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A new City Hall dispute emerged on Oct. 7 as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of six temporary Chicago school board members drew criticism for bypassing City Council involvement.
In response to the mayor’s appointments, Aldermen Raymond Lopez (15th), Marty Quinn (13th), and Silvana Tabares (23rd) reacted negatively to the mayor’s plan to fund Chicago’s public schools using a $300 million short-term loan, voicing concerns about potential negative effects for Chicago taxpayers.
Because council members were caught off guard by the mayor’s appointments, it is unclear how the newly appointed interim board members will vote on the mayor’s request to remove CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and approve the loan.
Prior to the mayor’s announcement, 41 of the 50 aldermen issued a statement in a letter dated Oct. 5 saying a City Council hearing before the end of October and the Nov. 5 election was needed to address school board appointments and the mayor’s plan to take out the loan.
Martinez wants to fund Chicago schools using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district funds.
Local Southwest Side aldermen expressed concern over the political nature of the mayor’s actions, his lack of transparency in bypassing the City Council, and the implications for the budget-making process moving forward.
Alderman Ray Lopez
“The replacing of the board members isn’t the issue in my opinion,” Lopez said. “The fact that the mayor and his CTU machine forced out seven sitting members by bullying and pressuring them to leave for failing to do what they wanted them to do, politically, is the most dangerous part of this story.”
Lopez said the move demonstrated disrespect for the democratic system of government and a lack of accountable financial oversight on behalf of taxpayers, setting a treacherous standard for governance.
Lopez also predicted turmoil over the budget battle ahead, particularly with the mayor’s plan to transfer public school costs to residents, despite 60% of Chicago residential property taxes already going to public education, including from taxpayers who pay tuition for private schools.
“They are already facing a $560 million shortfall in their budget, and those CTU demands would have cost in excess of $300 million on top of that, causing the deficit this year to be almost $800 million,” he added.
Alderman Marty Quinn
Quinn criticized the mayor’s reluctance to allow appointees to take questions, suggesting the City Council would demand answers during the budget-making process.
He stressed the importance of gaining approval for TIF surplus funds before the Nov. 5 election, noting that the Board of Education would pursue funding because Chicago Public Schools receives 50% of the surplus.
“The bottom line is that whether or not Chicago residents hear from the appointed board members, City Council approval is necessary,” Quinn said. “Any time you get into budget-making, it comes down to who in the City of Chicago has 26 votes. I can’t say today (Oct. 10) that the mayor of the City of Chicago has 26 votes. He’s going to have to compromise, and if the council wants to hear from those school board appointees, then at some point, we’ll hear from them. Otherwise, I don’t think there will be a TIF surplus.”
Alderman Silvana Tabares
Tabares emphasized the long-term consequences of the mayor’s financial decisions.
“Our schools are going to be buried in a mountain of debt that our grandchildren will be paying off in the future, and the mayor is not concerned about our kids’ or our city’s finances. He’s leaving the taxpayers with the bill,” she said.
Tabares stressed the need for transparency from the Chicago Public School board regarding public school financing decisions and questioned the mayor’s decision not to rely on CEO Martinez’s expert knowledge.
“The final decision rests with Chicago residents,” she said. “One thing I really want to add is that residents need to pay attention to what’s going on right now with CPS, because in one month, for the very first time, residents are going to be voting for a new school board. Residents are going to have a voice now. The mayor will no longer have a say, and residents will hold the school board members accountable.”