Illinois Legislature Sets Aside $50M for Near North High School

Interesting to see this story pop-up about a new high-school for Chinatown (and Bridgeport and South Loop) residents (via Sun Times):

The Illinois Legislature set aside $50 million in a new capital budget approved over the weekend for a new high school to be built on the Near South Side, boosting the hopes of Chinatown residents who have spent years pushing for a neighborhood school to serve their community. 

The grant doesn’t guarantee a new school will be built, but it revitalizes an effort that was set back a few years ago when a plan to transform a South Loop elementary school into a high school failed.

Given the cost of building a school in recent years, CPS would need to commit an additional $25 million to $60 million for the project to have any chance of becoming reality. A CPS spokeswoman didn’t answer questions about the state funding Tuesday.

It's not clear where this could come but the article does allude to the fact that location could be a challenge as South Loop real estate is expensive and Chinatown/Bridgeport are already pretty built-up.

Don't hold your breath on this one, but maybe some progress is being made on a neighborhood high school (even if it wouldn't be IN the South Loop).