City of Chicago: School for Students with Special Needs Proposed for South Side : Dec 14, 2011

Mayor's Press Office

Proposals introduced to City Council today by Mayor Rahm Emanuel would lead to the development of a South Side facility that caters to students with special needs.

“The City and its private partners are working to create a brighter future for our youth by making sure they have the tools and opportunities they need to succeed,” Mayor Emanuel said.

Chicago Foundation for Emotionally Disturbed Children

Two schools that offer specialized education would relocate into a new building in the Woodlawn community through a City-owned land sale.

The University of Chicago Foundation for Emotionally Disturbed Children would purchase 13 City-owned parcels along the 900 block of East 63rd Street for $383,000. The land would be used to construct a new, 72,000-square-foot educational complex for the foundation’s two affiliated schools: the Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, a residential treatment center for youth with emotional disorders; and the Hyde Park Day School, an elementary school for children with learning disabilities. Each of the school’s current locations would be demolished..

The $28 million development would employ 148 people. The proposed purchase price of the land is $500,000 less than its appraised value.

# For the Press Release, visit: http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Press%20Room/Press%20Releases/2011/December/12.14.11SchoolSouthSide.pdf