Maybe because we all attended one, there is a tendency to believe we know more about schools and their operations than we actually doûparticularly the financial aspect. Some believe taxes cover the costs of operating schools and still others believe the a
Countless citizens are certain their tax payments cover the costs. With all of those answers being partially correct, for many it is hard to believe the Chicago Public Schools doesn’t have enough cash to properly maintain and operate the 600-plus buildings where students learn. Until recently CPS officials didn’t fully disclose the source of their financial ills.
But after the district filed a lawsuit against the State of Illinois it became obvious the state repeatedly prevents the district from getting on solid financial footing. The gist of the lawsuit is the state is forcing CPS to use money on pensions rather than educating students.
The state and CPS years ago worked out a deal that requires the district to keep the pension kitty funded at a 90 percent levelûa level school districts outside the city aren’t required to meet. In the plainest terms, the state’s refusal to step up means the district is paying for retired teachers with money that could go toward educating our children.
Neither Arne Duncan, CEO of the district nor Rufus Williams, president of the school board, want to prevent the retirees from cashing in on the money they’ve earned. Both are in lockstep that the state needs to fulfill a promise it made regarding shoring up the kitty for pensions.
Please don’t misconstrue the importance of this because as Chicago taxpayers, each of us is paying for the pensions of teachers from Cairo to Wilmette. When the state divvies up the dollars you send in taxesûthe Chicago teachers pension fund gets a nickel for every $1 non-Chicago pension funds receive.
When the new school year starts in the fall, before district officials can open one classroom, they will have to set aside nearly $190 million for pensions. That’s $190 million that could be put into classrooms across the city, money that is sorely needed in struggling South and West Side schools.
The additional pension burden means, locally, too many of our classrooms are still overcrowded, summer school offerings are contracted due to the shortage of cash and improvements are too far apart.
Legislators in Springfield representing Chicago have been sitting on their hands and operating with collective laryngitis. It is time for them to step up or admit they can’t protect our interests and look for other employment.
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