Reaction To Governor’s Budget Released Today
Illinois Governor Quinn today revealed a state budget which drastically cuts state support for education and social services in Chicago and across the state. The President of the Chicago Teachers Union, Karen Lewis, stated that, “Today, subsidies for developers and kickbacks to corporations won out over educating children and providing all citizens with basic health and social services that make life livable,” said Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.
“The remedies are clear. In Chicago, Mayor Daley must return TIF funds now, immediately, that he has robbed from our classrooms and social services, and get real about flat property taxes. In the state, once and for all state legislators must do their job – overhaul taxing policies that do not keep pace with rising costs, and collect and distribute money for education equitably. As it stands now, only children whose families live in costly homes have a chance at a quality education,” said Lewis.
Lewis noted that “too many politicians only support education during the campaign cycle. Millions of eligible voters – in this case, 30,000 classroom professionals and their families plus the families of 400,000 children in Chicago Public Schools – need a good reason to vote for Governor Quinn and Mayor Daley this coming winter.”
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The Chicago Teachers Union represents 32,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools. CTU, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, is the third largest union in the country and the largest local union in Illinois.
For further information regarding this press release and current CTU news, please visit our website at www.ctunet.com.
