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First she had to face off against a barrage of questions from the US House Education Committee, and as local public media station WBEZ reported, “about transgender students, religion and sex education as she testified under subpoena Wednesday at a contentious U.S. House education committee hearing.”
Battle lines were drawn when, “The Republican chair of the committee, Tim Walberg, came out swinging, accusing King and the other superintendents in attendance of representing school districts with “radical” policies that “sideline parents” and “compromise student privacy rights.”
It’s been well established that any reference to transgender students by the Trump administration is bound to appeal to their political base, and it was a major point in the 2024 presidential election, when President Trump faced off Democratic candidate, Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The Republican chair of the committee, Tim Walberg “ went so far as to say that some practices, such as allowing a transgender girl to sleep in the same room as a cisgender girl on an overnight trip, could rise to the level of “child abuse and neglect.”
“Advocates for transgender youth say such policies help protect trans students’ privacy and safety.”
This session was watched closely by advocates for inclusion and those against it, and especially with the upcoming midterm elections in November, setting the table for issues to garner votes for the GOP. And, the administration has threatened to withhold funds from school districts that held in opposition of their own interpretation of student civil rights.
“Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, questioned King about whether she believes that teachers have to disavow their Christian beliefs to teach in CPS and what grade she thinks it is appropriate to start providing condoms to students. To most questions, including those about accommodations for trans students on overnight trips, King flatly told the lawmakers that CPS policies are aligned with Illinois laws.”
King emphasized in her opening statement, that “Our classrooms are not homogeneous. They are vibrant communities where students learn alongside peers whose lived experiences may differ from their own,” King said. “The only way to truly serve a student is to understand and embrace what makes each student and community unique.”
“The fact of the matter is almost 80% of our citizens polled clearly stated they don’t want males in female sports or restrooms, and yet your schools and the state of Illinois rules that you follow, that you, Dr. King, referred to so often, encourages that,” Walberg said.
In a nod to the increasing number of special education students that are enrolled in Chicago schools resulting in increased hiring for specialized teachers, Walberg, said, “Will that funding also be used to teach our children the truth, as opposed to going along with the cultural setting that is trying to change the reality around gender?” he asked. “Those are our concerns.”
King deflected these questions with a steady refrain, later in a written statement released that said,”reiterated that “CPS policies are rooted in law, the District’s mission and values.”
“Above all else, Dr. King emphasized the District must always prioritize the best interests of students and their families,” the statement continued..
As the media noted: “The Trump administration is investigating CPS over its policy that allows transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, as well as the district’s Black Student Success initiative, which aims to improve the experiences and academic outcomes of Black students,” which lost a $2 million federal grant for that program.
Chicago School Board President Sean Harden said King “did a fantastic job” explaining to members of Congress what “our values are as a district” and the policies that are guiding CPS. He said the board has “complete confidence” in King.”
“She has shown tremendous leadership,” he added. “Whether it’s building community partnerships, advocating for our schools or testifying before Congress as she’s done today, we applaud her unwavering commitment to keeping students and families at the center.”
The biggest battle for King was crafting a budget for a district that has faced innumerable financial challenges from long-term debt, to a crumbling physical plant to meeting the demands of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union to dwindling enrollment with outside debt totaling $9 billion dollars and debt repayment that is 9 percent of its budget.
With a $732 billion budget shortfall, she has proposed a budget that includes more central office layoffs, and teachers, angering CTU but attempting to preserve a level of education for a student population that is largely Black and brown and which lacks political support.
In an attempt to move away from classroom cuts, King “proposed [a] $9.88 billion budget to close the district’s funding gap. The plan calls for $200 million in Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, funds from the city, the layoff of 760 teachers and 801 support staff, and five unpaid furlough days for CPS employees” reported WTTW.
In a tone that seemed both philosophical as well as pragmatic she told the media, ““We are not budgeting for the district we had yesterday,” King said. “It is imperative we are budgeting for the students we serve today and the futures of tomorrow.”
“Still, district officials admit it will be a challenge to keep cuts away from the classroom. Emila Zoko, the acting chief budget officer, said Thursday that the district had asked “department leaders to determine what reductions can be made with the least impact on students.”
But “it’s getting harder and harder to make reductions” that don’t “impact direct student programming and student supports,” she said to the Chicago Sun Times.
The plan is for at “least $105 million in cuts to non-classroom costs, such as reducing the number of custodians and central office staffers.”
Questions have arisen from Board members on how the debt reached a crisis point and “Jennifer Custer, a board member representing District 1B, is pointing the finger at Cook County officials who she says have dragged their feet on disbursing revenue from local property taxes.
“We are having some issues with our short-term cash flow because the county hasn’t delivered some of that money to us,” Custer said.
“Property taxes are the district’s single-largest revenue source. Without timely payments, CPS is forced to take out billions in short-term loans to pay staff and keep the lights on, resulting in millions of dollars in interest payments. That’s money that doesn’t get spent on the classroom,” according to the Sun Times.
“The majority of CPS funding flows from local property taxes, but recent payments to the district have been late. As a result, CPS has been forced to borrow money through tax anticipation notes (TANs) to cover short-term costs.”
Repeated delays in Cook County property taxes “have worsened the problem” reported the Chicago Tribune; and. “CPS will hit its borrowing limit for its previous fiscal year in August so banks won’t approve new tax anticipation notes, or TANS until the next budget is passed.”
In the last budget cycle CPS got a windfall in Tax Increment Financing dollars of $552 million when local alderpeople passed a budget with a $1 billion surplus, something that will probably not be seen this year.
“The CTU claims the district is considering reducing the number of school days next year to save money. Jackson Potter, vice president of the union, said that’s on top of proposed cuts to librarians, tech coordinators and athletic directors.
“In discussions with the district and the city, we are hearing that up to two weeks of the school year could be canceled in order to meet the budget gap that will still exist after these cuts have been imposed,” Potter said at the end of June to the Sun Times,
“But the district denied that option was on the table. A CPS spokesperson wrote in a statement that “at no point has the District considered shortening the school year to alleviate these financial challenges.”
As we’ve reported before Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been reluctant to offer more state funds to Chicago emphasizing that there are other school districts in the state, yet “Jitu Brown, a board member representing District 5A, said lawmakers at the state level have not done enough to fund CPS.”
“I think it’s very important to note that you have states like California, where a little over 50% of the local schools’ budgets are covered by the state. In Chicago, we are far below that,” Brown said. “It’s also important to remember that for decades, Illinois, despite having an international city in its midst, was 49th in education funding. … It is time for the state to do some get-right by its children.”
Time is of the essence, say some, plus “Illinois’ evidence-based funding plan, a law signed in 2017 meant to provide more funding to undersourced school districts, says CPS is $1.6 billion short of “adequate” funding."
Custer said that even if a special session were approved and the state agreed to send more money, it’s unlikely that money would arrive quickly enough to help CPS in the short term.
“Those (state dollars) wouldn’t be realized in this budget to help us in the crisis we’re in now. They wouldn’t show up until next year,” Custer said. “Just because we call for a special session doesn’t mean any of that money will come to our door.”
Questions remain on whether the CTU is working lockstep with other labor organizations and the city. “But Custer said CTU has not made an effort to collaborate on the budget process.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates has criticized King’s proposal, calling it “dead on arrival,” and told local media: “Students have had to learn in overcrowded classes, practice under unpaid coaches, and be counseled by caseworkers with loads beyond compare all year, and now CPS thinks they can plan a week of furloughs and tell the staff who serve them they don’t have a job? Please,”
“I think we’ve heard President Davis Gates come and say all the time, ‘come to the table.’ But I don’t think she’s reciprocating that notion,” Custer said. “If you just come in and say, ‘No, we’re not gonna do this. This is dead on arrival,’ it’s not true collaboration,”
Meanwhile Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former CPS teacher, and organizer, has said that “to balance the budget off the backs of working people and at the expense of our students, that’s not sustainable.”
