Stockton teachers and staff have supported our students and the Uptown community for many decades. While serving a population that is 70.9% low income, 17.5% English learners, and in which 27.6% have special needs, they have shown "Above Average Student Growth and an "Organized Culture and Climate" according to CPS's own data. Stockton students are also 9.4% above the national average in the Reading Growth category and 12.2% above the national average in the Math Growth category. They have maintained a positive influence on our students and families as evidenced by the testimony of those in the community and their ranking as "Organized" by CPS, despite only having one Counselor/Caseworker and only one half-time Social Worker (shared with another school). Closing this school would uproot many of our neediest children and force them to walk through an already crime-riddled neighborhood, often while crossing gang lines. While being listed as "underutilized" by the CPS Board of Education, those numbers are based on a target average class size of 36 students and fails to account for the 9 special education classrooms, including the specialized autism unit at Stockton. For these reasons, we the undersigned show our support for Stockton School and pledge to take any necessary steps to preserve its stabilizing presence in our Uptown neighborhood.