TIF Mania & Call to Ban Cell Phones
Chicago Board of Education Meeting May 29, 2025
Chicago Board of Education meetings never miss a beat when it comes to public comments about problems in the Chicago Public Schools.
The mainstream media focused on the Trustees passing a resolution to hold charter schools accountable at the May 29, 2025 meeting.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates spoke first, followed by SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer, who said there is $700 million TIF or Tax Increment Financing money in accounts for developers that should go to the schools. “This money rightfully belongs to the schools,” Palmer said. “If these TIFs didn’t exist this money would go right to the schools. It is a matter of restoring what’s owed. We want complete transparency. CEO Martinez - you blessed SEIU Local 73 during the midst of the storm. Thank you.”
Two prominent labor union leaders made a rare appearance in support of the CTU’s fight for more school funding. An AFL-CIO leader stated, “I am no stranger to public private projects, but corporations that take public funds need to work for the public good.” Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) President Bob Reiter said they represent 300 unions from airline pilots to zookeepers, including CPS building engineers, custodians and food service workers. He said he wanted to thank the CTU for leading the fight for neutrality for charter schools where they cannot pressure workers to not join a union. “Using public money should not take labor costs and create a race to the bottom. You shouldn’t move from CPS school to charter and get a cut in pay if you're a food service worker. Custodians also should have (the) same access to a union in a charter school.”
The CTU had once called for the abolishment of TIFs, and last fall called on the Brandon Johnson administration to end all TIFs in the city and dedicate TIF funds to close a $1 billion projected deficit for CPS. However, other trade unions in the city under the CFL like TIFs because the tax money is used to spur development and union construction jobs. The CTU is not in favor of abolishing all TIFs if they are used for the original intent to spur development in ‘blighted’ areas of the city.
The People’s Network Response team spoke first about vaccines. Ethel Walton, a recently retired nurse, said vaccines should be given by nurses in the public schools. Neal Resnikoff, co-founder of Albany Park, North Park and Mayfair Neighbors for Peace and Justice, who regularly protests US funded wars in Israel and Ukraine and elsewhere on Saturdays at noon at the Kimball and Lawrence corner, said he stood with Board Member Jitu Brown and the Dyett High School hunger strikers. “We’re in the middle of a measles outbreak (and) a meningitis outbreak, so why not vaccinate students in their schools,” he said. “It won’t cost schools much, this was how it used to be done. That’s what I did as a little kid.” Another speaker noted that proper indoor air ventilation will improve test scores and decrease absenteeism. Dr. Howard Ehrman, the former assistant health commissioner under Mayor Harold Washington, said there are lots of current and former CPS students with long term Covid, so this issue is urgent. He asked why they haven’t advertised replacing the City’s Chief Health Commissioner, who was fired.
The Charter School Fight is between the CTU and the IL Network of Charter Schools. Once again the Acero Charter parents spoke to complain about the decision to close their schools without any community input. They noted that their bond holders were notified first about closing nine schools before the community. The Paz and Cruz Acero schools with 500 students will be closed while the others will become CPS schools.
CTU reps who spoke in favor of the resolution for charter neutrality noted that the teachers in charters without a union live in fear of being fired at any time. I remember hearing a story about UNO (Acero) Founder Juan Rangel who immediately fired a teacher during a walk through to showcase the school because their classroom was not in order and another charter teacher was fired the day they discovered her talking on her cell phone.
There should be a district wide 8am to 3pm student cell phone ban district wide
“Educating students to use technology is fundamental,” said Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School Teacher Paul DeRonne, who has taught math and engineering at Lindblom for nine years. “We need to be thoughtful about how we both implement and restrict technology.” He outlined five areas of concern:
1) The misalignment between SOPA (Student Online Personal Protection Act) law and CPS policy. He noted that the IL State law on privacy protection reads - “in furtherance of school activities,” but that line is missing from board policy which restricts teachers access to certain educational sites;
2) CPS policy is ed tech operators must become vendors for CPS; there are lots of ed tech providers who are not trying to sell anything and do not want to go through that onerous process, other districts do not require this and neither does the state law;
3) There are certain websites that are defined as general audience. These are professional platforms not necessary for K-12 purposes and are exempted from State SOPA law, but CPS blocks these platforms too;
4) The CPS firewall, which is used to block web pages and images, is a good thing generally, but some websites that teachers want are still blocked and it can take months to unblock them. CPS needs better image blocking and a faster process;
5) There should be a district wide 8am to 3pm student cell phone ban district wide and ‘unfortunately’ this change will need to be accompanied by money for implementation.
The school board meetings reflect democracy in action where people not tied to big-money interests have a voice. Dr Angel Alvarez - the ever present critic with Biblical looks, said he served on a CPS parent commission with CPS that raised concerns about budget problems, but the council was disbanded when they raised these serious concerns to CPS. “Despite spending more money, we do not see a closing of the achievement gap,” he thundered. He said he was concerned about Latino student gains that have lagged, the achievement decline that begins after 4th grade, reduced testing and less seats in magnet schools. He, like others, then thanked outgoing CPS CEO Pedro Martinez.
Aida Flores with Parents for Education told the Trustees that their community is against a proposed TIF expansion in the Pilsen neighborhood. She stressed how important public education is. She came here as an immigrant, and despite being a teenage mother, graduated from Juarez High School in Pilsen and earned three degrees from Georgetown, National Lewis and Harvard. “I’ve committed my life to public education,” she said. “Disinvestment is the result of choosing private interest over public good. The proposed Pilsen TIF expansion is just the latest example of diverting funds and disinvestment.” She noted that Pilsen has fought against TIFs going back to 1998. “TIFs have a long track record of fueling gentrification and displacement.”
“The proposal would divert a billion dollars in property taxes away from our general fund, approximately $560 million from our public education,” Flores added. “I’m part of a coalition of residents who have been fighting this resolution for over a year and successfully stalled it in the finance committee. We want a school system that reflects the value of every child, not the value of the land beneath them. We ask you to stand in solidarity against this Pilsen TIF expansion and address the structural deficit you face and will continue to face.”
Pilsen Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez countered Flores when he spoke later. He said that he is in favor of the Pilsen TIF expansion and that his opposition is funded by billionaires and realtors. “The TIF money, whether we like it or not, has been used to balance budgets,” he said. “CPS voted so our schools in our district can receive capital infrastructure dollars. I’m not here to ask for TIF dollars … I asked Mr Martinez to make schools like ours with immigrant kids have the same opportunity as everybody else. If we can get every alderman to give away the TIFs so it supports the schools, then you have my support, but I cannot allow the defrauders and that they say represent a coalition of parents and people. They represent an organization of billionaires, realtors and charter organizations that don’t want accountability, but to enrich themselves.”
Wait, whaat?? Ald. Sigcho Lopez said he is in favor of expanding his TIF to help immigrant children, but he is against TIFs overall, and only if the other aldermen give up TIF monies, will he do likewise. This sort of mirrors the CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson position on TIFs, they are in favor of some, but they need all that money to prevent the threat of massive layoffs and school closings.
“So I’m here to make sure we have a plan for every school in this district,” Alderman Sigcho said. “I supported the plan of CTU, abolish the TIFs, and be equitable. And let’s ask the alderman downtown how they feel about it. Because they continue to soak up resources while immigrant kids are neglected. So I’m here to make sure that we have a plan. We go to Springfield so they tax the rich. Not the fraudsters.”
The school board meetings reflect democracy in action where people not tied to big-money interests have a voice.
IL Network of Charter Schools speakers urged the trustees to vote against the charter accountability resolution which they claimed was a backroom political deal.
A student from Haugan Elementary School in Albany Park spoke again about their need to expand to the Aspira Middle School Building. “This building is being given to a different school, North River,” he said. “We students at Haugan would like to share this school with the Haugan community. We have seen an increase in students in Haugan and it will continue. (We) already see signs that we are running out of space for classrooms. This is why we should have part use of the Aspira building. This will help alleviate the overcrowding at Haugan which will lead to less packed hallways and more space.” The conclusion of his speech was succinct: “Sincerely, me, Austin, bye (click!), which brought a smile to some trustee faces.
Natasha Dunn, an independent activist for black students rights and critical of CPS and CTU, said black students are traveling far longer than any other racial groups to go to school. “This burden affects everything including attendance, academic performance and friendships and parent involvement,” Dunn said. “These buses were taken from students and given to the new arrivals. It further purged black students from the schools. Bradwell went from 90 percent black to 70 percent, black students are being pushed out, physically, culturally and systemically. The remaining students are forced to watch as migrant students get targeted funding for academic language support while black students are left to struggle unsupported. Since 2000 Chicago has purged 120k black students, and more than 15k black teachers. And by 2030 there will be only 80k black students left. I am issuing a warning to the board, if you don’t implement a reparative strategy that reflects in your budget the policies and practices, you will be remembered for what your predecessor started, the destruction of black education in Chicago.”
The last speaker was from the Chicago Family Dyslexia Collaborative. The rep said research shows that the right instruction will result in 95 percent of students being able to read, but only 31 percent of CPS students read proficiently. She said dyslexia is a neurological based difference in the brain. She said CPS should restore the cuts to their reading program.
Ald Lamont Robinson (4th ward) spoke to give Urban Prep a five year renewal. Urban Prep was supposed to be closed due to financial irregularities and other problems, but they have continuously fought to keep their charter school open by speaking at the school board meetings.
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