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Brandon Johnson
Latest news on Chicago’s 57th mayor.
The budget plan, which closed a $505 million deficit, faced pushback from school communities, the teachers union, and even the mayor’s office.
Critics urge the district to push for more funding — and more spending — rather than cuts.
District leadership has balked at the idea, saying a loan ‘only shifts the problem’ to future years.
The district posted its opening proposals online and the union shared its contract ideas with members. Both sides want at least a four-year agreement.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Illinois Senate President Don Harmon in a letter late Thursday to hold a bill that would block changes to selective enrollment schools and prevent any school closures until 2027.
Chicago Public Schools has a new formula for funding its schools. Some are seeing boosts, while others will be working with tighter budgets.
CPS says the proposal to build the controversial $150 million high school is still “under review,” but a website has been taken down, and stakeholders say it’s been months without an update.
The district’s plan calls for training on alternative discipline practices and aims to focus on the “root cause” of student behavior.
The teachers union propelled Johnson to City Hall with an education platform promising more funding and staff at neighborhood schools, housing for homeless students, and free public transit passes.
Chicago will offer the grants to students with disabilities who attend either public or private schools.
The joint initiative between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union provides up to $500,000 per school for wraparound services.
The teachers union shared more details about demands it will make as it negotiates a new contract with Chicago Public Schools.
The ballot initiative to raise the real estate transfer tax on property sales over $1 million in order to raise revenue for homelessness and affordable housing was one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s key campaign promises.
Every school will have certain guaranteed staff, including an assistant principal, a counselor, and core classroom teachers, under a new funding formula officials plan to use starting next school year.
Supporters say a proposed change to the city’s real estate transfer tax would raise up to $100 million annually for a variety of efforts tackling homelessness. Critics worry it would create a political ‘slush fund.’
After years of thorny relationships with district officials and mayors, the Chicago Teachers Union will bargain a new contract this year with a district that now answers to former CTU organizer Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The board’s decision addresses a yearslong grassroots movement that has pushed the district to remove SROs from school campuses but didn’t come without pushback.
Contract negotiations between SEIU Local 73 and Chicago Public Schools have been going on since May 2023. Union leaders say talks have stalled.
Chicago’s Board of Education to vote on removing police officers from schools
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