To no one’s surprise, the CPS appointed board unanimously passed their FY 2019 budget Wednesday, July 25, which includes a $1B capital plan that perpetuates gross inequity throughout the city.

How does CPS make decisions about capital spending? With an unelected board those decisions are not transparent. Below is data on expenditures by ward and aldermanic voting record. Also, researchers at the UIC Voorhees Center released a report that shows which wards are getting their unmet facilities needs met based on 2013 assessments. The results are really staggering. You can find the UIC Vorhees Center report here: Proposed CPS Budget Reveals Geographic Disparities in Investment.

On Wednesday, June 27, 2018, we hosted a Sing-Along with the elected school board bill at the Thompson Center. We then marched to CPS and hosted a press conference. Full recap below!

The School House Rock-style sing-along called attention to Springfield’s failure to bring democracy and accountability to CPS at a time when the district is facing new scandals every week. Parents shared stories about how the unelected school board has harmed their students, families and communities. 

US Senator Dick Durbin announced the introduction of the Clean Slate for Kids Act today at the IIT-Kent Law School in Chicago, and Raise Your Hand Action was among the groups speaking in support of this bill. RYH Action statement and video below.

On Tuesday, we traveled to Springfield with our friends from Parents 4 Teachers and the elected school board bill to see why she hasn’t been sent to the Governor’s desk yet!

Can't make it to our lobby day in Springfield on May 9? Here are three quick actions you can take from anywhere to support better public ed policy in Illinois! 

HB1295, the Student Information Transparency Act, a bill that RYH Action helped draft. We'll be meeting with the opponents of this bill again next week for further negotiations. You can help us by writing a quick note to your legislators about why action on student privacy is more urgent than ever.