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Residency Bill
House Bill 4375, the Chicago Teachers Residency Bill sponsored by State Rep. Marlow Colvin (D-Chicago), passed the House Executive Committee on March 5. The bill has been placed on the calendar for future consideration by the full House of Representatives. Please contact your state representative today and urge a “Yes” vote on HB 4375. Chicago teachers deserve to be treated like every other teacher in the state of Illinois.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: HB 4375-Chicago Teachers Residency Bill
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to ask you to vote "yes" for HB 4375, the Chicago Teachers Residency Bill. Since 1996, newly hired teachers, as a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), are required to live within the Chicago city limits within six months of being hired. Failure to do so results in termination.
CPS seeks to fill thousands of teacher positions each year, and that job is made much more difficult when Chicago residency is required. How many exemplary educators don't even apply for teaching jobs in Chicago because of the high cost of living in the city, or because of family considerations that rule out a move to Chicago?
Add to the equation the system-wide instability caused by "restructuring," "reconstitution," "reorganization," "Ren 2010" or some other scheme foisted on students and teachers by CPS administration. Requiring new teachers to move to Chicago when the chance that their school will be turned upside down by some unproven school improvement scheme and they will be out of work is not sound educational practice.
No other school district in Illinois requires teachers to live within the city limits of the school district in which they teach. Chicago charter school teachers are also not required to live within the city limits, giving charter schools an unfair advantage over the CPS public schools when recruiting teachers.
All Chicago teachers are seeking is to be treated the same as every other teacher in Illinois. Vote "yes" for HB 4375, the Chicago Teachers Residency Bill so that CPS can attract and retain the best and brightest educators.
Sincerely,
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