* Yes, Gov. Rauner said he got emotional when he vetoed a CPS funding bill. Yes, the situation is a mess.
But, you know, passing a pension reform bill along with a stand-alone approp for that CPS funding would solve the problem and it wouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks…
Still trying to close a $215 million budget gap they blame on the governor, Chicago Public Schools officials are trying to chip away at that hole by freezing $51 million in spending, officials announced Monday.
About $28 million of the $51 million in planned savings will come by CPS halting planned expenditures on new textbooks, more technology, field trips, hourly employees and other items. An additional $5 million in planned spending on teacher training also is being frozen.
No school is supposed to lose more than 5 percent of its initial budget this year, but CPS wouldn’t immediately release any school-by-school figures. Schools that have squirreled away money for supplies or to get a jump on equipment for next year likely have the most to lose.
Another $18 million in savings is set to be realized by CPS scaling back funding to the 100-plus charter schools it helps bankroll. Those schools will have to decide how to adjust their budgets accordingly. […]
“Unfortunately, there is still more we must do to close the $215 million hole Gov. Rauner blew in our budget,” [CPS CEO Forrest Claypool] wrote in a letter addressed to Local School Council members tasked with approving individual school spending.
Notice they didn’t blame the House Speaker for not trying to override the bill in December. And, yes, I know the override woulda failed, but my point is what’s done is done and we’re in a new spring session and it’s time to move forward already.
* Meanwhile…
Chicago Public Schools faced a shortfall in its operations budget of roughly $500 million at the close of its past fiscal year, leaving the financially troubled district with a significant bill to cover even as it struggles to balance this year’s spending plan.
The budget shortfall was reported in a recently issued financial postmortem for 2016 that also repeated a long-held conclusion: CPS either needs an infusion of new money or will have to make major cuts if it is to keep operating as it has been. […]
Even if CPS manages to make up for state aid that hasn’t arrived and pulls together other savings to balance a $5.5 billion operating budget, which relied on ambitious assumptions, more than $100 million from last year’s shortfall remains.
…Adding… Yeah, this message from Claypool will help…
Governor Rauner, just like President Trump, has decided to attack those who need the most help. Governor Rauner and President Trump regularly attack Chicago because they hope to score political points. It is shameful.
Most recently, Governor Rauner broke his word by blocking Chicago from receiving $215 million for our schools. That $215 million was supposed to be a first step – just a first step — toward treating your children fairly. That $215 million was supposed to be a first step toward providing your children with their fair share of the dollars Illinois spends on children in the rest of Illinois. But Governor Rauner broke his word and did not take even that first step.
*** UPDATE *** Um, dude, he can’t “reverse his veto.” What’s done is done…
- Blue dog dem - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 2:38 pm:
Rauner…Schumer. must have been a typo.
- illinoised - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 2:38 pm:
I get emotional every day thinking about the damage being done to the state I love.
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 2:50 pm:
“Richard, ‘would have failed’, not ‘woulda’”
Richard: “yeees, Mrs. Beasley….”
- The Captain - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 2:50 pm:
Regarding Claypool’s comments at the end there, that shouldn’t affect the Governor at all, he said so himself.
- Cassandra - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
Well, they could get the money by raising Chicago property taxes again. They’re still lower than those in many suburban districts for similar homes. And Chicago has a lot of rich people living in its trendy neighborhoods; take a drive some day past all those streets of rehabbed million-dollar plus homes. Can’t Claypool and Mayor Rahm figure out a way to tax these folks a little more locally.
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 3:14 pm:
–Claypool: We ask the governor to reverse this veto immediately. –
More evidence as to why, when given a choice, a majority of Cook County voters went with the dying man in a coma over Claypool.
I bet Rauner wishes he could get back those hundreds of thousands he dropped on Claypool for that race.
- OneMan - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 3:38 pm:
Claypool: We ask the governor to reverse this veto immediately. We ask parents to call Rauner’s office to demand fair funding.
We ask that the Falcons be considered the winners of the Super Bowl
We ask that Hot Dougs reopens.
We that Rich Miller puts up more photos of Oscar
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 3:43 pm:
Well, no dumber than some ‘messages’ sent out by raunnerr, ck & terranovo.
- Moist von Lipwig - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 3:54 pm:
I would need a lawyer to look into this, but I believe there is some precedent for a veto reversal, albeit prior to the 1970 Constitution and in a specific circumstance.
A governor under the 1870 Constitution had, like now, a certain number of days to act on legislation, and acted on that legislation before the deadline. The Gov changed his mind, and, still before the initial deadline, announced suddenly that he was reversing his previous action. A judge held at the time that the final action taken before the governor’s deadline to act on the legislation was the one which stood.
Has anyone else heard of this?
- Illinois Native - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 4:41 pm:
The quick fix (for this year) for CPS is a massive layoff. The long term fix is a large property tax increase for Chicago residents. CPS should not budget money from the State of Illinois which has its own major financial problems.
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 5:12 pm:
“Has anyone else heard of this? ”
- Moist von Lipwig, No.
- Peters Post - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 6:57 pm:
“The long term fix is a large property tax increase for Chicago residents”, If as has been claimed by many, taxes are too high in the suburbs, why would the solution be to make taxes too high in the city of chicago. School funding would still need to be fixed no matter what anyones taax rate is.
- Thoughts Matter - Monday, Feb 6, 17 @ 7:14 pm:
Reverse his veto! If you bought this hook, line, and sinker as an actual possible outcome, please do not ever vote again. Low knowledge voters are how we got into this mess.
- Alexander Paterakis - Your friendly neighborhood Candidate - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 2:56 pm:
Hold my drink I got this… Paterakis 2018