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CTU promising fight over upcoming state education budget

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Illinois

Illinois education officials are proposing an increase of $350 million in funding for local school districts next year, an amount that falls short of expectations and deals an initial blow to Chicago Public Schools’ efforts to address an impending budget crisis. […]

The law required officials to drastically increase education spending to fully fund all school districts by 2027. But since then, the state has been increasing that funding by only $350 million annually, an amount far below what’s needed to meet the deadline. Some had hoped that number would rise closer to $550 million this year. Projections estimate it’ll take until at least 2034 to fully fund the school districts with the most need at the current rate. […]

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said the need for more funding is even greater with a growing share of unhoused children and immigrant students who need language support.

“Good luck with the state making that case to Chicago legislators” that $350 million is enough, Davis Gates said.

“This idea that they are going to get out of this session without acknowledging the obvious about Chicago, I think that’s ridiculous,” she said.

As you know, Illinois is facing a projected deficit next fiscal year of $891 million.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 1:50 pm

Comments

So CTU threatens the state?

As the Mayor tells JB to shove the migrants to the suburbs, ala Gov Abbott shoving migrants to Chicago.

Now Stacey says the State will see what happens if they don’t handle her and her union’s demands.

This should go well.
Maybe focus on getting the school board thing you want done. Or do they think they’ll get all of it and run the state now?

Comment by Frida's boss Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:04 pm
One trick pony does its one trick.

Comment by wowie Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:28 pm
I thought the original deal was an extra $350 million a year.

Comment by Anon Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:31 pm
Stacey Gates does make a point. Those asylum seekers are expensive. Many need special programs to learn. Illinois and particularily Chicago got an international reputation for welcoming migrants( even those who don’t follow federal immigration law). It appears taxes will have to go up. This is what Illinois voted wanted.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:31 pm
=“Good luck=

Outside of the City of Chicago nobody cares what CTU wants or thinks. Nobody.

Try this, try doing something with what you have already which is a disproportionate share of state funding and has been since forever. We (and I mean everyone but CPS) transported our students with 25% of what the state was obligated to give us while CPS received more than 50% (they get theirs of the top) and we didn’t cry about it.

CTU/CPS has been a broken record on finding since I can remember watching TV news.

And this governor does not need CTU.

Good luck indeed.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:32 pm
How cute, Stacy thinks CPS is going to get every dime of that extra $200 million.

I don’t think I’ve heard anyone lobby to end the $50 million property tax relief grant program that comes out of EBF. You’d think they would start there.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:43 pm
Stacy understands the CTU funding comes from taxpayers. That’s why CTU is in the vanguard of attempting to get Illinois to move to a progressive income tax.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:47 pm
I’m also not sure this accounts for CPS falling into a different tier of EBF based on enrollment.

Comment by Spiffy Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:54 pm
Why does CPS need more money when public school enrollment has declined around 80,000 since 2013-14? Genuinely confused about whats going on there.

Comment by LastModDemStanding Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:56 pm
“LastModStanding” because with Stacey and her CTU socialist cronies it is NEVER about the student. Only about dues

Comment by NotRich Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 3:02 pm
Where was CTU when this fight was being waged in Springfield. They never supported Manar that I recall. Probably because he’s a Downstater & Stacie would never do that.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 3:31 pm
- wowie - Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 2:28 pm:

One trick pony does its one trick.

Mic Drop

Comment by Franklin Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 3:37 pm
=Many need special programs to learn.=

Other than ESL, which CPS has plenty of capacity, what other programs. Please be specific with all of your knowledge.

=It appears taxes will have to go up. This is what Illinois voted wanted.=

CTU= CHICAGO Teachers Union. “Illinois” had nothing to say about CTU.

=I’m also not sure this accounts for CPS falling into a different tier of EBF based on enrollment.=

EBF Tiers have nothing to do with enrollment. It is determined by % of adequacy and that is it.

=How cute, Stacy thinks CPS is going to get every dime of that extra $200 million.=

Yep. Her sense of entitlement is a bit too much for me. Especially when she does not care to send her own children to CPS schools. It is just hard to take her seriously.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 3:37 pm
They’re losing adequacy because they’re losing enrollment, there, JSMill.

Comment by Spiffy Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 4:01 pm
CPS should raise their own property tax, with a referendum if needed. Thats what districts in the rest of the state do. They already have low, low tax rates in Cook County compared to every other county in the state. Have a referendum by Chicago voters, if it does not pass, CPS will need to tighten their belt.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 4:08 pm
Here is the reality - Stacy Davis Gates has spent the entirety of her existence fighting someone. For the last decade - that person was the mayor of Chicago. She got real good at screaming about Rahm and Lori (who both had their shortcomings - although one’s was worse than the other.)

Then she got her guy elected Mayor. And her guy is an abject and total failure at the job. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s sitting on abysmal polling in the city. He has no competent staff to speak of. And he’s dealing with his first major crisis by throwing up his hands and saying “this is hard and I don’t want to deal with it anymore.”

Stacy needs a new enemy bc the old ones aren’t around anymore. She’s going to try and go after the Governor. Which will fail bc JB has built up too much trust and credibility and frankly just has more skilled operators working for him. She might try and take a swing at the General Assembly- but frankly she doesn’t understand the competing interests at play in a budget year like this to wage this fight effectively. So at the end of the day she’s going to end up shouting in the wind. The sad thing is that she and her chosen mayor have spent so much time bought into the stories they like to tell themselves (they are the “true progressives who are fighting a just cause rather than just a bunch of failed activists who never spent enough time learning the hard business of government to wield its levers effectively) that her sideshow is going to be exactly that - something everyone kind of laughs at and pities all at once.

But hey - I’m sure she’ll get a few likes for her pithy Twitter comments every so often!

Comment by Palms Afront Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 4:22 pm
Stacey Davis Gates can’t help herself. She will take every opportunity to label someone an enemy or alienate those she needs help from.

Comment by pragmatist Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 4:24 pm
CTU may own the city and its mayor, but it doesn’t own the state. Yet.

Comment by Hack in the Back Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 4:27 pm
Hack in the Back, I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now that I do appreciate your screen name.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140816/ISSUE01/308169980/pat-quinn-bruce-rauner-look-for-votes-at-the-illinois-state-fair

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 4:37 pm
Palms Afront is spot on.
Stacey Davis Gates and the mayor she controls can’t get anything done so they will make JB the enemy. It took Lori 3 years to wreck her train. Brandon has done it in just seven months.

Comment by pragmatist Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 5:15 pm