GOOD FOR ALL OF SOCIETY. |
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