Protesters Call Out CPS Board On Budget Cuts

By aaroncynic in News on Jun 26, 2013 9:20PM

In a line that took up the entire city block, demonstrators picketed in front of CPS headquarters Wednesday morning to protest budget cuts which they say could cause layoffs, creating larger class sizes, shortening available supplies and reducing the quality of students’ education. The demonstrators also took aim at Bank of America for charging high interest rates, and called out CPS for refusing to tap into other revenue streams for funding. The school board votes Wednesday on hiring an additional 600 safe passage workers.

In a press conference, Ron Baiman, Director of Budget and Policy Analysis with the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability said, "This is not a spending crisis, we're facing a revenue crisis.” Another demonstrator said “We’re witnessing the destruction of public education in the city of Chicago. We’re witnessing the gutting of public schools in the city of Chicago.”

Protesters then marched to a Bank of America branch on State Street, where they attempted to hold a press conference inside, but were pushed to the sidewalk out front by police. Demonstrators say Bank of America “gouges” CPS and the City via “toxic swaps.” Afterwards, they headed back to CPS headquarters where they continued to demonstrate outside as a board hearing began. Chris Pieper, a Whitney Young student told ABC7 News, "My message is to reconsider these budget cuts and make sure they're not as drastic and not as detrimental to the students and to the parents and teachers."