Committee on Education and Child Development
October 5, 2016 City Council Meeting
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) provides jobs to more than thirty-five thousand and seven hundred (35,700) people to operate; and
WHEREAS, the property taxes paid by Chicagoans are the largest funding source for Chicago Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, the FY 2016 budget allocated more than $2.3 billion in property taxes to CPS, $207.8 million in replacement taxes to CPS and $423.3 million in other local revenue sources, for a total of almost $3 billion dollars; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago personnel code grants unpaid leave to all City employees to serve in elected office, including police officers, fire department members and streets and sanitation workers; and
WHEREAS, at least three current members of Chicago City Council have been provided unpaid leave to take office; and
WHEREAS, it is common practice for sister agencies of the City of Chicago to provide unpaid administrative leave to employees who are elected to public office; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago Public Schools' personnel handbook does not provide for such leave; and
WHEREAS, the residents of Chicago have a constitutionally protected right of access to local government; and
WHEREAS, the overwhelming number of CPS employees are female, with the ratio of male to female teachers averaging 1 to 5 at Chicago Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, placing obstacles before teachers and other employees of CPS to run for elected office has a disproportionate affect on women,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Committee of Education shall call a hearing or a series of hearings requiring CPS leadership to be present to determine:
What protocol is applicable to CPS employees seeking leave to serve as an elected
official;
Whether the failure to provide such leave has a dampening effect on the opportunity of women to run for office; and
Whether the failure to provide such leave is an unreasonable obstacle to the rights of citizens to access government and run for office.
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Alderman, 32nd Ward