A sea of poncho-clad Chicagoans gathered outside the Thompson Center on Thursday afternoon during a rally urging Gov. Bruce Rauner and Illinois lawmakers to pass a balanced and fair budget for public education.
The rally was organized by a charter school fund, New Schools for Chicago, in response to the mounting financial pressure on Chicago Public Schools operating without a state budget.
At the rally, people in the crowd repeated the mantra “Put kids first!” as they urged lawmakers to do the same.
Schools have suffered staff cuts and teachers say they now pay for school supplies out of pocket.
Without state funding, teachers worry their schools may not open in the fall.
But they worry about more than just their jobs if schools don’t open.
“Passing a budget could mean life or death for these students,” said Natalie Neris, a CPS parent and Chief of Academic Accountability for the Chicago International Charter School Network.
This sentiment was echoed by former charter student Brandon Hummons, who spoke at the rally.
“By the age of 17, I had a gun pulled on me three times already,” he said. He credits his ability to get an education for his success in life.
