Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey said Thursday he’s not optimistic that Springfield is coming through with $480 million in pension help that the Chicago Public Schools need to balance their $5.7 billion budget, and he’s bracing for massive teacher layoffs halfway through the school year.
But Sharkey also said that talk of another teachers’ strike remains premature as the parties continue to hash out a contract amid budget woes.
“Any time you’re relying on Springfield, you know you’re in trouble,” he said. “We do not think that there’s the votes for this bill — this pension holiday — to pass in the House. I can’t see how the governor supports it.”
The bill in question, introduced by Senate President John Cullerton, aims to solve the problem with a combination of $200 million more in state contributions and an extension of the deadline for the teachers’ pension plan to reach 90 percent by four years.
But even if it squeaked through, Sharkey said, it’s unlikely Gov. Bruce Rauner would sign the bill, considering his opposition to it.
The CTU has not backed the bill and it won’t, Sharkey said, as long as it includes what he considers a pension holiday.
On Wednesday, Chicago’s Board of Education unanimously passed a $5.7 billion operating budget that relies on borrowing, raising property taxes to the cap and optimism that legislators will somehow fill a $480 million pension hole.
CPS has said if that hole remains, more layoffs and cuts will occur later in the coming school year but has declined to provide details. District officials have said they remain optimistic that the General Assembly will come through.
“We’ve been encouraged to see movement, especially the fact that for the first time, the governor, Senate president, House speaker, and others have agreed that our funding system is inequitable and must be changed,” CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in an emailed statement.
The district and union continue to negotiate a contract for the one that expired on June 30 — now with help from a mediator.
“People want to know, ‘Will the union strike if the budget doesn’t get passed through, what will happen?’ And that’s a premature question,” Sharkey said. “The question we need to ask right now is will we see a direction of leadership that says, ‘We have to tax the wealthy.’ ”
