A major Latino community organization wants state money to pay for new schools on Chicago’s overcrowded Northwest and Southwest Sides.

Leaders from the United Neighborhood Organization released a study yesterday that shows the city would have to build 28 new elementary schools just to relieve current overcrowding. This is UNO CEO Juan Rangel:

RANGEL: All these billions of dollars we’re talking about, whether it’s stimulus or new revenue, we have to figure out that part of that money has to come to overcrowding relief.

Overall enrollment in CPS is declining, and the district has closed or consolidated more than 30 schools since 2004 for what it says is low enrollment.

But heavily Latino areas of the city remain overcrowded. CPS is running multiple shifts in some schools and busing about 1,000 students to relieve overcrowding.

The state hasn’t awarded money for school construction since 2003. Gov. Pat Quinn’s office issued a statement saying Quinn wants over $3 billion in capital funds to pay for school construction and maintenance in the state.