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State Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, said the Chicago mayor was
wrong when he said the state of Illinois owes CPS $1 billion.
“We got here because, in June of 2024, Mayor Brandon Johnson
jumped out and said the state owes CPS a billion dollars. I will
tell you what I said then I think is still true now. I believe
everybody wants to help children. Very few people want to help
him based on his lack of leadership. He was wrong in his
position about the state owing CPS, and his math was wrong as
well,” Tarver said.
Tarver said, outside of Chicago, there are no votes to send
money to Chicago without sending money to the rest of the state.
“That has to be part of the conversation,” Tarver emphasized.
Tarver continued to call out Chicago while referring to Gov.
J.B. Pritzker.
“Rarely would you find me quoting Governor Pritzker, but I will
say I think he said something that a lot of us feel. I don’t
think that it’s the job of Springfield to rescue the school
districts that might have been irresponsible with the one-time
money they received. Poor fiscal management on the part of the
local government is not necessarily the responsibility of
Springfield,” Tarver said.
Civic Federation President Joseph Ferguson told the committee
that the state’s evidence-based funding formula cannot be
altered for one district.
“The bottom line is, for CPS to get $1 billion more in EBF
funding actually means an outlay of over $4 billion statewide by
the state, which is dealing with other immediate fiscal
challenges,” Ferguson explained.
Interim CPS Superintendent Macquline King said the district has
a $734 million deficit and she needs to present a budget on Aug.
13.
King told lawmakers she had one specific request.
“Over the past 20 years, we have increased the property tax levy
to the maximum amount allowed under the property tax cap,
understanding that the local tax base is the primary funder of
local schools and is the only revenue stream in our control to
relieve the pressures caused by inflation,” King said.
King threatened “drastic mid-year cuts” if revenue does not
materialize.
In an exchange with CPS board member and Johnson appointee
Michilla Blaise, Tarver said the mayor has demonstrated a lack
of leadership.
“The mayor does not have four votes outside of city legislators,
if he has that, for anything that he wants to do, which is why
he came up short with every single thing he asked for this
year,” Tarver said.
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