In fact, just three of Chicago s 10 most overcrowded high schools have any capacity additions planned, and none of these projects are funded. Many elementary schools haven t had their overcrowding problems addressed yet, either. CPS has been unclear about its plans for educational technology. Several generations of projects have come and gone from the CIP without clear evidence that they were completed. In fact, over half the funds allocated for school construction were spent in just the first two years of the five-year program.
Federal legislation is in jeopardy.
While there is still significant support in Congress, President Bush s education plan focuses a wide range of other issues, and has expressed no interest in federal legislation to assist with local school construction and repair needs. Despite the change in administrations, pressures exist in strong Republican states for help with school modernization. In fact, unmet capital need per student are actually highest in strong Republican states, and enrollment growth is also high in Republican areas of the country. This provides a ray of hope for those who want a federal school modernization bill to pass. Make public its demographic predictions for enrollment growth.