Mayor Emanuel Thinks Governor Rauner Should Just Sign School Funding Bill
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Emanuel is taking a dim view of Governor Rauner's decision to call a special legislative session to begin Wednesday, to address school funding in Illinois.
Mayor Emanuel said Governor Rauner has failed Illinois by holding the state budget hostage for things that weren't necessary. Now, he said, the Governor should stop threatening to veto the school funding bill that even he has called historic. WBBM's Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports.
"Sitting in front of him is an opportunity to treat all kids across the state equally, fairly and the opportunity to make sure that after everybody, all the educators, all the superintendents of schools across the state of Illinois have endorsed this bill. The Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, Crain's, Springfield Paper endorse this bill," Emanuel said.
Emanuel said Governor Rauner should sign the legislation, but the Governor said SB-1 takes money away from classrooms and redirects it to Chicago teacher pensions.
The Mayor takes issue with that characterization.
"I've made a tremendous effort as Mayor to try to put resources into the classroom. What I am against is Chicago taxpayer money funding everybody else's pensions and adversely affecting the kids here, which is what happens," he said.
The Mayor acknowledges that he met with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton prior to his talking with reporters at an unrelated event. But he wouldn't give details about any strategy they discussed.
