A Chicago alderman says he's trying to help his constituents understand the budget challenge ahead for the Chicago Public Schools ... through a video with an unusual inspiration.
You might say it all clicked for Lincoln Square alderman Andre Vasquez when he opened his mail.
"I'd just gotten this fidget toy in the mail and was like, "You know what? The way these two pieces fit together like a magnet kind of lends itself to how people conflate the two budgets," said Ald. Vasquez (40th Ward).
So he grabbed his phone, hit "record," and posted a video explaining how the city's budget and the school district's budget are separate entities, except for one of the big sticking points this year: a required payment to cover pensions for CPS workers who are *not front-line educators.
This year, that payment is $175,000,000.
Ald. Vasquez says state law requires the city to pay it, but the city wants CPS to pay it ...and right now, it's not in the budget unless the district gets more money. He says he posted the video to help answer questions from his constituents about the budget process.
"Everyone's generally frustrated and confused about what's going on," said the alderman.
People will get to sound off on the CPS budget at hearings starting Tuesday, August 19th, and the Board of Education is set to vote on the spending plan August 29th.