Chance The Rapper Announces Names Of Next Schools To Receive $10K Donations

By Stephen Gossett in News on Mar 9, 2017 9:30PM

Chance the Rapper (and Beloved Benefactor) announced on Thursday nine more CPS schools that would receive a $10,000 donation from his original $1 million gift to the financially beleaguered district.

The schools were, in order of announcement:
Nathan S. Davis Elementary School
Mahalia Jackson Elementary School
Charles Carroll Elementary School
Roberto Clemente High School
Paul Robeson High School
Orr Academy High School
Hirsch Metropolitan High School
Benito Juarez Community Academy
Fenger Academy High School

The Chicago-native rapper announced the $1 million donation on Monday at a press conference at Westcott Elementary School, the first school announced as a $10,000 recipient from Chance and his non-profit organization, SocialWorks. He also pledged to give $10,000 to a different, individual school for every $100,000 that is donated through SocialWorks. SocialWorks did not return request for comment as to whether any corporations or businesses had taken Chance up on his challenge. Individuals, including Chicago-native comedian Hannibal Buress, received shout-outs from Chance for having donated.

"Gov. Rauner, do your job," Chance said at the presser earlier this week. He had met with state executive last week to discuss funding for Chicago Public Schools, but he left "frustrated" by those talks and said a subsequent discussion over the weekend failed to gain traction.

Ahead of Chance's press conference on Monday, Rauner suggested two CPS funding plans, one that called for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to dip again into the city's tax increment funds, and the other would tie funds to a larger state pension agreement. Mayoral spokesman Adam Collins said the proposals were "no solution at all," according to the Tribune.

Rauner vetoed a $215 million CPS-funding bill in December, claiming that state Congressional Democrats had not done enough to provide broader pension reforms. Chicago Public Schools slapped Rauner and the Board with a lawsuit in mid-February that alleges discriminatory funding practices. The Chicago Teachers Union plans to vote next month on a one-day strike should CPS follow through on potential plans to end class 13 days ahead of schedule—a move the district hopes will help shore up the $100-million-plus gap.

Side note: It wasn't Chance's only announcement-of-sorts of the day. He also delivered some choice social-media shade, seemingly directed toward a controversial Mary Mitchell cover story in the Sun-Times about the rapper's child-support case. "She said, 'Sun-Times, get the f*ck back,'" Chance said, referring to his kid's baby talk in a video he posted on Instagram.