Election Preview: CPS Voting Issues
Every election, I forget how long the ballots truly are. You are not just going to vote for Clinton or Trump, you are going to vote for Congressional seats, Clerkships and in Illinois, 75 Judicial candidates. There are also eight Ballot Measures, and two of them directly affect CPS Schools:
Neither of these questions are binding, meaning that election officials are simply trying to gauge a more decisive interpretation of what voters really want. So your vote matters, but it doesn’t guarantee a change in policy. However, it may sway future discussions about the issues, so don’t leave these questions blank! Every opinion counts.
Let’s break down these questions, as they are as confusing and fully-loaded as one comes to expect with a Chicago election.
Should the State of Illinois provide full and equitable funding for the Chicago Public Schools?
What does this even mean? If schools are not fully and equitably supported now, how are they supported? This question threw me for a loop and I have been furiously researching the question since I came across it in my absentee ballot (I just like to vote from my couch).
First things first. Illinois schools are funded in three ways: federal, state and local taxes. The average state in America is funded about 50/50 with state and local taxes, with a small percentage of federal taxes to round it out. In Illinois, nearly 60% of funding comes from local taxes, with much less coming from the state, and about the same federal funding as the other states (it’s actually a bit less). As a result, more affluent municipalities are going to be able to fund their schools with far more money than, say, CPS, where the property values are lower and tax revenue is far less.
In case you don’t think the gap could possibly be that wide district-to-district, check out this infographic from Reboot Illinois, because it’s actually quite unbelievable:
Bottom line: “These disparities ensure that absent equitable changes to school funding at the state level, students in lower-income districts in Illinois will continue to have significantly fewer resources than their wealthier peers.”
Voting yes to this ballot measure will send a strong message to our legislators that they need to fix Springfield and provide resources to Chicago Public Schools. Presumably, other districts are trying to find out the same information about their schools, and collectively, Illinois would need to show more support for public education throughout the state.
The downside to this, of course, is that Springfield is having a tough time with money (aren’t we all?) and voting yes to this measure will put pressure on the budget. I personally believe it’s much-needed pressure, but you might see things differently.
Here are your options on voting day:
A "yes" vote supports full and equitable funding for Chicago Public Schools, provided by the State of Illinois
A "no" vote opposes this proposal
Shall the Chicago Public Schools, which face a budget deficit, approve the expansion of charter schools?
This is such a loaded question. I would like to know who drafted it, because it’s written with such bias it’s appalling. To call out the budget deficit within the question is going to effectively deter a lot of people from saying yes. I actually agree with this outcome, but that doesn’t mean the question is at all bipartisan, and that kind of thing drives me crazy.
It is true that CPS faces a budget deficit. And the new CTU contract will cap the expansion of charter schools as they have been losing students to charter schools, and in a district with per-pupil funding, this is extremely meaningful.
Even with the CTU cap, the city still has room for nine more charter schools, and at least 21 have proposals into the city to start enrollment as soon as the 2017-2018 school year.
While I firmly believe competition amongst schools lifts everyone up, competition for resources brings everyone down. In a city where 3 out of 4 schools lack a librarian and there is an enormous special needs teacher shortage, should the focus really be on independently-run, money-making charter schools?
Here are your options on voting day:
A "yes" vote supports expanding charter schools in [Your Ward Number]
A "no" vote opposes this proposal
Use your heads and your hearts, but no matter what you do on Tuesday, please get out and vote, Chicago!