From da Alderwoman:
The overcrowding at Lincoln Elementary has been a serious concern for our community for many years. I
am proud and happy to share with you that Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced
today that we have received funding for a new addition to Abraham
Lincoln Elementary School. This addition will not only
eliminate the current overcrowding at the school but will also
anticipate the growing needs of our community.
The new addition will be built on the site of the current Lincoln Elementary School. It will accommodate approximately 500 additional children and keep all grades at Lincoln Elementary under one roof,
unified. The additional space will allow Lincoln Elementary to offer
planned pre-K programming, full day kindergarten and to provide adequate
facilities for its full range of educational programming. The current building will also receive significant upgrades.
The entire community will benefit from this addition as well, as the
design anticipates space for community use when school is not in
session.
CPS has provided conceptual plans which
you can view on our website. However, these plans are subject to change
as we review them further and receive input from parents. Some key
parts of the plan:
- The addition is on the current site, allowing all grades to be in one building;
- A new ground level playground will be built;
- A new open-air play level will be built on the roof, with plenty of space for soccer and basketball. Best-practices designs such as those incorporated at the British School and Catherine Cook School will be incorporated;
- Nineteen new classrooms will be built, allowing for the full educational program of Lincoln Elementary to thrive, including the IG (International Gifted) program, EFAC (Ecole Franco-Americaine de Chicago), ESL (English as a Second Language) and band;
- A new lunchroom/multipurpose room will be built in the annex, providing modern space for dining and flexibility to use the space for gym, recess, and other activities for younger students;
- Electrical upgrades to the existing 1874-era building will allow for window AC units to be installed;
- The entire school will be ADA-compliant with the installation of an elevator that can stop at all of the many levels of the old school.
This
dream could not have come true without the passionate commitment of
Lincoln Elementary parents and community members. Over 1,300 Lincoln
parents and community members wrote, called, e-mailed, met, and
testified in support of expanding Lincoln Elementary. The Lincoln Local
School Council engaged in a rigorous analysis of the various options to
handle the overcrowding which guided our decision-making. Ward residents
contacted our office with a variety of solutions. The enormous amount
of input that we received is what allowed us to make an informed
decision and vet all of our options accurately before arriving at this
solution.
I
want to thank Mayor Emanuel, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara
Byrd-Bennett, and all the elected officials who listened to our
community over the past two years, and who helped us to find the money
from other existing state revenues that resulted in several schools
receiving funding. Thank you as well to DePaul University, who offered
space in their new College of Education Building to help ease the
overcrowding this year.
This is a victory for all the children in Lincoln Park and Old Town.
Our schools are the foundation of our neighborhood and the reason why
people choose to live here. The new addition to Lincoln Elementary
ensures that it will remain, along with elementary schools Alcott, Oscar
Mayer, Newberry, and LaSalle, and Lincoln Park High School, a place
where children receive a top-notch public education right in their own
neighborhood.
What's Next?
Look forward to further planning meetings
as we finalize plans for the school. CPS tells us that we can count on
having the addition ready for school opening in Fall, 2015 - just one
full school year away. In the meantime, we'll be continuing our work to
find a temporary solution to the overcrowding for one more year.
What about the Children's Memorial site?
Last
year, I held up further review of any proposed development at the
Children's Memorial Hospital site in light of the overcrowding at
Lincoln Elementary. I felt that it was irresponsible to move forward on a
development that could increase the burden on Lincoln Elementary before
resolving the overcrowding issue.
Since we have now reached found a solution, I am immediately directing
McCaffery Interests, the developer of the Children's site, to prepare a
plan that responds to the community's concerns raised about their
earlier plan, chief among them height and density. We have given them a deadline, November 21st,
to bring new plans to the community and have scheduled a community
meeting for the presentation of these plans. I hope you will join me on Thursday, November 21st to review the plans and provide input:
Children's Memorial Redevelopment Public Meeting
Thursday, November 21st
6:30pm
DePaul Student Center
2250 N. Sheffield
Congratulations
to all on this important milestone. I look forward to working with you
as we move forward. As always, I am honored to represent such a vital
and passionate constituency.
Sincerely,
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Michele Smith
43rd Ward Alderman
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