chicago schools

In Chicago, a Fight to Redistribute Surplus Cash

Keith Griffith

Economic development funds created under the policy, called tax increment financing (TIF), had an unspent balance of $1.7 billion at the end of last year. In the wake of record school closures, teacher layoffs, and other city service cuts, Grassroots Collaborative thinks some of that money should go back into city and school budgets, an option that Mayor Rahm Emanuel publicly dismissed this summer. “Increasingly, Chicago is a tale of two cities,” says Patel. “One for those who have wealth and resources, and another for those who are struggling with poverty.”

Saving the Chicago School System

Alex LaFosta

In June 2013, the Chicago Public Schools made the decision to close 49 schools -- one of the largest closing of schools in any American city in years. The CPS made the tough decision facing a near $1 billion budget deficit, which they are still scrambling to contain. After the announcement of the school closings, it was evident that mass layoffs were inevitable. Later in the month, the Chicago Sun Times reported that of the 48 schools to be closed, 420 teachers and 1,005 school staff were to be subsequently fired. 

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