The Illinois Senate voted today to abolish the General Assembly scholarship.  The program allows State Senator Iris Y. Martinez to award eight scholarships annually to deserving students in her district. Senator Martinez issued the following statement in regards to the Senate vote on House Bill 3810:

"At a time when all of my colleagues claim education is among their top priorities, I'm ashamed that the Illinois Senate would vote to strip needy, deserving children of the opportunity to go to college. Every year I have dozens of eligible applicants who come to my office seeking assistance, many of whom have no other avenue for attending college. It has been my honor to be able to help the constituents in my district achieve their educational dreams. Today the Illinois Senate, in a rush to appease the media, took away crucial educational opportunities and called it reform. That is wrong and I am thoroughly disappointed in the outcome. I look forward to putting increased scrutiny on the hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition waivers that colleges and universities award with little or no oversight and I plan to seek a seat on this task force."

Senator Iris Y Martinez would like to thank Representative Linda Chapa La Via for the resolution honoring her for Women's History Month in Illinois.  As the first Latina woman to be elected to the Illinois State Senate, it is an honor for Senator Martinez to be given this resolution.

Fearing the long-term societal impact of the proposed closing of the women’s prison in Dwight, State Senator Iris Y. Martinez is urging the governor to reconsider.

“This is punishment on the families, not the prisoners,” Martinez said of Gov. Pat Quinn’s plans to close the prison in Dwight and move the female inmates nearly 100 miles south to a state prison in Lincoln.

Martinez pointed out that the vast majority of the female inmates at Dwight are from the Chicago area. Moving them even further away only adds to the difficult in maintaining a family and support structure that can help the inmates when they are released back into their communities.

“Children would be further separated from their mothers. With gas prices rising, families are already struggling to make the hour drive to see their family members. It does not make sense to me that we would relocate these women farther from their families when that interaction is necessary to rehabilitation,” said Martinez.

The day before the governor gave his budget addressed and called for closing Dwight, Martinez toured the women’s prison.

In addition to the impact on the inmates and their families, Martinez also feared the effect the closing would have on the small community of Dwight, which stands to lose hundreds of jobs.

“I hope Governor Quinn and the Department of Corrections will take a step back and re-think the negative impact the proposed Dwight facility closure would have on the communities and the state,” Martinez said.

State Senator Iris Y. Martinez has introduced a measure this year intending to protect Chicago Public School (CPS) students and teachers from mid-year school closure disruptions that would affect learning.  

Senate Bill 3239 would put a one-year school closure moratorium on all CPS closures to allow the public the opportunity to be heard by CPS officials.   The one-year moratorium would also give CPS more time to create and implement required transitional plans identifying academic support, security, and transportation issues before students are re-assigned.

“Last year legislators came together with educators, parents, administrative officials, union officials and education advocates to evaluate how education facility decisions are implemented, and reform that process so that the focus would be on the benefit of the children attending these schools,” Martinez said. “CPS is currently not following the intent of the legislation signed into law last year born from the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force. Communities want to have a voice in school facility decisions and they have the right to be heard.”

In 2011, the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force was formed to review CPS’s guidelines to determine failing schools and subsequent plans to close, consolidate, turn-around, or phase-out facilities. The Task Force found that CPS was not clearly following the intent of the law which requires more public input and transitional planning in facility-related decisions.

“We’re not against closing underperforming schools, but there needs to be a process that involves community input and teacher input,” Martinez continued.

“Senator Martinez’ sponsorship and advocacy for a moratorium on school closings in Chicago will give Chicago students and families an opportunity for meaningful engagement with Chicago Public Schools,” said Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Teachers Union Political Director.   “Currently, there is a severe imbalance in the manner in which policy is created and applied in Chicago Public Schools. It is our hope that the moratorium bill will ensure that parents, students, and teachers receive fair and respectable treatment by Chicago Public Schools. "

To read more on this issue and to see Senator Martinez’ video response, please click here