Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed confidence that a divided Chicago Board of Education will approve a budget next week ... but appeared to hint that the city might offer less financial assistance to help the district balance its books.
More than half of the members of the Board of Education have signaled they will not approve the spending plan proposed by interim CEO Dr. Macquline King. After his "Day In The Ward" tour at Lincoln Park Zoo, the mayor brushed off a suggestion that a budget vote will fail.
"Well, it's gonna get passed with a majority of the Board that understands my vision for public education," the mayor said.
To be clear, his vision includes the district borrowing money to make a disputed pension payment ... which right now is not in the budget. But when asked if the city might withhold some expected aid if the district does not follow his lead ... he said this: "The school board is becoming an independent body. That's what the people of Chicago voted for. And so the city and the Chicago Public Schools will inevitably have to work to disentangle."
The board's budget vote is set for August 28th.





