BACKGROUND HISTORY ON THE HIGH SCHOOL:

Little Village has 4000 children of high school age and only one high school with a capacity for 2000 kids. A new high school is needed.

In 1998, the Chicago Public Schools and Mayor Daley promisedto build 3 new schools - North Side College Prep, Walter Payton and Little Village

Walter Payton and North Side Prep have been up and running for 1 and 2 years while Little Village hasn't even begun to be constructed

In 1998, the Board of Education purchased 18.5 acres of land at 31st and Kostner to build the high school in Little Village

The Chicago Public Schools allocated $30 million for the 1999-2000 budget for the construction of the new high school

Today the Board of Education is claiming there is no money to construct the high school

BACKGOUND HISTORY ON THE MOTHERS ON HUNGER STRIKE:

An education committee comprised mostly of mothers set out to find out about the status of the high school. Over the last year the committee has taken the following steps in an attempt to gain progress on the construction of the new high school

November 2000, the committee presented the CPS Board of Directors with 2500 signatures petitioning the board to begin construction.

March 2001, the committee met with the head of construction of schools. Parents were told that there was no money for the new high school and they should go to the state and ask Governor Ryan for more money.

April 2001, a group of parents from the committee spoke personally with Governor Ryan about the high school issue and the budget for the construction. The parents were told that $30 million was already given to CPS for the school and he was not going to give them any more than the usual $100 million regularly given to CPS for the annual budget.

May 13th, 2001, 18 people, mothers, fathers and teenagers, went on a 19 day hunger strike to draw public attention to the lies and corruption and demand our high school is built.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONEY AND WHERE IS THE SCHOOL?