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Rahm Stands by Giving CPS Grads Leg Up on Police, Fire Hiring

By Ted Cox | July 30, 2014 5:22pm
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel says giving CPS grads preference in city hiring is "consistent with what we want to do."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel says giving CPS grads preference in city hiring is "consistent with what we want to do."
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

CITY HALL — The mayor stood by his policy to give preference to Chicago Public Schools graduates in city hiring Wednesday, even in the Police and Fire departments.

"It's consistent with what we want to do," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, and "that means the Police and Fire departments are part of it."

Firefighters were riled recently when an announcement of a new round of exams and hiring included a "CPS Preference" granting favoritism to CPS graduates.

At a news conference Wednesday following the City Council meeting, Emanuel pointed to rising graduation rates in CPS, and said that two-year initiative to grant graduates a city hiring preference played a role in that.

Emanuel said, in the old days, "it was more important who you knew than what you knew."

"I think we should make sure that kids that are graduating from CPS have a shot at working for the city," Emanuel added, because of the "diversity of the city and the diverse talent of the city."

Emanuel said it originally began among construction workers and teamsters, but "I do applaud" its expansion to city positions including police and fire.

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