The Chicago Teachers Union held “walk-ins” at nearly 200 schools Monday — the same day the obligation deadline for federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds expired — to demand more funding for public schools.
The walk-ins come even as the Chicago Board of Education had approved a moratorium on school closures, consolidations and phase-outs through the 2026-27 school year just four days prior on Sept. 26.
As part of the demonstration, teachers and community members walked together to their respective schools holding signs and calling for more school funding amid the expiration of the historic $189.5 billion in one-time relief funding.
The expected end of these federal funds has exacerbated budget problems for some districts, leaving them to make tough decisions over teacher layoffs and school closures.
CPS, which faces a $505 million deficit in its FY 2025 budget, has contended with debt problems since before the pandemic. In FY 2019, for instance, the district had about $8.2 billion in outstanding long-term debt and $600 million in outstanding short-term debt.
In a Sept. 22 post, CTU claimed Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez asked his leadership team to evaluate the closure of over 100 schools and make massive budget cuts.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson has been looking to replace Martinez and requested his resignation in September, according to Chalkbeat. Martinez was appointed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2021.
Two days before the board’s moratorium decision, Martinez sent a letter to the CPS community denying any plans to close, consolidate or phase out district-managed schools.
“I’m disappointed that this misinformation campaign is out there, because I know it has caused unnecessary stress and worry for many in our school communities,” Martinez wrote. “So to put this issue to rest once and for all, the Chicago Board of Education and I will include on the agenda for Thursday's Board Meeting a resolution clearly stating that CPS will not close, consolidate, or phase out any District-managed school during my tenure and until the fully elected school board is in place in January 2027.”
During one of the recent CPS walk-ins at Juarez High School, there were calls from educators, parents and community members alongside Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Illinois State Rep. Theresa Mah for Martinez and lawmakers “to step up and secure resources” to fully fund schools.
Chicago was not the only city seeing such walk-ins. Similar events were held by thousands of community members across 17 states as part of a national campaign by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a coalition of parent, youth, community and labor organizations. Advocates of the grassroots movement are calling for local school boards to sign resolutions demanding the full funding of public education, including for Title IX and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
