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 - Lincoln Park Schools Get Top Rankings -
- New Early Childhood Education Program -
- Dog Registration Updates -
Also In This Issue
Hotel Lincoln Pop Up Market
CTA Budget Hearing
New Trees in the Park
Bag your Leaves
Expanded Pre-School
Register your Dog

Schedules:

 

November Street Sweeping

Hotel Lincoln Vintage Pop Up Market
Saturday, November 15th
11am - 3pm
Hotel Lincoln - 1816 N. Clark St.

Head to Hotel Lincoln for a holiday pop-up market featuring local Chicago vendors. 

CTA Public Hearing 

Monday, November 17th 6:00pm

CTA Headquarters - 567 W. Lake St., 2nd Floor 

 

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Forrest Claypool proposed a balanced $1.44 billion budget. CTA customers and the general public have the opportunity to provide comments at the public hearing.

 

 Click here for 2015 Budget Recommendations.

Park District Planting New Trees in Lincoln Park

I'm pleased to report the Chicago Park District is planting 32 new trees on the south end of Lincoln Park, near the Ben Frankling statue! Look for the new trees being planted this week!

Start Bagging Your Leaves

City Pickup Nov. 3 - 21

  

The Department of Streets and Sanitation is  providing a dedicated bagged leaf collection for three weeks this November, if you call 311 to request it.

 

From November 3 through November 21, call 311 to request yard waste collection. A truck will collect leaves and other yard waste separately based on the 311 calls and take the yard waste to be composted.  Collection will occur during the week it is called into 311.

 

The Department of Streets and Sanitation asks that you bag the yard waste separately from garbage in the Black Carts and recycling in the Blue Carts, and leave the bagged yard waste in the alley or on the curb.  

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Featured in Chicago Tribune

Steve Johnson with the Chicago Tribune recently visited the Nature Museum and featured the museum in the Museums 101 column! 






43rd Ward Office

2523 N. Halsted 

www.ward43.org

 

Office Hours:

Monday

9a.m.-7p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday

9a.m.-6p.m.

Friday

9a.m.-12p.m. & 2p.m.-6p.m.

 

Contact us:

 phone

773-348-9500

email

yourvoice@ward43.org

Dear Friends,

 

In case you missed it, the Chicago Sun-Times recently released rankings of the top high schools in the State and the top elementary schools the Chicagoland area. The rankings demonstrate what we already know - Lincoln Park schools are among the best!

 

Lincoln Park High  School is the top open enrollment high school in the State, and Lincoln Elementary and Alcott Elementary Schools are in the top ten neighborhood schools, with Lincoln as #1 and Alcott #7.  LaSalle Language Academy is in the top 50 middle schools.


 

Chicago Sun-Times Graphic

 

In other exciting school news, the fifth- and sixth-grade Alcott College Prep cross country team won the Chicago Public Schools City Championship in the elementary division. A big congrats to the team! Read more about the team at DNAinfo

New Help for Pre-School Education

 

At the November 5th City Council meeting, the Council approved the issuance of $17 million dollars in "Social Impact Bonds" to fund additional pre-school classes for nearly 3,000 under-served children.  After much study, I voted in favor of this measure, as it provides funding for a vital, and yet currently underserved, component of public education throughout the City and represents an investment in our City's future.

 

The State of Illinois does not mandate pre-kindergarten education, yet studies consistently show that pre-school education, particularly that which engages parents as well, improves school readiness.  In the face of the general underfunding of all education, Mayor Emanuel and CPS took action to introduce a creative initiative that expands this important component of a child's education. 

 

While the cost was minimal - only $17 million over a four-year time period - this transaction is unusual because the funding funding source is a loan from a private investment fund. 

 

The transaction, is however, structured so that the loan will only be repaid if - and only if - the program yields discernable, positive increases in objective measures in 3rd grade literacy and kindergarten readiness, as well a cost savings in special education.  To put it simply, should this program not yield net positive increases in childhood educational readiness, the lenders will not be repaid. 

 

Prior to casting my vote, I carefully studied the issue and came to the conclusion that this is a modest experiment in alternative financing that has the potential to yield immense gains for our City.


My remarks on the program were featured in both the Chicago Sun-Times and WTTW-11. Crain's Chicago Business also wrote about the program. Click here to read the ordinance in full. 

Register your Dog! 

New Ordinance Increases Penalties

 

As many of you know, the Chicago City Clerk requires all dogs four months and older be registered with the City of Chicago. Pet owners need to know that a new ordinance approved Wednesday toughens penalties for residents who have an unregistered dog. 

 

Under the measure, police and other City officials can ask to see the license for a dog on the public way, and if it can't be produced, the official can immediately issue a citation ranging from $30 to $200. The fines will be repeated daily until a dog license is purchased.

 

If your dog is currently not registered, please do so as soon as possible in order to avoid a citation. Registration costs $5 annually for spayed or neutered animals and $50 for dogs that haven't been sterilized. 

 

With certification of rabies vaccination, registration can be completed by clicking here. Call the Chicago City Clerk at 312-744-6770 with questions or to check registration status. 

Sincerely,

Michele Signature 

Michele Smith

43rd Ward Alderman