Chicago Teachers Union push for $1B in state funds as some lawmakers call the ask 'outrageous'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds of Chicago Public School teachers went to Springfield in hopes to sway lawmakers to hand over more than $1 billion.

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Teachers wore red as they left from the Chicago Teachers Union's headquarters in West Town.

CPS gave the teachers a paid day off to go lobby in Springfield on what they are calling "day of action."

CPS School Clerk Bessie Watts said that $1 billion is not enough.

"We may need more than that," Watts said. "There are so many schools that are lacking. There are so many schools that don't have resources. I don't even think $1 billion would touch the surface."

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is a former CPS teacher and got a huge boost from the CTU during his campaign, visited Springfield just last week to fight for those state funds.

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CTU said the state has failed to fully fund CPS leaving students at a disadvantage.

They want lawmakers to make it a priority in this year's budget.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, commended teachers for their lobbying effort, but he said it's not a realistic ask for this year.

"It's hard to get $1 billion on top of the revenue we're sending to CPS in one budget cycle," he said.

This comes at a time when the city is about to begin negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union on a new contract.

Teacher's demands were scoffed on Wednesday at by some lawmakers from suburban districts. They said the funding scales have been tipped in CPS' favor over the years.

"For the mayor and now his minions in the Chicago Teacher's Union to come down here and try to bully lawmakers into more money they claim they are being shortchanged is absolutely outrageous," State Sen. Don DeWitte said.

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