CHICAGO — An angry Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool Wednesday defended comparing Gov. Bruce Rauner to President Donald Trump in a letter to parents announcing millions of dollars in cuts from public schools to help fill the hole blown in the district's budget by the governor's veto of $215 million officials had been counting on.
Claypool said he acted "well within his authority and actually well within my responsibility," to send the letter home with Chicago Public Schools students on Monday in an effort to explain the impact of the governor's decision. He dismissed suggestions that he violated any law or regulation.
In a letter to Chicago parents on Rauner's letterhead and signed by Illinois Education Secretary Beth Purvis Tuesday, the governor called the cuts "curiously timed and unfortunate."
The governor's letter blamed "CPS' continued mismanagement" for the shortfall, and said the governor had been working to "help Chicago."
That came a day after Claypool accused the governor of attacking the "most vulnerable among us — largely poor and minority students — to score points in a political chess match."
Chicago Republican Party Chairman Chris Cleveland on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Chicago Board of Education Inspector General Nicholas Schuler alleging Claypool inappropriately used public funds for political purposes for by printing and distributing the letter.
Cleveland attempted to confront Claypool at Wednesday's news conference, but was escorted from the building by Chicago Public Schools security officials before Claypool addressed the media.
In his remarks Wednesday, Claypool — his voice shaking and rising in anger — doubled down on his comparison of Rauner and Trump, accusing the governor of following the president's playbook of using "bully tactics to silence those who disagree with him."
Claypool said Monday the school district is weighing whether to file suit against the state for picking up a greater share of the bill for teachers pensions in school districts outside Chicago — where the majority of students are white — than for Chicago's teachers, where the district is primarily made up of black and Latino students.
"What he is doing is immoral and wrong," Claypool said Wednesday, noting that Chicago's children get about 76 cents for every dollar spent on children in other Illinois school districts.
"It is verifiable with facts, verifiable with math that our students get the short end of the stick and their futures are being threatened," Claypool said.
CPS had counted on the $215 million vetoed by Rauner to pay employees' pensions when that bill comes due in the summer.
CPS officials said Monday they would freeze half of schools' discretionary funds, which can be used to purchase textbooks and technology as well as to pay for afterschool programs, field trips and hourly staff totaling $46 million. However, in an attempt to avoid penalizing schools that squirreled away money, schools will lose no more than 5 percent of their overall budget, officials said.
The school district will save another $5 million by canceling professional development events for the district's central office staff. Unless the state funds are restored, charter schools will also see their budgets slashed by $18 million by the end of the year, officials said.
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Last month, Claypool ordered four unpaid furlough days for all school district employees to save $35 million. The first unpaid day was Friday, and more than 100 teachers protested outside the mayor's office.
The School Board is expected to approve the cuts at its Feb. 22 meeting. CPS, which has a low credit rating, would be hard-pressed to borrow money, forcing officials to impose cuts at schools across the city.
The fiscal crisis for the school district began in November, when Rauner blamed Illinois Senate President John Cullerton for torpedoing a compromise inked in June that allowed schools to open in September. Part of that deal promised Chicago schools an additional $215 million to help cover its pension obligations — in return for statewide "pension reform," a long-held goal of the governor.
However, Cullerton said in a statement that he did not break the agreement and was willing to continue hammering out an agreement with the governor on pension reform.
In a message to legislators, Rauner said he would not sign the bill because it would amount to a "bailout" for CPS.
Rauner and Speaker of the House Michael Madigan have been locked in a bitter fight over the Illinois budget.
The governor wants lawmakers to adopt his agenda, which he says will spur business growth in Illinois as part of a budget agreement. Democrats have refused, and the impasse lasted nearly two years.
A bill that would adopt a budget, and set a new funding formula for school districts, is pending in the Senate.
