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Raise Your Hand joined parents from across the city and several aldermen for a Wednesday press conference to once again present local revenue proposals to ensure school stays open past June 1st, in the absence of our paralyzed state coming up with funding for CPS. Mary Hughes, CPS parent and Raise Your Hand board member spoke at the press conference. Her statement is after the jump:

We have many questions about how the proposed cuts were determined, and why schools receiving Title 1 and SGSA funds received disproportionately higher cuts. While we agree strongly that the state must do a better job of funding education equitably, and should provide pension parity, CPS has to improve their practices of funding schools equitably within the district and creating policies that impact schools fairly.

Click here to download the infographic as a PDF

Another month, another unelected Board of Education meeting. Here's what we had to say.

Jennie Biggs, CPS Parent and RYH Board Member, spoke on behalf of RYH. Here is her statement:

Many LSC members are reporting tears at their meetings this week because they don’t know how their schools will run:

You cut $179M from district run schools this summer.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve launched a sister org, RYH Action (501c4), which will be able to do advocacy without limitations, and work on legislation to protect our vital institutions of public education. RYH felt strongly that now more than ever we needed a separate organization to engage in the political process to protect our schools. Check out our website:
http://www.raiseyourhandaction.org/

Budget hearings were sparsely attended this year, with the operating budget hearings held downtown during daytime hours instead of in the community in the evening, as done in past years.

Access Living published their annual review of the CPS Budget analyzing the impact of the CPS Budget on special education and students with disabilities, and makes a series of recommendations.

There are a number of CPS budget hearings this week with capital budget hearings at 3 schools Wednesday evening and operating budget hearings at CPS headquarters on Friday during the day. The operating budget hearings have been in the community after work hours in the past but this year, the Sun-Times reports that "CPS defended the Friday daytime budget hearings, saying that they accommodate the schedules and availability of board members “to ensure a robust community input ahead of the Board vote later this month.”

Despite CPS claiming that they have made no cuts to the classroom, district schools have been cut by $179 million. The FY2017 budget adds to the pain that chronic underfunding of Chicago’s school system has inflicted. The need for long-term sustainable revenue to fund Chicago and all public schools in Illinois equitably and adequately is more acute than ever.