CPS Sues State Of Illinois Over Illegal, Discriminatory School Funding

CHICAGO, IL — The Chicago Public School System and five district families filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the State of Illinois, claiming the state education funding system is "seperate and unequal" and violates the Illinois Civil Rights Act, according to a joint statement from Chicago Board of Education President Frank Clark and CPS CEO Forrest Claypool.

In the lawsuit, CPS, which filed the legal action on behalf of the families, accuses the state of discriminating against Chicago students by funding city schools at decreased rates compared to their counterparts around the state. The suit claims the state uses "two separate and demonstrably unequal systems for funding public education": one that applies to Chicago public schools, which have student populations that are primarily children of color, and one that applies to schools in the rest of Illinois, which have student populations that are primarily white.

Overall, 90 percent of CPS students are children of color, with 38 percent African- American and 47 percent Hispanic, the lawsuit states. Illinois public school students outside Chicago are 58 percent white, with only 12 percent African- American and 21 percent Hispanic.

"For every dollar spent educating students outside Chicago, your children receive 78 cents. 90 percent of CPS students are children of color," the joint statement concerning the suit said. "This kind of discrimination has no place in education, and the time to stop it is now.

RELATED: Read the Complete Lawsuit Filed by Chicago Public Schools

The Illinois Civil Rights Act prohibits the state from using “criteria or methods of administration that have the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination because of their race, color, [or] national origin,” according to the suit.

The lawsuit is asking for the state to stop "distributing education funding in a discriminatory way," as well as to declare the state’s teacher pension funding systems unlawful under the Illinois Civil Rights Act.

"[The lawsuit] demands an end to our current reality, which is that a child’s race continues to dictate whether or not she receives a good education in the state of Illinois," the statement said.

RELATED: CPS Workers Forced To Take 4 Unpaid Furlough Days To Save District Money

In the lawsuit, CPS and the families emphasized that they only want to put a stop to what they believe to be discriminatory practices by the state, not demand how the public money is doled out.

"Plaintiffs are not asking the Court to dictate how the State should distribute its educational funds or asking the Court to reduce teachers’ pension benefits," an overview of the lawsuit stated. "Rather, Plaintiffs ask the Court to declare unlawful the State’s separate and unequal systems of funding public education in Illinois and to enjoin Defendants from perpetuating a system that discriminates against Plaintiffs."

Recently, CPS and school board officials have been scrambling to find ways to make up for a $215 million shortfall in state funding after Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed an education bill in December of last year on the grounds it didn't include pension reforms. So far, the school system has bled its reserves dry and exhausted its short-term borrowing options to cover expenses.

As part of cost cutting to make up for the budget deficit, all CPS employees have been forced to take four unpaid furlough days during the rest of the school year, a move that hopes to save the school system $35 million. Officials also are considering shortening the school year to make ends meet.

RELATED: Is A Shorter CPS School Year A Good Money-Saving Move?

"Unless the Governor restores his $215 million cut, we face even more painful choices before the year is done," the CPS statement said. "That’s why CPS families are taking the State to court, and why we need you to stand with them and make your voices heard."

Image via Chicago Public Schools

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