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Claypool on the hot seat as deadline looms

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Illinois

* The clock is ticking and CPS still won’t say what it plans to do…

A day before a hearing on Chicago Public Schools’ lawsuit against the state of Illinois over education funding, some aldermen on Tuesday complained that they haven’t received any updates on the district’s latest budget crunch.

“Where is Mr. (CPS CEO Forrest) Claypool, where is the (school) board, and when are we going to get an answer about the future of our children?” Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, said at a City Council Finance Committee meeting. […]

Claypool has warned that the school year could end June 1 instead of June 20, and that most summer school sessions could be eliminated, without a court ruling in the district’s favor. The state has filed a motion to dismiss the district’s lawsuit, which Cook County Chancery Judge Franklin Ulyses Valderrama is expected to also consider at Wednesday’s hearing.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said cutting the school year short is “not the right option, not the right choice,” casting doubt on whether the city would follow through on Claypool’s threats. But aldermen on Tuesday criticized the absence of a public plan to keep schools open and close a budget gap that lingers despite midyear budget cuts and teacher furloughs.

* Sun-Times…

Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) said Chicago Public Schools are “well past the tipping point” and unable to “sustain themselves” financially.

But he warned that a solution in Springfield is unlikely so long as the marathon state budget stalemate drags on. That puts the City Council on the hot seat.

“CPS and this council have to be on the same page. … If Springfield isn’t gonna solve this, we have to work together. But that requires a dialogue,” he said.

“There are real downsides long-term to our city if we don’t get this right and soon. And that is, people are leaving. CPS has lost 30,000 students in the last few years. And there’s more this year and more to come. We have to get this right. If we don’t, it’s gonna undercut the future of our city.”

* CBS 2…

“I just would like to know what’s the reluctancy of Claypool and [Chief Education Officer Janice] Jackson from coming to talk to this body,” [Ald. Anthony Beale] said.

Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) said CPS will be “waiting a long time” if it’s expecting any financial help from state lawmakers or the governor.

“The main thing I want to say is that CPS and this Council have to be on the same page,” he said.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) said that’s not happening.

“We have a non-responsive head of CPS, you know, which is why I’ve been an advocate for an elected school board,” she said.

* Some aldermen want to use TIF funds to help patch the district’s budget hole…

Emanuel long has resisted using TIF funds to bolster the public schools budget, saying that it was inappropriate to use money from a one-time revenue source to pay for school operations.

“We can’t subsidize the state’s failure,” 27th Ward Ald. Walter Burnett said, noting that he gave up $60 million in TIF funds earmarked for a new high school in his ward to avert the strike.

Burnett accused his colleagues of supporting using TIF money to avoid an early end to the school year to curry favor with the politically powerful teachers union.

“Let’s do this rationally,” Burnett said, adding that he uses funds from TIF districts in his ward to make critical improvements for residents. “This thing has to be balanced.”

* Meanwhile…

A court hearing Wednesday morning could decide if parents of Chicago Public Schools students need to make plans for an early end to the school year. […]

CPS is suing Illinois and Governor Bruce Rauner for discriminatory funding, saying the state is discriminating against the city’s large population of minority students by giving more money to teacher pensions outside Chicago than to CPS.

The district wants a judge to force the state to release more money.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:11 am

Comments

Pass Senator Cullerton’s pension bill and the money magically appears- problem solved

Oh I forgot, common sense solutions never apply

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:18 am
== some aldermen on Tuesday complained that they haven’t received any updates on the district’s latest budget crunch. ==

What is there to update until the court hearing? Are those aldermen going to offer money before they know the results?

== The district wants a judge to force the state to release more money. ==

Why not try it? Seems like everything else in the State is being run by the courts.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:20 am
== Pass Senator Cullerton’s pension bill and the money magically appears- problem solved ==

Why play kick the can when, with the Rauner changes, it’s just going to be ruled unconstitutional?

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:23 am
Hopefully the voters throw out the Chicago School Board at its next election.

Oh wait….

Comment by Where is Dr. Ruth Love? Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:41 am
I wonder how much of the budget hole is the result of the new contract the CPS signed with the CTU last fall?

Comment by Illinois Native Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:43 am
==I wonder how much of the budget hole is the result of the new contract the CPS signed with the CTU last fall?==

The pension pick-up costs $175M per year. The budget shortfall is $215M.

Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:48 am
Claypool and Rahm have badly misplayed their Springfield hand. First, counting on Rauner to sign the Chicago “pension parity” bill to patch a $200 million dollar hole in CPS’s budget was a colossal political miscalculation. Second, threatening to close school three weeks early has done nothing to spur action. Both outcomes were completely predictable to anyone paying attention.

Comment by Telly Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:51 am
Claypool made ending a pension pick up a pre condition of a new CTU contract.

When he failed, he now attempts to shift blame to Governor Rauner for not agreeing to an extra $215 million dollars and uses the race card to do so.

Not his finest moment

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:56 am
Just more of the same Dem whining. You guys controlled both the governors office and legislature from 3003 thru 2016. Yet only now are you complaining how bad things are and how unfair the tax system is. Give us all a break from your incessant assertions that all of our problems started with Rauner. Truth be told the Dems caused these problems with all of the give sways to the public sector union employees but never figured out that someday the bill would come due

Comment by Sue Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 12:44 pm
Interesting Trib article from 1993 that has a lot of parallels to what’s happening today with CPS…CPS buying union peace by promising raises they couldn’t afford, diverting pension funds to pay for those raises, a governor unwilling to raise income tax rates.

http://trib.in/2pgRvG0

2 years later, CPS would start receiving those giant block grants, the first step to buying labor peace by shorting their pension payments.

Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 1:12 pm
== Pass Senator Cullerton’s pension bill and the money magically appears- problem solved ==

That statement is false because people whom are invested in the pension fund will continue to be invested no matter which pension reform bill is passed. There is no large pot of money to be made here.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 2:19 pm
= threatening to close school three weeks early has done nothing to spur action ( in Springfield). =

CPS is talking to the Court, not Springfield. And the reason they’re in court is to avoid the harm to children of a shortened school year caused by the cumulative weight of racial discrimination in state funding. Rauner’s mid-year, $215 million veto was just the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Comment by Principled Principal Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 2:24 pm
===CPS is talking to the Court, not Springfield.===

CPS might also not have approved the contract with the CTU that it did last fall. It could have worked harder for a more financially sound contract that provided a balanced budget without the uncertain increase in money from Springfield.

CPS might also have considered an increase in the property tax rate for Chicago residents.

Comment by Small town taxpayer Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 3:22 pm
–Pass Senator Cullerton’s pension bill and the money magically appears- problem solved–

Yes, the magic of extortion.

Every day, the governor wakes up and says: “How can I leverage these schoolchildre to get something I want?”

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 5:14 pm
Yes, do you know what extortion means?

It is not extortion when both parties agree to a deal as they did last summer. You act like the pension proposal is the Governor’s, it is Senator Cullerton’s.

Hardly extortion to make the deal contingent on the Senator passing his own bill.

It is however dishonest to back out of the deal which of course you ignore.

Kind of blows up the blame Rauner for everything narrative.

Democrats commit to passing their own bill to get extra money for their legislation and then back out is more like it.

This is something they both want which of course you ignore

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 6:27 pm
===Hardly extortion to make the deal contingent on the Senator passing his own bill.===

… and yet, again, you forget that Rauner himself said he vetoed the $215 million emotionally.

The timeline Rich gave you negates, yet again, a talking point proven wrong, and yet you still peddle as right.

===Kind of blows up the blame Rauner for everything narrative===

A governor is the sole governmental actor that has the veto.

No, it doesn’t blow it up, it proves it.

===Democrats commit to passing their own bill to get extra money for their legislation and then back out is more like it===

Then why is Rauner so desperate to get that $215 million back? That’s the question you keep ignoring.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 6:32 pm
LP, I’m aware of your fan-fiction and it’s inherent contradictions i.e. the Senate “backed out of a deal” that “they both want.”

It’s your guy dangling money to keep the schools open for a full year, contingent upon an unrelated issue.

Apparently, in RaunerWorld, having CPS kids complete a full school year is not valuable in and of itself.

But if they’re off three weeks in June when they should be in school, the governor can explain his theory of “thinking of the kids first.”

And he better hope nothing happens to a school kid that is off when they should be in school.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 6:36 pm
== Truth be told the Dems caused these problems with all of the give sways to the public sector union employees but never figured out that someday the bill would come due ==

Not exactly true. The GOP have more than their share of blame for it also. Remember, it was Big Jim who struck the deal for AFSCME to represent most of the State employees. And between Big Jim, Little Jim, and George you have about as many years of GOP Gov’s negotiating the contracts as you do Dem Gov’s.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 9:00 pm
Allow CPS to declare BK.

Comment by Ron Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:19 pm
Why is CPS in trouble?

Unsustainable pensions which were not funded by a over a decade with full support of CTU so they could get pay raises.

What is Rauner trying to fix?

Pensions

Cullerton is attempting as well, while threading the needle with his party. Even Senator Biss used to be for pension reform. Do you remember?

Of course you pretend not to get the connection, fooling no one because you are beneficiaries

Every school district that can’t balance their budget is entitled to state bailout?

Wow what a can of worms that would be

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:30 pm
Pension funding is unrelated to the problems with the CPS budget?

The extra pension funding this year is 175 million that was not budgeted for.

The deficit is 215 million

Please expand on your statement that pensions are not related to the crisis at CPS. I am really curious

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Apr 19, 17 @ 11:34 pm
- Lucky Pierre -

It’s been explained to you time and time again.

Rauner vetoed the $215 million, emotionally, when there was no deadline that passed for pension reform.

You know this. Rich Miller explained it to you.

Rauner purposely hurt Chicago students, went out of his way, emotionally, to hurt Chicago students

Only a governor can veto.

If you cheer the veto as a “lesson”, why are you so worried? You should be glad Rauner hurt Chivago students, emotionally.

Why is Rauner so desperate to get that $215 million back?

If it’s Cullerton’s fault, why is Rauner so worried? lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 6:17 am
OW as I have explained to you time and time again vetoing a bill in a December because the Democrats did not hold up there end of the bargain, leaves an entire legislative session to find the money so CPS can finish the year.

No reason the GA can’t pass pension reform tomorrow as agreed (except they are on break) and then get the money.

Stop being so emotional and pretendind there are no deals in Springfield ever. Your spin is fooling no one

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 6:26 am
===I have explained to you time and time again vetoing a bill in a December because the Democrats did not hold up there end of the bargain, leaves an entire legislative session to find the money so CPS can finish the year.===

The deadline was never December, Rich Miller himself said that wasn’t the deadline

Why aren’t you cheering the veto, if your flat out inability to understand truth, Rauner hurt Chicago students, as YOU say, for a phony deadline. Rauner said he vetoes it emotionally, not because a deadline wasn’t met.

===No reason the GA can’t pass pension reform tomorrow as agreed (except they are on break) and then get the money.===

Rauner broke his promise, vetoed the money, to hurt Chicago students. Now you want the GA to bail Rauner out for purposely hurting Chicago students. That’s fun.

===Stop being so emotional===

That was Rauner being emotional. Rauner said that himself, lol

===…and pretendind there are no deals in Springfield ever.===

Rauner blew up and continues to blow up deals, and veto overrides, Rauner can’t and won’t negotiate a deal. Ask Leader Radogno.

===Your spin is fooling no one===

It’s not spin, I’ve cited Rauner himself calling his veto an emotional decision, the Cullerton deadline was never close to being, and Rauner chose to hurt Chicago students, emotionally.

You should be cheering the veto. The fact you’re not, speaks volumes to your spin, and that Rauner’s own words make your argument… ridiculous.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 6:51 am
What is ridiculous is expecting the money without keeping your end of the bargain.

Now Claypool is playing the race card and blaming Governor Rauner for a school funding formula designed by Chicago democrats

No one is buying it

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 8:12 am
===What is ridiculous is expecting the money without keeping your end of the bargain.===

Cullerton, quoted by Rich Miller…

===”They misunderstood what I said and they should’ve called and asked me and I would’ve gone back out and clarified it,” Cullerton insisted. “They just vetoed the bill.” That failure to reach out to him convinced Cullerton that Rauner was simply looking for any excuse to kill the CPS bill.===

Rauner wanted an excuse to veto the CPS monies, emotionally, to hurt Chicago students.

Rauner didn’t even have the “courtesy” enough to confer with Cullerton, but instead, took an action only a governor can do, which is veto.

===Now Claypool is playing the race card and blaming Governor Rauner for a school funding formula designed by Chicago democrats

No one is buying it===

When Rauner tried to “clarify” to Chance your own ridiculousness, Chance started #DoYourJob which has resonated so much you even try to flip the script on #DoYourJob

If it isn’t working, why do you and Raunerite talking points try so desperately to remove #DoYourJob from Rauner?

Hmm.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 8:20 am
Maybe Cullerton should do his job and pass his own bill as he promised so the schools in his district can finish the school year

Vetoing a bill does not kill it, it can be passed again

Blaming the dog for eating your homework as usual

What is ridiculous about that?

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 9:40 am
===Vetoing a bill does not kill it, it can be passed again===

In actuality, vetoing a bull dies kill the bill, unless it’s overridden, and Rauner proves constantly he won’t let his vetoes be overridden.

There would need tibbeva new bill. But, you already know that.

===Blaming the dog for eating your homework as usual===

This is you cheering Rauner purposely hurting Chicago students, emotionally.

There is no other way you saying that… that you don’t support the veto hurting Chicago students. Cullerton’s own words point to Rauner wanting Chicago students hurt too.

===Maybe Cullerton should do his job and pass his own bill as he promised so the schools in his district can finish the school year===

The promise was still there, Rauner felt compelled to hurt Chicago students before the bill could be voted on.

You can read, right?

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 9:45 am
let it go Willy

this happened months ago and the fact that it has still not passed means it was not a serious offer at compromise

Just a ploy to get through the election

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 10:02 am
===let it go Willy===

Tell that to the Chicago parents and Chance

#DoYourJob is focused on Rauner hurting Chicago students.

===this happened months ago and the fact that it has still not passed means it was not a serious offer at compromise===

Then why is Rauner so desperate to get both the $215 million back to Chicago and get the pension bill.

Maybe Rauner should let it go, but, Rauner’s emotions have prevented that. You should take up the “let it go” to Bruce and have Rauner just accept that his veto, something only a governor can do, isn’t fooling Chance.

===Just a ploy to get through the election===

Rauner’s phoniness? I know. Just a ploy for Bruce, amirite?

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 20, 17 @ 10:07 am