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Emanuel announces more school cuts, possible tax hikes

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Also being curtailed: elementary school sports and 5,300 coaching stipends. And $18 million will be saved by cutting network offices and teacher development programs.

Teachers also could take another financial hit by paying more toward their pensions. They are supposed to contribute 9 percent of their salary, but for some time now, under a deal negotiated in past contract talks, they have paid just 2 percent; CPS picked up the rest. Emanuel wants teachers to make their full contribution once again — but that will have to be negotiated.

Also taking hits: $11.1 million will be saved by cutting the repair and maintenance budget by 25 percent. And $15.8 million will be saved from startup funding for new charter development.

Emanuel told reporters that class size will not go up, but schools will be impacted. And he again complained that CPS had a larger pension burden than other school districts — and that Springfield had done nothing to fix that situation.

* Greg Hinz…

Even with such cuts, which amount to about $200 million a year, more cuts are on the way unless help arrives from Springfield, Emanuel said. […]

Emanuel offered two [pension] options, which he said would work. The first is to merge the Chicago teachers pension fund with the fund that covers the rest of the state—a most unlikely alternative given political realities.

His Plan B is for the state to pick up the annual “normal costs” of pensions. (Normal costs are what’s needed excluding payment of old debts.) Also part of Plan B is requiring teachers to pay the 7 percent of salary for pensions themselves that now is covered by CPS under an old contract agreement.

Also in Plan B, a huge concern to city taxpayers—more revenue: “$175 million to $200 million,” the mayor said.

Speaker Madigan has said he doesn’t like that “normal cost” pickup because he goes the opposite direction of making school districts pick up those normal costs.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 3:48 pm

Comments

Really, it’s not necessary to apologize to me, I only ask you listen to me next time.

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 3:53 pm
I really hope somebody is working on Plan C…

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 3:55 pm
==Emanuel told reporters that class size will not go up==
Perhaps enrollment is down. Otherwise, if you fire teachers, class size would go up, no?

Comment by Robert the Bruce Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 3:56 pm
47th ward, tell me when your ready for plan c.

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 3:58 pm
Time to stop paying for sports. Get rid of gym class and drivers ed.

Comment by Liberty Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 3:58 pm
Gravitas is to World Class as Rahm is to Chicago.

– MrJM

Comment by Mister Jay Em Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:00 pm
Mr. Kelly,

What exactly would your plan have been?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:02 pm
Sun Times story says CPS communications department has doubled since 2011 to a staff of 22. How many flaks do they need to persistently drop the ball communicating? Infuriating!

Comment by Jeez louise Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:05 pm
Anonymous, google William j Kelly, Rahm and rauner, spend a little time reading and then if you are still clueless I would recommend you take up another hobby, perhaps volunteering your services as a crash test dummy?

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:10 pm
A bailout by the state or a normal cost pickup?

Time for Plan C, Rahm. Taxes and TIFs?

Comment by Formerly Known As... Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:10 pm
=== Anonymous, google William j Kelly, Rahm and rauner, spend a little time reading and then if you are still clueless I would recommend you take up another hobby, perhaps volunteering your services as a crash test dummy? ===

You are the one that asked me to listen to you. But instead of telling me what your plan/position is, you refer me to Google. That answers a lot of questions. Thanks.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:21 pm
“Otherwise, if you fire teachers, class size would go up, no?”

Teachers will lose planning periods, and students will lose “extras” like music and art and foreign language, as well as teachers working as reading specialists (for example) who do pull-outs to intensively tutor a small group of four students. The class size of the child’s homeroom remains the same, but the teacher will work longer hours with fewer breaks and much less support in differentiating student instruction or providing enrichment.

Comment by Educated in the Suburbs Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:23 pm
I should say, I have no special insight on the CPS contract, but that’s typically how you lay off teachers while maintaining class sizes.

Comment by Educated in the Suburbs Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:24 pm
Cps does need to trim any excess they have in their offices or administrative not in the classroom! Rahm is correct in saying The state needs to finally pay pensions at CPS as it does in the rest of the State! For all the chicago haters out there-we do contribute more than three times the income tax revenue as all the other counties combined!

Comment by chiagr Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:25 pm
As a parent of two kids at CPS, it makes me ill to think that there is still any excess at headquarters, especially for PR.

Comment by Chicago parent Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:29 pm
Anonymous, you are right, I am to blame, I should have realized you needed to be spoon fed all the answers due to the fact that you post under the name anonymous, this is always the first clue that I am dealing with someone who refuses to take any personal responsibility for anything.

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:31 pm
If cuts at headquarters means there is excess at headquarters, do cuts for schools mean there is excess at schools?

No. Stuff happens. You gotta cut somewhere.

Comment by Dont remember Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:33 pm
=== Rahm is correct in saying The state needs to finally pay pensions at CPS as it does in the rest of the State! ===

I disagree. It is far more likely for suburban and downstate districts to end up paying their own pension costs than the State picking up the tab for CPS.

What really needs to happen is a substantial property tax increase for the City of Chicago. This would not only help shore up CPS and the teacher’s pensions but also police, fire and the other Chicago pension systems as well.

And the Chicago teachers need to start paying their own pension contributions as well - even if it is phased in over time. If Emanuel needs to make concessions on teacher evaluations and the other non-budgetary items to get this done, then so be it.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:34 pm
Also, I don’t see anywhere that there have been teacher layoffs announced. So the class size staying the same means that cuts are not being made to teachers (yet, that is obviously the next proposal if nothing happens).

Comment by Dont remember Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:35 pm
=== Anonymous, you are right, I am to blame, I should have realized you needed to be spoon fed all the answers due to the fact that you post under the name anonymous ===

Dude, you are the one that wanted to run for mayor!

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:37 pm
Dear don’t remember,
How about keeping the teachers and coaches that actually work with kids in schools and cut the communications staff instead? Seems like a no brainer.

Comment by Chicago parent Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:37 pm
Many Illinois residents are finally going to start asking themselves whether if they can move -should they. The State is in a death spiral so those of us who are in the position to do so will have to ask why stick around and watch the progression into the abyss

Comment by Sue Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:39 pm
Save yourself Sue. Move.

Comment by AnonymousOne Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 4:40 pm
I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for the use of the term ‘personal responsibility.’ I understand this is an antiquated term that many find offensive, please accept my apology.

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 5:04 pm
@William j Kelly, I put in your suggested Google search. Some articles about you busting the caps in the Mayor’s race, articles about campaign finance, articles where you criticize other Republicans for supporting Emanuel, and even an article which calls you a perennial loser.

Not a single article with a plan.

So, yeah, before you start being snarky to other commenters about how easy it is to find your plan, perhaps you should do your own homework.

It was a reasonable request to ask what exactly your plan is, and your snarky response was unwarranted.

Comment by the Other Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 5:07 pm
- WJK -,

He trolls his own comments.

Did you pay that $100K back to yourself, after pretending, again, in October or November, or when… lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 5:11 pm
say what you want about WJK but he took it to Rahm and Rauner harder than anyone.

Comment by dude anonymous Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 5:45 pm
WJK seems to have a common problem I associate with pundits and politicians. He seems to think the rest of the world focus as much on him as he does. “How could anyone not know what I the great WJK say.”

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 7:18 pm
==Also in Plan B, a huge concern to city taxpayers—more revenue: “$175 million to $200 million,” the mayor said.==

Also in plan B should be an elected Chicago School Board to replace the appointed board that has wasted the taxpayers money on huge debt payments.

Comment by Enviro Wednesday, Jul 1, 15 @ 8:27 pm