Leaders from the Chicago Board of Education, faith leaders and community groups rallied today at Drake Elementary to show support for the District’s ‘20% for 20%’ equal funding campaign and their united opposition to Gov. Rauner’s proposed budget cuts that strip $74 million from the cash-strapped District. To fight the Governor’s cuts, CPS is also providing new tools to empower community members to engage in the fight for equal funding. CPS’s new site, CPS.edu/Equality, highlights the state’s separate and unequal funding system, and hosts resources that will help community members learn more and make their voices heard.

CPS students already receive insufficient funding from the state, and the proposal Gov. Rauner released last week will only exacerbate a broken funding system that provides Chicago’s students with less than their fair share. Currently, CPS students receive just 15 percent of the state’s education funding, despite the fact that CPS students make up 20 percent of the state’s enrollment and Chicago residents contribute 20 percent of the state income tax. In conjunction with CPS.edu/Equality, CPS has established @CPSEquality, a new Twitter handle dedicated to the fight for fair funding. CPS will use this account to rally community members online in the fight for fair funding. Community members interested in contributing to the public dialogue around equitable funding are encouraged to use #CPSEqualityNow on social media.