* WGN…
Intense rhetoric between Chicago democrats and Illinois’ republican governor is nothing new, but some parents are upset it is now being played out in a letter sent home with their kids. Chicago Public Schools officials sent home a letter with all 381,000 students blasting Gov. Bruce Rauner and ignoring any role democrats may have played in the state’s budget woes.
The “Dear Parents” letter begins by stating “Governor Bruce Rauner, just like President Trump, has decided to attack those who need the most help.” Twice the letter accuses Gov. Rauner of “cheating” children. Once it says the governor “stole” from kids. The letter goes on to cite Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool’s often repeated claim that the governor broke a promise by blocking Chicago from receiving $215 million for city schools.
One CPS parent who contacted WGN wrote: “This is so inappropriate. How can he send political propaganda home?” The letter, paid for by taxpayers, does not mention democrats who have been in control of the city and state legislature for decades.
Government watchdog groups questioned the district’s decision to use such strong partisan language in a letter sent home with kids. “Invoking partisan politics – especially at the national level – is not the most effective way to build trust with parents and students,” said Sarah Brune of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
We’re arrived at a whole new level of weirdness, campers.
- Wylie Coyote - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
Time to program the kiddies…..
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:44 pm:
Vetoes hurt Chicago students.
Governors own.
The letter IS over the top, but $50 million in the back will force different “avenues” to be explored.
That veto will haunt Rauner until he makes it “right” in a budget.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:44 pm:
No. just no. A kid at my house gets something like that and I would be livid. Not appropriate. Not smart politics.
- Biscuit Head - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:47 pm:
Relax. Most of those letters probably turned into paper airplanes or never made it home.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:48 pm:
“Where’s Arne Duncan when we need him?!” - Fake Bruce Rauner.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:50 pm:
Classy. So very classy.
- Dupage Bard - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:51 pm:
Sounds like every letter sent to state workers from the Rauner administration. Also sounds like every press release sent with taxpayers dollars from Rauner.
- Tommydanger - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:54 pm:
Kids shouldn’t be used to ferry messages between divorced parents and they shouldn’t be used to ferry messages to their parents from an upset school administration.
Leave the kids out of it.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:54 pm:
Wildly inappropriate use of the schools and public funds for political propaganda purposes. Not a close call, as I’m sure Claypool knows.
Does Claypool want to get fired? Because if Emanuel doesn’t fire him after this, it’s on him.
- MSIX - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:56 pm:
That has to be an ethics violation.
- CPS Mom - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 3:59 pm:
What’s the big deal?!? I don’t see anything wrong with the letter. Glad I read it here because my two HS age sons won’t remember to give it to me. I think Claypool wants CPS parents to understand the gravity of the situation. While I hope the senate grand bargain passes, I have no faith that it will. If CPS parents don’t start making noise in Springfield then expect cut after cut after cut to our schools.
- Anon - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:01 pm:
This is the new reality in politics. Such a shame on both sides.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:10 pm:
The gratuitous swipe at President Trump makes it clear that the CPS is more interested in promoting the Cook County Democratic Party line than in educating their students.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:10 pm:
Herein lies a problem. …Mr. Schnorf says significant cuts in spending. I say freeze K-12 and start with CPS. I will lobby my state rep and senator accordingly.
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:14 pm:
Ck
- JoanP - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:15 pm:
I hold no brief for Rauner, but this is inappropriate.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:18 pm:
=I say freeze K-12 and start with CPS. I will lobby my state rep and senator accordingly.=
He won’t be listening. Everyone loves them some K-12 funding.
- Whatever - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:19 pm:
==Once it says the governor “stole” from kids.==
Now that you mention it, taking kids’ lunch money bears an uncanny resemblance to his business model, and he did promise to run the State like a business.
Snark aside, this kind of language is not called for. It may fire up the people who already see the governor as evil incarnate, but it will also cause the other side to dig in harder and turn off people in between the extremes.
- Peters Post - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:19 pm:
“Mr. Schnorf says significant cuts in spending. I say freeze K-12 and start with CPS”. CPS was already frozen out of 215 million in December. Your school district is next. Remind your Senator and Rep to cut their own districts next.
- Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:21 pm:
I will. They are guilty as well.
- School Parent - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:24 pm:
Look, no one should deny that Rauner is going after Chicago to rev up his base and try to leverage his own political agenda. That’s not even debatable.
And does he think that CPS is going to go under without a fight? Past CPS mismanagement doesn’t justify hurting kids in the middle of the school year. And it doesn’t justify defense of a funding system that gives Chicago kids a lot less, because downstate and suburban district don’t have to pay a dime in teacher pension costs, which are going through the roof.
- downstate hack - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:24 pm:
This is absurd even for Illinois standards. Claypool should be fired over this
- 340 E Randolph - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:24 pm:
Arm the kids! The Bears are coming.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:26 pm:
–And does he think that CPS is going to go under without a fight? Past CPS mismanagement doesn’t justify hurting kids in the middle of the school year. –
So let Emanuel tap his campaign fund to send out a mailer. This is obviously over the line for misuse of public funds.
- thunderspirit - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:27 pm:
No.
Just no.
Using CPS students as carrier pigeons is vastly inappropriate, regardless of who is doing it.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:27 pm:
Pardon, 4:26 was me.
- Sue - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:30 pm:
Using kids as messengers is a new low even for a guy who sat on a video so he could get reelected
- Anonymouse - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:37 pm:
The more interesting question (although I admit this letter is pretty interesting) is why thinks innocent of all this?
Why shouldn’t he be blamed? And why shouldn’t it be a partisan blaming?
The country’s divided. That’s a fact. Rauner’s on one side, lots of folks are on the other. If Rauner thinks he’s going to “take the arrows” — well, here’s one.
Man up, Bruce.
- northsider (the original) - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:38 pm:
Not all that different than the Governor spending day after day visitin’ schools and twitterin’ his pictures with the students.
- Henry Francis - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:46 pm:
I don’t think any schoolchildren will suffer as a result of bringing this letter home to their parents. They may be victims here, but not as a result of the letter.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:46 pm:
On the bright side, that’s about 10,000 less letters CPS would’ve had to send home last year due to declining enrollment.
- Irritated - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:49 pm:
Claypool ought to be fired for this. I’m not sure if there is a prosecutable offense here, but there should be.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:52 pm:
Can suburban and downstate folks send Claypool the bill for 20 years worth of CPS block grants?
- Springfieldish - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:57 pm:
Wait. Claypool should be fired for this? And what, you’re gonna give Terranova a raise?
Letters home are the best way to communicate with families. If emails to state employees inviting them to quit the union, using the state email system and the mail list is okay, then there’s nothing wrong with sending notes home with kids.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:57 pm:
Given the 2017 world we live in…
Is it out of line? Probably. Beyond “bad form”, actually questionable.
We now are 2 plus years without a budget, a governor that loves the photo ops in schools, and vetoes ways to help students too.
Given this framing, yikes, but comically appropriate yikes.
It’s not Rauner is a champion of CPS, unless you count clouting his denied Winnetka-living daughter into Payton Prep as an endorsement of CPS…
… so, we’ll see the “fallout”
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:11 pm:
Great.
Now Katrina McQueary is hopping back on her high horse again.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:19 pm:
From Katrina And The Waves….errr I mean the Tribune Editorial Board….
That drew a furious reaction from Rauner administration officials. On Tuesday, Illinois Secretary of Education Beth Purvis lashed Claypool in an open letter to district parents, calling Claypool’s announcement “curiously timed and unfortunate.” Purvis asserted that the district was “arbitrarily” creating a crisis to “help justify a campaign to raise taxes in Springfield.”
===============================================
Creating a crisis,eh?
” Crisis creates leverage to change … and we’ve got to use that leverage of the crisis to force structural change.”
That golden oldie from the Guvnah ring a bell?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:19 pm:
—Arm the kids! The Bears are coming.—
The Chicago Bears often do come to CPS schools. They aren’t that fierce tho. The kids should be able to handle them.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:44 pm:
Wierdness? Howzx this?
Proposal: Change the name of the state from ILLINOIS to DYSFUNCTION
Then we can have:
“Me? I come from Dysfunction. No, not my family; my State”
“I live in the State of Dysfunction.”
Springfield: The State Capitol of Dysfunction
I live in Chicago, Dysfunction.
Rauner: “I am the Governor of Dysfunction.”
Rauner: “I am the Governor of the Great State of Dysfunction.”
Dysfunction: THE laughing stock State in America that has NO-Real-Budget!
- Betsy Whip It Good DeVos - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:44 pm:
I blame Dianna Donaker
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:47 pm:
== That has to be an ethics violation. ==
Really? Who wants to start counting this ‘administrations'’ ethics vios?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:51 pm:
== This is obviously over the line for misuse of public funds. ==
But terranovies multiples are just fine? Wonderin’.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 5:58 pm:
== I’m not sure if there is a prosecutable offense here, but there should be. ==
Really? Howz about the gov’s failure to do his Constituitionally & State law mandate to present as balanced budget to the GA annually?
Put him in jail, or like some comments here, fire him. He’s way over the line for 2 years running.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 6:00 pm:
—But terranovies multiples are just fine? Wonderin’.—
According to the labor relations act the employer can communicate facts with the employees. AFSCAMMY says they aren’t facts but have they filed a ULP?
- CPS Parent - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 6:22 pm:
Claypool is in a tough spot, between Karen Lewis and Rauner, but this is inappropriate and offensive. It is also dishonest and needs to stop.
- BK Bro - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 6:51 pm:
The practically bankrupt school district prints a bunch of partisan political letters, hands them out to students, and sends the students home to show their parents. Unbelievable.
- Gust - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 6:53 pm:
Claypool is doing his job, glad to see the effort was made to inform folks. All the rage? It’s okay to use the kids to fundraisers for everything now days, but letter home about how this will effect the school system. That’s hilarious someone reached out to WGNnover this. You see, reality TV is the way to.
- OldIllini - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 6:59 pm:
== That has to be an ethics violation.
Really? Who wants to start counting this ‘administrations’’ ethics vios?==
So it’s agreed to be an ethics violation.
- Generic Drone - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 7:11 pm:
Well Terranova and Rauners message to state employees was sent to all state reciptiants of which some were children.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 7:58 pm:
I don’t believe Claypool sent this out without the Mayor’s approval. I believe the Mayor controls CPS messaging.
- Rod - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 8:17 pm:
CPS CEO Claypool was ordered by Mayor Emanuel to take the job, after Barb Bennett went down due to the Feds investigation. He walked into this nightmare, he should have never accepted this doomsday job. But after the defeat of Ms Clinton he had no federal appointment opportunities. He is a career bureaucrat and this is his lot in life.
- Not It - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 8:27 pm:
Let’s see the entire letter first, then we can get outraged. We may just be seeing one small part.
But yeah, does not look smart. It’s fair to ask parents to advocate for more funding, but not to lobby on a specific issue.
- use the link that says WGN - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 9:25 pm:
—Let’s see the entire letter first—
- Cadillac - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 9:43 pm:
== - Sue - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 4:30 pm:
Using kids as messengers is a new low even for a guy who sat on a video so he could get reelected ===
Bingo.
- Elliott Ness - Tuesday, Feb 7, 17 @ 10:10 pm:
Retribution from the Secretary of Ed letter earlier demonizing CPS- that Sec of Ed letter was paid for with taxpayer money too, and lots of it. The secretary of education is a newly created position that cost taxpayers $250k per year plus staff…and the position is being used to respond to the governor’s enemies at CPS. It all depends on the spin.
- NorthsideNoMore - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 4:15 am:
What did that cost the people of chitown in paper and printing? poor use of public funds, poor managemnt decision at the least.
- A guy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 8:46 am:
Defending this is pronouncing a sincere weakness.
If you’re defending this, ask yourself; what’s your next step?