* Some news media outlets are still reporting that Mayor Brandon Johnson lobbied the governor and legislative leaders for a billion dollars in additional school funding. From Tina Sfondeles’ report yesterday…
Democrats were prepared to talk to Johnson about his Monday reference to $1 billion owed to Chicago Public Schools due to years of underfunding under the state’s school funding formula — but the issue wasn’t even broached during a nearly 30-minute meeting with the governor.
He instead talked about his list of smaller budget asks.
* But the CTU is coming to town next week along with CPS, and they will try to talk to legislators about the $1 billion demand. Ben Bradley…
Chicago Public Schools leaders are giving more than 600 teachers and staff members a paid day-off so they can go to Springfield to lobby lawmakers for more money.
A CPS spokesperson confirmed it’s working in conjunction with the Chicago Teachers Union on the legislative push just as the two sides begin contract negotiations. Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and board of education president Jianan Shi will also take part in the lobbying day on May 15. […]
“Chicago Public Schools is committed to standing alongside Chicago Teachers Union and other organizations to advocate for our fair share of funding from the State of Illinois,” a school district spokesperson said in an emailed statement to WGN. “While we are grateful for increased funding in this year’s budget at the state level, we continue to be uniquely disadvantaged by several funding inequities when it comes to pensions, capital projects, and the State’s own Evidence-Based Formula.”
* Mayor Johnson was asked by reporters this week whether Chicago was trying to jump the line ahead of other school districts with this $1 billion demand…
No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying that the state of Illinois has the funding formula that we all follow to ensure that there’s equity. But this is not a zero sum game. There’s more than enough for everyone. This is about equity. And so what the students need in Cairo, in Tamms, Illinois, or Waukegan, or in East St. Louis, or Rockford. Those students need it, Chicago as well. This is an opportunity for us to do right by the people of Illinois. Chicago being obviously the economic engine of the state. This is not about a line. This is not about a line. It’s not about what you get and what you don’t get. This about what we all deserve.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* The Illinois Policy Institute published the CTU action alert…
As you have seen by now, CPS leadership has rolled out school budgets across the district, including cuts to schools and staff across the city. These budgets won’t create the schools our students deserve. As CTU members, we have been consistently clear that the state isn’t fully funding its own equity formula, underfunding CPS by more than $1 billion each year. We need Governor Pritzker and our state legislators to fully fund all Illinois schools, including Chicago Public schools.
If we’re going to get what we need, we must push for it. We need you to come to Springfield with us next Wednesday, May 15, to advocate for more school funding.
It will be an exciting and important day.
We’ll talk with your legislators about the need for real investments in our schools. They need to hear directly from you about how the lack of sufficient school funding impacts your students. And, a large presence of red shirts at the capitol will tell the Governor and our Springfield lawmakers that they must support our students and fully fund our schools.
CTU will provide transportation and lunch for the day. We’ll leave from the CTU Center, 1901 W. Carroll Ave. Please arrive by 6:30 a.m. for a departure of no later than 7 a.m. We’ll arrive at the State Capitol around 10:30 a.m. and head back to Chicago around 2 p.m.
CTU members will be eligible for a release day to attend this important effort to advocate for our schools and our students. The time and effort you will spend making this trip to Springfield is an important investment in your work and our students and families’ futures.
We have an opportunity this year to transform our schools like never before. We have presented CPS with transformative contract proposals that would provide every child, in every school, in every neighborhood with a better, fuller school day. More arts programming, bilingual supports, a librarian and a library in every school, and healthy, green schools are among the items we are beginning to negotiate with CPS.
But we won’t be able to truly transform our schools without additional funding for CPS. That’s why your presence in Springfield next week is so critical.
Can we count on you to help us secure the investments we need to create the schools we deserve?
- Not Amused - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:24 am:
Remember when the CTU opposed public tax dollars for stadiums? They used to shout, “We need teachers in the hall, not more money for DePaul!”
But now? President Stacy Gates was present when MBJ was gushing over his plan to give public tax dollars to subsidize the billionaire owners.
Oh, how the times have changes. Very hypocritical.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:25 am:
=uniquely disadvantaged by several funding inequities when it comes to pensions, capital projects, and the State’s own Evidence-Based Formula.”=
=There’s more than enough for everyone. This is about equity.=
CPS is in a unique position and has been for almost 30 years since the ILGA gave control of the district to the mayor. That will change soon, but there is still time to act. CPS also has a unique financial resource in Chicago that is, as they state, the economic engine of Illinois. Simply raise the tax levy and increase school funding. Don’t divert the money to other things, keep it for the schools. The tax rate is fully under their control unlike most other districts. If need be, CTU can back a referendum for a school tax increase.
- Just Me 2 - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:27 am:
Contractors get paid for a release day? If they do, then this is totally inappropriate. If they don’t, then more power to them.
- Rudy’s teeth - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:30 am:
Just yesterday there was a post on Cap Fax addressing the difficulty of finding teachers and substitutes for schools.
Now the CTU proposes that 600 teachers and staff will travel to Springfield to lobby for funding schools. How will the remaining teachers and students at CPS be affected by this massive absence of teachers and staff?
Cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face, perhaps.
- vern - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:34 am:
This has gotten totally absurd. If this money is so important to the Johnson administration, why didn’t Johnson lobby for it himself? He’s sending in a horde of teachers and activists at the last minute to demand money that he wouldn’t ask for face-to-face?
And if resources are that tight, how are they able to pay 600 people (banned exclamation) to go to Springfield? This might be the most expensive taxpayer-funded lobbying action I’ve hear of. It would be cheaper and more effective to just have the Mayor make the ask while he’s in town.
- levivotedforjudy - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:34 am:
CTU seems to be drunk with power after getting a “not ready for prime time” person elected to be my mayor. Do they realize they are really overplaying their hand? I predict their visit to Springfield will be just like my mayor’s, cordial but with no results. Time to rethink your strategies and tactics CTU.
- Two left feet - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:35 am:
There is not “more than enough for everyone.” Every dollar that is allocated to other items is a dollar that could have been allocated to the evidenced funding formula. So yeah, CPS/CTU/Chicago are trying to jump the line. That is their right, but don’t tell me you’re not doing so. There are no solutions, just trade offs.
- profilesincourage - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:36 am:
Its obvious to me now that Johnson is a coward who avoids difficult conversations and wants others to fight his battles. When that Sun-Times interview was cancelled after the mayors staff asked that it be off the record, the Sun-Times article said Johnson never said a word and his press secretary did all the talking. And lets not forgot promising JB/Preckwinkle to provide money to asylum seekers but then lied about it afterwords.Fast forward to now, before coming to Springfield he tells the public he’s asking for a billion that chicago is owed, but when he has to face Gov/leg leaders he doesn’t say a word about it, and instead is going to have CTU pressure them after he is gone.
How can you negotiate with someone like that? And how can Johnson think his actions won’t backfire?
- Almost the Weekend - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:41 am:
CTU coming to town: ‘A large presence of red shirts at the capitol will tell the Governor and our Springfield lawmakers that they must support our students,fully fund our schools’ and Soldier Field”
Fixed it
- Just Me 2 - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:43 am:
Contractors = Do teachers
- New Day - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 11:48 am:
Two things:
1) “Chicago Public Schools leaders are giving more than 600 teachers and staff members a paid day-off so they can go to Springfield to lobby lawmakers for more money.”
If teachers want to take a day off to come to Springfield, be loud and proud and lobby, more power to them. But why are my tax dollars being used to pay their salaries…and the substitutes that need to take their place. As a pro-union Democrat, this pixxes me off.
2) Thanks for the tip that 5/15 is going to be sooooooooooooo much fun in the building. UGH. I’ll bring my earplugs.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 12:20 pm:
“But this is not a zero sum game.”
This is the right attitude. The previous governor inflicted deliberate damage to the state by making it a zero sum game against unions. Those who’d take his approach, but from the opposite end of the political spectrum, would be acting like him and causing damage as well, if they could.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 12:29 pm:
This is just pure coincidence, no coordination here, certainly not using City time, resources, records, ect.
Poor Pedro Martinez. There is no amount of water you can carry to get in good with the “Us.” You’ll always be the “Them.”
- Roman - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 1:03 pm:
Rahm Emanuel’s biggest Springfield victory might have been getting a state pick-up of Chicago teacher pension costs inserted in the education funding reform bill. It has saved CPS hundreds of millions of dollars. He didn’t accomplish that by making a big show of his demands. He worked quietly behind the scenes with legislative leaders and the governor. In fact, he barely took credit for it after the fact because he didn’t want to put Madigan, Cullerton and rank-and-file suburban Democratic members in tough position for having supported a “Chicago bailout.” That’s how you get things done.
Maybe someone can give the current mayor a history lesson.
- Rich Miller - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 1:13 pm:
===a state pick-up of Chicago teacher pension costs inserted in the education funding reform bill===
Which was signed into law by Bruce Rauner, no less.
- Amalia - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 1:19 pm:
hmmmm. they all live in Chicago. do they really think this is the strategy to convince non Chicago electeds to support their cause(s)?
- Responsa - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 2:11 pm:
There is an awful lot of not reading the room going on with CTU lately.
- pragmatist - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 2:49 pm:
CTU is stormin’ into Springfield and the capital to demand $1 billion as the state needs $1 billion in new revenue to not cut discretionary programs. Savvy politics. Real smart.
- Frida’s boss - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 3:14 pm:
Raise their property taxes like every other district
- Just a guy - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 3:21 pm:
Perhaps Springfield needs more teachers. If so, just keep the 600 down there. Since CPS already has a $9 billion budget but can’t seem to coordinate or organize how to right size schools as enrollment continues to drop. And as others have said, there “isn’t more than enough.” It will only be enough when the CTU says it’s enough. And they don’t have a ceiling.
- Juice - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 3:29 pm:
===Which was signed into law by Bruce Rauner, no less.===
And was added into the bill after he vetoed the original one for being too favorable to Chicago.
- RNUG - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 4:32 pm:
== There is an awful lot of not reading the room going on with CTU lately. ==
They think they bought the room with the last election. Problem is the only room they bought was Chicago.
- ToddAF - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 4:57 pm:
===Contractors get paid for a release day?===
First off, they’re teachers, not contractors. Yes, they get paid, but CTU must reimburse CPS for the release day.