Pritzker Takes on CTU Over School Closure Bill
Governor JB Pritzker speaks at an event in Decatur Thursday. (Photo: Governor’s office)
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As the Chicago Teachers Union has exercised considerable power in Springfield in recent months, Governor JB Pritzker Thursday night offered a strong rebuke after the union’s lobbyist referred to a bill sponsored by a key Pritzker ally as “racist.”
Croke’s bill, which originally would have stopped the Chicago School Board from closing selective enrollment schools, like charter schools, until the fully elected board is seated in 2027, had CTU’s support, until it didn’t.
Croke amended the bill to stop all Chicago Public School closures until the fully elected school board is seated, when CTU came out against the bill this week.
“At a time when the state needs to commit and fully fund all Chicago schools, this racist bill would only protect schools that enroll a substantially higher percentage of White students at the expense of everyone else,” posted CTU lobbyist Kurt Hilgendorf Wednesday.
Croke, a second-term lawmaker from Chicago’s north side worked on Pritzker’s 2018 campaign then served in the administration in the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
“That kind of criticism is uncalled for,” Pritzker said at a late night news conference Thursday in Springfield. “Especially about the bill that was being discussed and about the person that was leading that bill.”
For Pritzker, who came out in support of Croke’s bill, it was one of the strongest rebukes of CTU that any Democrat leader has in recent years. The billionaire self finances his campaign and doesn’t rely on CTU for campaign cash, like many other Democrat leaders do.
“We don’t need that,” he said. “What we need to do is discuss policy. We need to either make change or don’t make change. I think accusing people of something quite personal that isn’t true ought not be part of this process.”
The bill passed 92-8 anyway.
