This action was GA endorsed on Wednesday after a discussion on Satruday.
Join the Chicago Teachers Solidarity
Campaign to tell the billionaires on the unelected Chicago Board of
Education -
HANDS OFF OUR KIDS' CASH!!! We will hold a press
conference and speak out followed by picketing at
53rd and Lake Park on
Wednesday, August 8th from 5:30pm-8:00pm. Hyatt Hotel mogul
Penny Pritzker was appointed to the unelected Chicago Board of Education
by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Instead of putting money into schools, she's
taking it directly from parents and teachers' property taxes in a $5.2 million
TIF (Tax Increment Financing) scheme for a Hyatt hotel at 53rd and Lake
Park asked for by the University of Chicago. The U of C ($6.6 billion)
and Penny ($1.8 billion) have over $8 billion together and can afford to
build their own hotel without robbing the community and defunding local
schools.
The board's proposed CPS 2013 budget targets seven
neighborhood public schools (Dyett high school, Kenwood Academy, Canter
middle school, Reavis Elementary, Burke elementary, Ray school,
Kozminski Academy) around the Hyatt TIF for defunding to the amount of
$3,379,677, at a loss of 27 positions.
If this TIF wasn't
here, 62% of the same property taxes paid by the community would
automatically go to schools. Interestingly, 62% of $5.2 million is very
close to this $3.37 million funding hole. But Hyatt Hotel is only one
part of the $20 million Harper Court renovation from the 53rd Street TIF
founded in 2001.
As a member of the Board of Education, it's
Penny's job to find money for our schools, not to take our money for
her business. TIFs are property taxes the mayor controls costing us
close to $500 million a year. By state law, 62% of that would go to
public schools, over $250 million this year. But the unelected board
appointed by the mayor has no incentive to go against him as he
squanders the public’s funds on political favors.
We must end
the chronic defunding of neighborhood schools by reclaiming TIFs and
taxing the rich. It's our money, our kids, our teachers, our communities
and our schools—we should have most of the say in how it's run, not out
of state special interest groups backed by the 1%. The Chicago Board of
Education must be elected and representative of the CPS community.
That's the only way we can end the race and class disparities in quality
of CPS education and ensure we fully fund quality public education for
all Chicagoans regardless of race, money, special needs or legal status.
We call on parents, teachers and students from the neighborhood
schools, as well as the CTU, labor and community activists and concerned
individuals to join us in exposing and amending how our public funds
are distributed.
Ask your group if you can endorse this event, and contact us on facebook or by email at ChicagoTeachersSolidarity@gmail.com
Please share this event and information with your friends.
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Website: ctscampaign.weebly.com/