Dear Chicago Board of Education,
As parents, educators, students, and residents of Chicago, we urge you not to force Chicago Public Schools to make the City’s $175 million MEABF pension payment—or to take out a risky short-term loan that would primarily cover that cost rather than protect classrooms.
Under Illinois law, the City of Chicago—not CPS—is responsible for this pension payment. CPS has far fewer tools to raise revenue. Shifting this burden onto the district would effectively mean a $175 million cut to students, teachers, and schools across the city.
We are also deeply concerned about proposals to borrow before there is clarity from Springfield, Washington, or City Hall about what resources may—or may not—still be available. Using debt now to cover a City obligation would leave CPS with fewer options if revenues decline later this year. Even worse, it would deepen CPS’s structural deficit and force harsher cuts in future budgets.
We call on you to:
Reject CPS making the City’s $175 million MEABF pension payment.
Say no to short-term borrowing that mortgages CPS’s future.
Keep every possible dollar focused on CPS students and classrooms.
Our children’s education should never be sacrificed to plug the City’s budget hole. CPS exists to serve students—not to bail out City obligations.
Chicago students deserve better.
Sincerely,
Rosa Abarca
Efrén Aceves
Arshya Adeli
Maria Aguayo
Roberto Alcauter
Maria Alfaro
Keven Allen
Vanessa Alvarez
Nancy Alvarez
Daniel Anello
María Anzo
Daisy Arias
Moises Arias
Quiaria Asiedu
Ingrid Ávalos
Jesus Ayala Jr.
Alejandra Ballesteros
Araceli Barajas
Sergio Barboza III Morelos
Sergio Barboza Jr
Isabella Barboza Morelos
Emily Barboza Morelos
Reyna Barrera
Guadalupe Barron
Charles Benson
Nadia Berriel Miranda
Oliver Bevan
Ella Blackwell
Althea Blakemore
Patricia Blanco
Mary Boehmler
Daniel Bollas
Marisabel Borja
Jessica Brant
Sylvia Bravo
Sean Brown
Andrew Broy
Kimberly Burgess
Yvonne Butler
Sonya Caffrey
Keila Camperos
Raymundo Canas
Jessica Cañas
Maria Cano
Jeannine Carrasquillo
Daisy Carrera
Kathia Carrillo
LaDorra Carroll
Guadalupe Castillo
Briana Castro
Rosa Cerritos
Melanie Christion
Robert Civitello
Princess Clark
Tonya Cody-Robinson
Barb Cohen
Harriette Coleman
Mirna Corea
Eudelia Coria
Samuel Corona
Luz Corral
Maria del Rosario Cortez
Mirna Covarrubias
Shontae Crawford
Eben A Credit
Natasha Croff
Diana Cruz
Jessica Cruz
Martha Cruz
Shaina Cuellar
Victor Cuellar
Maria Custodio
Jessica Dadosky
Dnefferteri Davis
Summer Dawson
Carlos De La Luz
Nayda De La Rosa
Latonya Dean
Cassandra Di Prizio
Maria Diaz
Maria Diaz
Socorro Diaz
Rene Diaz
Kate Dickson
Ashley Dinzey
Katerria Doty
Laura Downes
Abraham Duenas
Alma Duenas
Ayerim Duenas
Malaikah Dunning
Alma Duran
Denise Dyer
Baltazar Enriquez
Adriana Espinoza
Pedro Espinoza
Vanessa Espinoza
Laura Espinoza Bowers
Anna Espitia
Juan Pablo Esquivel
Ariela Esser
Julie Ewart
Jema Fabara
Joyce Fair
Michelle Favis
Erika Fay
Procopio Fernández
Maria de la Luz Flores
Melissa Flores
Hermelinda Flores
Verónica Flores
Blaire Flowers
Thomas Formolo
Don Fraynd
Emily Frazee
Nicholas Furio
Margarita Gabriel
Kim Gaiter
Hayde Gallegos
Gabriela Galvez
Kristen Galvin
Corey Garcia
Elias Garcia
Gisel Garcia
Anthony Garcia
Laura Garcia
Margarita Garcia
Sabrina Garza
Vanessa Gerena
Nelson Gerew
Ayrelle Giles
Carrie Glaspie
Paris Glenn
Susan Gold
Luis Gomez
Maribel Gomez
Nora Gomez
Paulina Gomez
Yaritza Gomez
Amelia Gonzalez
Erika Gonzalez
Maria Gonzalez
Maria Rosario Gonzalez
Antoniesha Goss
Walter Grandberry
Mara Guadalupe
Lilia Guevara
Maria Eira Guevara
Mayra Guillen
Fil Guipoco
Cecilia Gutierrez
Raquel Gutierrez
Jennifer Guzman
Natalie Hall
Joel Hamernick
Edwina Hamilton
Emanuel Handy
Sarafina Handy
Tonia Harris
Jack Hartwell
Bradley Henderson
Brianda Hernandez
Saira Hernandez
Guadalupe Hernandez
Rosalia Hernandez
Maria Hernández
Kristy Herrera
Victoria Herrera
Renee Holloway
Denneen Hooper Grant
Shirin Hormozi
Deja Hunter
Travis Hunter
Anthony Hurley
Karen Ibarra
Edward James
Shantel James
Jameycia Jenkins
Luz Jimenez
Violeta Jimenez
Adriana Jiron
Tina Johnson
Ashley Johnson
Nicholas Jones
Artimese Jones
Andre Jones
Shambavi Kamaraj
Josh Kaufmann
Joyce Kilburg
Daniel Kilburg
Asha Kuloor
Maribel labra
Laura Lambert
Joshua Levin
Clent Lewis
Tabitha Lieber
Patricia Limon
Mary Long
Andrea Lopez
Clara Lopez
Norma Lopez
Lorena López
Miriam Lorenzana
Adrian Love
Yuri Loza
Zuleyma Luna
Gildred Macias
Lynae Maciel
Rocio Maldonado
Luz María Maldonado Moreno
Krystyl Malloy
Thomas Maloney
Hayley Mans
Maria Marcelo
Victoria Marrufo
Jaime Martinez
Noemi Martinez
Rosalia Martinez
Arisbeth Martinez
Consuelo Martinez De Ferrer
Maria Marvelo
Tyler Mason
Bella Matthews
Jessy Mayorga
Larry McCullough
Amanda McDonald
Marietta McDuffy
Sherice Mcgee
Ivan Medina
Tanika P. Meeks
Lilia Mendez
Erika Mendoza
Evelyn Merlos
Tauja Merriweather
Andrea M. Meza
Laura Meza
Ja'Neane Minor
Michelle Mitchell
Sonam Mohindra
Lucero Montero
Leah Moore
Alejandra Mora
María Mora
Carolina Mora Solano
Yuabni Morales
Rosalba Morelos
Marisol Morelos
Susana Morelos
Gustavo Morelos
Gustavo Morelos Jr
Alberto Morelos Jr
Cokeshia Morgan
Keshia Morgan
Mackenzie Musch
Koron Nash
Maria Navarrete
Eli Newman
Jonah Newman
Richard Newman
Lan Nguyen
Victory Nwabufo
Maria Ochoa
Yolian Ogbu
Guadalupe Ojeda
America Ortega
Andrea Ortiz
Maria Owens
Renye Owens
Adam Parrott-Sheffer
Maria Partida
Tierra Pearson
Ricarda Pedraza
Melina Pereyra
Eduardo Perez
Adriana Perez
Ana Pérez
Adela Perez Saldivar
Juliana Perez-Mitchell
Todd Peters
Catdelya Phillips
Yeni Pinedo
Jasmin Pizano Luna
Erika Poethig
Elizabeth Pollock
Kristin Pollock
Kamaria Porter
Jose Quiles
Reyna Quintana
Iris Quintanilla
Alisa Radcliffe
Edgardo Ramirez
Maria Ramirez
Patricia Ramirez
Ascencion Ramos
Tiffany Rent
Concepcion Reyes
Gabrielle Richmond
Krystal Rios
Erika Rivera
Angelica Rivera
Dylan Robinson
Lindsey Robinson
Blanca Rodriguez
Nigal Rodriguez
Claudia Rodriguez
Jasmine Rogers
Luisa Roman
María Romano
Olivia Ron
Ashley Rubit
Catalina Ruiz
Sonica Ruiz
Patricia Ruiz
Karol Ruiz Ramirez
Heaven Russell
Teresa Sandoval
Ariel Sanett
Sam Schneider
Lisa Scruggs
LeShonne Segura
Elizabeth Serrano
Arani Shearrill
Sadikshya Shrestha
Sydney Sidwell
Alma Sigala
Ruby Silich
Francella Silva
Lisa Simons
Beverly Simpson
Kennita Sinclair
Christy Smith Hall
Stacy Snyder
Viridiana Soriano
Cory Stevenson
Craig Stevenson
Jennifer Stocklaufer
Heena Sultana
Emily Summers
Miriam Tafolla
Maria Guadalupe Tafolla Meza
Cynthia Tao
Carolina Tellez
Gregoria Téllez
Jennifer Terrell
Jennifer Tescher
Cynthia Thomas
Kristian Thomas
Laura Thonn
Fillmore Tony
Silvia Torres
Artune Toussaint
Mary Townsend
Simone Townsend
Sitoria Townsend
Yadira Trinidad
Alana Tripoli
Joanna Trotter
Dr. Bill Truesdale
Sebastian Valadez
Hector E. Valadez
Hector M. Valadez
Marisela Vallejo Garcia
Michael Van Atter
Veronica Vargas
Jaqueline Vargas
Anyelin Vasquez
Erica Vega
Lorena Vega
Julia Vega
Carolina Velarde
Abigail Vences
Megan Vidis
Maria Vieyra
Luz Vizcarra
Kate Waddell
Claiborne Wade
Julia Wegmann
Minijoie Wilker
Yolanda Williams
Renada Williams
Berniece Williams
Virgina Williams
Latrece Winfield
Francis Wong
Alya Woods
Hal Woods
Vivianna Yepez
Lavinia Young
Gabriela Zapotoczny
MJ Zaring
Luz Zavala
John Zulueta
Results of live poll
Kids First Chicago hosted a July 22 webinar on the topic of CPS funding options that was attended by roughly 200 stakeholders. Participants were asked:
1.
Do you think Chicago Public Schools (CPS) should be required to make the City’s $175 million MEABF pension payment this year?
80%: No, the City should cover the cost
7%: Yes, CPS should pay it
13%: Not sure / Need more information
2.
Should CPS take out a short-term loan—mainly to cover the City’s pension bill—even if it increases long-term debt and interest costs?
84%: No, CPS should not take on more debt for this
2%: Yes, if it prevents short-term cuts
14%: Not sure / Need more information
3.
When CPS is facing a budget shortfall, as it is this year, what should be its top priority?
85%: Protecting classroom funding and student supports
0%: Paying off City obligations like pensions
9%: Balancing the budget through any means necessary
6%: Not sure