There seems to be no end to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s war against the children and public schools of Chicago.
-MEDIA EVENT: FRIDAY, JUNE 21st, 10:00 a.m.-
Parents, Students and Education Advocates Express Outrage Over School Funding
Raise Your Hand to Reveal School by School Breakdown totaling $74 million in cuts at 100 schools reported
What: The CPS school funding crisis has reached a crisis point and students face a disastrous reduction in the quality of their educations. This multi-school parent-driven protest will illustrate the devastating reality of next year’s school budgets. Hundreds of parents, students and other supporters of many Chicago Public Schools will bring their outrage and their voices for change, to those who need to hear it most. At issue for many schools may be:
- Slashing of teacher and assistant principal positions
- Elimination of Magnet Cluster status funding
- Increases in class size to 30 and above
- Cuts in bi-lingual education
- Elimination or drastic reductions in music, art, physical education, foreign language, technology and other ESSENTIAL programming
When: Friday, June 21, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Where: *James Thompson Center (State of Illinois Building), 100 W. Randolph
Why: When the mayor enacted a 7-hour school day, students and parents were promised a FULL day, filled with the foundational academics AND enrichment AND resources. Now, after shuttering 50 schools in order to “save money” and improve educational outcomes, CPS has released 2013-14 school budgets that are forcing other schools across the district to gut their staffs and programming. The result of the funding that has been put forth will be a day that is EMPTY!
Those in attendance are INSISTING that CPS, the City Council and Mayor Emanuel restore school-based devastating cuts in any way possible including:
1. Declaring a Surplus on unallocated TIF funds to help recoup some of the losses in funding to CPS.
2. Reallocating taxpayer money for unnecessary and unwarranted corporate and private venture TIF projects such as the DePaul University stadium, Vienna Beef relocation and Chicago Mercantile Exchange renovations to stop the bleeding at CPS and save public education in Chicago.
3. State-level revenue and pension reform.
Who: Hundreds of parents, students and education advocates representing some of Chicago’s best performing schools.
Photo Op: Masses of school children, parents and community members rallied together for a single cause. Rolls of toilet paper will be carried as a symbol of how deep the current cuts will be hitting our schools. Signage illustrating WHAT INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL WILL BE LOSING – specific $s, # of teachers, specific programming, etc.
Spokespeople: Wendy Katten, Executive Director, Raise Your Hand
Contact: If you are interested in attending this event or if you would like to set up an interview, please contact Amy Smolensky at 312-485-0053 or amysmolensky@comcast.net.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane,
Are you attending this? You need to raise your voice here. Can you speak? We wish all Chicago teachers the best.
These budget cuts really reveal the mayor’s total disregard for public education. There is no way he can justify them after insisting on a longer school day.
The mayor, CPS leadership and the Bored of Education have not, are not and will never listen to what parents and tax payers are saying concerning THEIR schools. Everything that comes out of CPS and the board is nothing but a distraction to keep people occupied while the destruction and takeover of their schools continues. It’s time for torches and pitchforks. One thing to note is that they have implemented having the money follow the student as a way of trying to place the blame on principals in the public eye. As many here know, the money following the student is a psuedo or pre voucher strategy. Rahm is scum.