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* UPDATED x1 - Rauner admin responds * CPS announces furlough days after Rauner veto

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* From CPS…

In the wake of Gov. Rauner’s broken promise to fairly fund Chicago Public Schools, CEO Forrest Claypool announced today that all District employees will be furloughed on four non-instructional days this school year.

“As we address CPS’ financial challenges, we have two goals: minimize classroom disruptions and restore funding that treats Chicago students fairly,” said CEO Forrest Claypool. “Since Governor Rauner is denying fair funding to Chicago students, we are forced to make cuts that will create new challenges for schools that are working to build on their academic gains. But make no mistake, any additional cuts we are forced to make would fall squarely at the governor’s feet.”

Employees will not work on furlough days and will not be paid for the furlough days. The District expects these adjustments to save approximately $35 million to be used to reduce the gap caused by the governor’s veto.

In the meantime, CPS will continue to fight for fair funding for Chicago’s students. If Gov. Rauner continues to treat Chicago children as political pawns, CPS will be forced to take additional steps to reduce spending, working to minimize disruptions to classroom instruction.

The furlough days are taking place on previously scheduled School Improvement Days for staff, which are used to train teachers on instructional strategies, analyze student academic data and plan or refine curriculum to meet students’ needs. The furlough days are:

· Friday, February 3, 2017

· Friday, April 7, 2017

· Wednesday, June 21, 2017

· Thursday, June 22, 2017

In a letter to employees today, Claypool wrote: “For our part, once again we will fight tooth and nail to protect our classrooms, and to ensure that these political games won’t roll back the tremendous progress by Chicago students. However, with a hole of this size in our budget, we have no choice but to begin to take immediate action to preserve CPS’ solvency. To be clear: Governor Rauner cut funding for CPS pensions by $215 million at the same time that the state is increasing its contributions for other districts’ pensions by $300 million, to nearly $4 billion.”

*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…

Hi, Rich:

“Continuing to blame the Governor, who has been in office two years, for decades of fiscal mismanagement and bad decision-making is getting old. CPS willingly chose to budget for money they had not received and knew was contingent upon real pension reform. The Administration is open to considering this legislation again if the General Assembly passes statewide pension reform.”

Best,
ck

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:13 pm

Comments

So Claypool thinks the rest of the state should be required to foot the bill for CPS’ financial mismanagement?

Comment by Meelos Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:21 pm
–“Continuing to blame the Governor, who has been in office two years, for decades of fiscal mismanagement and bad decision-making is getting old.–

But that boilerplate answer to everything does not, apparently.

Seriously, two years in The Big Chair, you’re accountable for the here and now, regardless of when “the problems” started.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:30 pm
and what’s with the ‘ck’? A stab at humility? Just wondering

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:35 pm
Pension pick-ups don’t pay for themselves.

Comment by City Zen Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:36 pm
Forest, that’s not even violin playing that will achieve 3rd Chair.

Releasing it on a Friday afternoon supports your confidence in this message. Ugh.

Comment by A guy Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:51 pm
Hey, ck, pretty sure that veto was issued in the last two years.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:52 pm
“who has been in office two years”

three years…five years…eight years….

This Governor will never “own” anything in his own mind. Maybe he wasn’t in office while the problem was growing (though he was in the private sector profiting from it), but he is responsible from the point that he took office forward. Aside from criminal justice improvements, how has he really helped Illinois during the last two years? It is pretty obvious that he has caused great damage in those two years.

Comment by Ole' Nelson Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:55 pm
Meh - I’ve honestly never been to a “school improvement day” and have it be useful. Bureaucratic paperwork and and a waste of time. I think the Governor probably agrees - use he furloughs when mom and dad didn’t plan on those off days and now have to scramble for daycare. Then tell them to call Rauner.

Comment by Dr X Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 3:58 pm
I don’t blame the gov for years of mismanagement - I blame him for addin’ gas and tinder to the flame. It was a candle, now the house is burnin’. Go lookin’ for water and Rauner is sellin’ it for way over market price.

Comment by Dr X Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:00 pm
Hi “ck”

Governors own their vetoes.

The governor is hurting Chicago students, purposely.

That’s not old, “ck”, that’s understanding you know nothing about what you’re talking about.

Again.

Thanks!

ow

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:00 pm
That’s a very Trumpian answer from Rauner. The issue ain’t past CPS financial practices. The issue is a state education funding system that gives $4 billion to suburban and downstate schools and none-zero-zip to CPS. With pension expenses exploding, the gap in overall state education funding between Chicago and the rest of the State will continue to grow.

Comment by Second Class Citizen Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:07 pm
“Until my demands are met, I will not release the hostages.”

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:08 pm
More leverage along with upcoming Chicago residents property, sewer and water tax increases for statewide pension reform.

Somehow the Speaker, Senate President and Chicago House and Senate office holders just thought the money would just come from Springfield without passing statewide pension reform.

The 4 furlough that are not classroom days save 35 million of the 215 million dollar deficit. A drop on the bucket

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:16 pm
So according to the Chicago Sun Times the CPS furloughs will generate $35 million in savings. Supposedly CPS needs to generate another $180 million in savings between now and summer when the pension fund has to be paid. The easy solution, the one Moody’s suggested yesterday in the report Rich posted about, which would be to forgo or defer CPS pension contributions to what the district can pay this summer. Big crisis over, the CTPF gets shorted yet again, but all pensions will continue to be paid based on the fact the CTPF has around $10.5 billion in assets (http://www.ctpf.org/general_info/Financial_lists.htm ).

All the CTPF can do is seek a court order to be paid and CPS can fight that for a good long while in court. The Chicago Public Schools are so much the drama queens. What is CTPF going to do seize schools and sell them off? CPS has no reserves to take, they are operating on a line of credit now.

Comment by Rod Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:17 pm
CPS is already paying much higher interest rates on their borrowing due to Rauners bankruptcy message right before they sought bonds last year. Now this. How can anyone trust him?

Comment by oldman Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:18 pm
Rauner is an acronym for responsibility.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Jan 13, 17 @ 4:30 pm