RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed Tuesday to do “anything and everything necessary” to keep the Chicago Public Schools afloat, but claimed it’s past time for the Illinois General Assembly to deliver on its commitment to fully fund public schools.
By declaring a record $1 billion tax-increment-financing surplus to bail out CPS and bankroll a new teachers contract, Johnson said he already has demonstrated his willingness to do what’s necessary to stave off devastating classroom cuts.
If the General Assembly fails to approve the $150 million increase in education funding built into the nearly $10 billion CPS budget, the mayor made it clear he is prepared to do more of the same.
But Johnson said his own willingness to put city money where his mouth is should not let Gov. JB Pritzker and state lawmakers off the hook.
“I’m gonna do anything and everything that’s necessary. But, at some point ... you cannot expect me to solve everybody’s problems and the fact of the matter is I can’t. It’s gonna take partnership,” the mayor said at a City Hall news conference Tuesday.
“The state of Illinois cannot be okay with the bare minimum when people are starving across this city," he added. "We need our state partners to continue to rise to the occasion. That’s what working people demand. ... They made a commitment to fully fund our schools. That just has to happen.”
Johnson was asked whether he believes it was legal for the Chicago Board of Education to approve a budget based on $435 million in “uncommitted funds.”
He conspicuously avoided answering the question, saying only that the part-elected, part-appointed Board of Education has “gone through their full process to ensure that we’re protecting the classroom.”
School board member Che “Rhymefest” Smith opposed approving a budget that counted on the state to provide Chicago Public Schools with more money.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times file photo
Then he shifted the focus back to Springfield and the fall veto session, when super-majorities in both Democratic-controlled houses will be required to increase school funding.
“My record speaks. Whatever is available and I can do it — it’s clear that I’m not reticent to do it. I’m just having a tough time with this idea that it’s harder to do something in Springfield than it is to do in City Council,” Johnson said.
“Why aren’t we asking if the city is not able to do it, will the state do it? It’s like it’s only coming in one direction," Johnson added. "The last I checked, getting 26 votes [in City Council] is not a walk in the park, either.”
Johnson said Chicago isn't “looking for a hand-out” — it just wants state lawmakers to “fulfill the promise they made when they signed the law in 2017” promising to fully-fund public schools.
“This notion where Mayor Johnson has to fix everything that someone else has failed to do ... Is that a reasonable expectation for people?” Johnson said.
“They expect me to come up with solutions that they have. How does that make sense?"
Illinois, Johnson noted, "funds our school districts at 25%. The state of California funds Los Angeles at 75%, if not higher. Don’t talk to me about the problems when you have solutions to fix `em.”
On July 29, the Chicago Teachers Union posted a video on its social media accounts of embattled Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch holding a CTU flyer outlining threatened employee layoffs and budget cuts at Chicago Public Schools.
“This should not be happening,” Welch said in the video.
“I do think that the state of Illinois can do better, should do better. I’m going to fight for you so that we can get more revenue to get to CPS schools. … I’m going to lead that effort in the veto session.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson holds a press briefing at City Hall on Tuesday.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Whether the speaker delivers on that promise depends, in part, on Welch’s ability to survive allegations that he mishandled the sexual harassment allegations against State Rep. Harry Benton.
Johnson said he has known and admired Welch for years and considers his rise a “remarkable testament to what’s possible in this country.”
Asked whether he expects the speaker to survive the Benton scandal, Johnson said he trusts Welch to “do what’s right for his constituents and the state of Illinois.”
As for his own political future, Johnson said he will "make a decision really soon" on whether to seek a second term.
He's been putting it off for months in "my own little way of resistance" to the non-stop political coverage that will take the spotlight off the legitimate progress he believes the city is making.
"Once all of the politics starts, there's less incentive to cover those things," he said.
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