SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Mayor Brandon Johnson headed to Springfield on Wednesday for closed-door talks and an aim for additional resources for the city he leads.
His private schedule included visits with Gov. JB Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and GOP House Leader Toni McCombie.
Ahead of the trip, the mayor told reporters the visit is an effort to secure funding for Chicago.
“The families of Chicago are owed $1 billion from the state of Illinois in order to build a better, strong, safer city,” he said earlier this week at an event at the Thompson Center.
As he negotiates a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union, Johnson is specifically looking for more dollars for education. But according to Pritzker’s office, state funding for CPS has increased by 14 percent or $264.8 million from 2019 to 2024. And over the last five years, Chicago Public Schools has received an increase of $1,542 per student.
With a group of Black Chicago City Council members in the gallery, state Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) addressed the need for more resources.
“Fairness and equity are critical and must be at the forefront if we’re going to achieve social economic progress for the Black community,” he said.
The push for a CPS funding boost may not be well received. Pritzker has sent agency leaders a memo urging them to prepare for budget cuts.
Against the mayor’s wishes, the Senate Executive Committee passed legislation that would extend a moratorium on closing Chicago Public Schools, including selective enrollment and magnet ones. Allies of Johnson have hinted they’d like to prioritize neighborhood schools over selective-enrollment campuses. The Chicago Teachers Union calls the bill racist.
The mayor will spend the night in Springfield. Illinois AFL-CIO and the Chicago Federation of Labor are scheduled to hold a legislative open house with Johnson on Thursday morning.
