Rahm Emanuel announced schools will not close early, reversing the threats he and Forrest Claypool have been making for the last month. Holding students, families and teachers hostage is no way to run our schools. 

Rahm Emanuel announced schools will not close early, reversing the threats he and Forrest Claypool have been making for the last month. The announcement came on the same day Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the mayor’s hand-picked schools chief, got sentenced to four and a half years in prison for corruption.

P4T issued this joint statement with other community and parent groups responding to the mayor’s decision. We’ll continue to push the city for new revenue to fund schools this year and in the future. Chicago is a very wealthy city. The problem isn’t a lack of money, it’s a lack of political will.

Elected School Board Now

Last week’s events should be the final nail in the coffin of the elected school board opposition. The mayor’s last schools chief is going to jail, the current CEO has no plan to fund the schools except holding students, families and teachers hostage, and Rahm Emanuel refuses to brief aldermen—let alone Chicago taxpayers—about his mysterious plan to keep the schools open. 

Enough is enough. The elected school board bill, HB 1774, could pass out of the Illinois House next week. Then it faces opposition from Senate President John Cullerton, who killed the bill last year. We can’t let that happen again.

Call YOUR Illinois Senator and say you want the Elected School Board Bill passed this session. If your senator says he or she supports the bill, say that’s not enough. You want your senator to push leader Cullerton to support the bill and work for its passage. Find your Illinois Senator here. 

#LetSarahTeacher

Help us reinstate educator and activist Sarah Chambers, who’s been suspended for her advocacy on behalf of students. Join the Thunderclap to support her. And join us on June 3 as we honor Sarah at our annual fundraiser. This fight is about more than one educator. It's about defending teachers who stand up for our students.

P4T Fundraiser—Songs of Unity and Resistance, June 3

Tickets are now available for P4T’s annual fundraiser. Join us for an evening of music and community as we celebrate this year’s victories and build our strength for the fights ahead. We’ll be honoring two heroes in the fight for education justice: Journey for Justice Alliance and Educator/Activist Sarah Chambers.

Buy your tickets today and you could get this beautiful Safe for Schools for All poster. We’re giving them to the first 25  purchases. Get your tickets now.