iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ms. Kammerer shared details on the Council's next monthly meeting and closed out at 6:54pm. The 15 or so crowd members strolled out.

100

1st District General Mannion, a uniformed officer, spoke to the crowd about the District's place in the upcoming strategic plan. Unlike other Districts, violent crime is not the top issue, but rather the issues outlined by Ms. Kammerer earlier.

100

Ms. Kammerer offered council members as open to attending local events and encouraged attendees to reach out and invite them. She then introduced the uniformed officers in attendance.

100

Ms. Brown updated the crowd as the community liaison for the 1st District. She let attendees know to expect a busy season across all fronts starting St. Patrick's Day and not letting up until after Labor Day.

100

Ms. Johnson has taken part in reviewing candidates for the citywide Commission. A public meeting this Saturday at Kennedy King College will discuss the three open nominations in which Ms. Johnson will participate.

100

Ms. Kammerer guided the meeting to Reports from the Councilors. She shared regular attendance at local meetings from condo associations to interest groups in the District. CTA, homelessness, noise, and pedestrian safety are the most pressing concerns in the District, Ms. Kammerer said.

100

Plainclothes cops are on trains but not in a largely organized manner due to safety concerns, Mr. Ryan told. Buses have also seen a decrease in crime. Questions closed, and the council thanked Mr. Ryan for his time.

100

Ms. Brown asked Mr. Ryan why the CTA does not have its own policing force. The CTA's police force dissolved under Mayor Byrne in the 80s, Mr. Ryan shared. He cited lack of qualified applicants and a failing program to launch a similar force in Austin, TX as reasons not to attempt one in Chicago.

100

A question on mental health professional intervention led to Mr. Ryan sharing concerns about time to action. In short, he understands the approach, but in practice the speed to action typically does not allow for mental health professionals to act in real time.

110

Crime is generally down both in the 1st District as well as the CTA in general, Mr. Ryan shared. Fare evasion and smoking are the two most common reasons for citations. Mr. Ryan ended his presentation and opened the floor to questions.

100

Cameras, police units, and private security make up the majority of security for the CTA, he told the crowd. A recently updated security room on 18th monitors cameras 24/7. The team is working with an AI security company named ZeroEyes to scan for open firearms according to Mr. Ryan.

100

Mr. Ryan previously worked as a Police Commander in the 1st District. Commenting on pickpockets, he talked on declining trends due to most people no longer carrying cash. Officers are riding Blue and Red line trains, he noted. Mr. Ryan also explained K-9 teams patrolling for smoking on cars.

100

CTA's VP of security Kevin Ryan joined the meeting to present on security and the CTA. The district sits on the Loop and other high traffic transportation areas.

100

Moving on to meeting minutes, the council approved minutes unanimously without any discussion.

100

Jessica Kyle highlighted break-ins to her building's mailboxes along with package theft. Kylin commented on CPD officers hanging outside of CTA stations but never going in and out of trains. They believed that sweeping trains would help deter crime.

100

Ellen, a local resident, shared a story about a friend being pickpocketed on the CTA Blue line platform. She asked for more signs about pickpocketing. Dan, Ellen's wife, asked for action to be taken against the bucket drummers outside of the Art Institute due to constant noise heard from his home.

100

ben4.bsky.social @ben4.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Sarah Kammerer kicked the meeting off at 6:02pm alongside Jamie Brown and Adrienne Johnson. Sarah opens the floor for public comment.

100

Kicking off a @chidocumenters.bsky.social thread for CCPSA District 1 monthly meeting. We are live at Chicago Women’s Park & Garden 1801 S Indiana Ave.

111

President Harden closes remarks with a further acknowledgement of the risks of relying on TIFs as these are not guaranteed until they are in the pockets of the district. He expresses the need for contingency plans.

000

Mr. Gutierrez echoes support for the budget that includes no further cuts in the classroom and no additional debt. He echoes his support in having the district avoid paying the MEABF.

100

Ms. Pope expresses her fears over TIF surplus availability.

100

Ms. Biggs celebrates the budget as a serious attempt to balance the budget. She supports the effort not to take out new loans and centers on the students.

100

Ms. Custer digs into debt refinancing and borrowing rates projected in the budget. CFO Kruf shares that all projections were made with an advisory group of financial advisors.

100

Mr. Sitkowski concludes by sharing that the budget will be formally presented to the Board on August 28, 2025. Mr. Bannon opens questions to Mr. Sitkowski by asking how further TIF surplus became available.

000

Kicking the can down the road with borrowing will only worsen the long-term view, Krug closes. Mr. Sitkowski, speaking again from the podium, celebrates that the newly proposed budget will eliminate future gaps.

100

CFO Miroslava Krug takes over and argues against any new loans. She shares that FY2016 and FY2018 loans that were downgraded to junk have forced financial burdens on the district due to the ratings downgrades. Digging into projections, Krug predicts losses were the district to further borrow.

100

Mr. Sitkowski discusses how the budget fulfills labor commitments and avoids furlough days as a savings strategy. He outlines in detail why TIF should be counted on to fund the school given city law. MEABF funding is obligated by the city, not CPS, Mr. Sitkowski assures.

200

One-time funding sources total $90 million for the year. MEABF Pension reimbursement will be contingent on available funding.

100

$126 million in cuts away from the classroom were identified. Alongside cuts, Mr. Sitkowski outlines $149 million in additional revenue. This will come from city, state, and federal sources. $29 million in savings comes from refinancing debt.

100

Before unveiling strategies to close the remaining deficit of more than $500 million, Mr Sitkowski shares community findings.

100

Beginning with a $734 million deficit, the district made $165 million in deficit reduction over the summer.

100

Mr. Sitkowski emphasizes that the budget proposal comes from realistic expectations. No additional state funding and additional city funding through TIF are the main highlights. Loans are not under consideration according to Mr. Sitkowski.

100

The meeting moves on to the FY26 Budget Presentation. Mike Sitkowski, the Chief Budget Officer, outlines a balanced $10.25 billion FY2026 budget. He warns of the urgency and importance of cutting more at already underfunded schools.

100

Continuing forward, Ald. Waguespack gives his guarantee that CPS will receive more than $300 million from the TIF surplus.

100

Ald. Waguespack of the 32nd Ward thanks the CPS staff for the budget proposed. The alderman supports protecting school budgets and trimming central office staff. Borrowing is "wrongheaded and fiscally irresponsible," Ald. Waguespack agrees. CPS revenue sources come from the Johnson admin not loans.

100

Ald. Vasquez of the 40th Ward speaks as a CPS alum asking for further funding from Springfield. Ald. Vasquez argues that using the CPS budget to pay pension dues will erode the district. TIFs will be necessary to solve the budget according to Ald. Vasquez, and loans must be avoided.

100

A CTU member and 4th grade teacher speaks on his classroom experience. He wants the Board to humanize the budget and provide fully resourced classrooms for every school across the city.

100

A CPS mother and parent leader on the Southeast side shares that schools in her part of the city have seen outsize burdens from budget deficits. She shares that black and brown communities are stretched financially and emotionally when cuts hit their schools.

100

A special education teacher continues next in the public comment section. Cuts to special education programs target the most vulnerable among our CPS students, the speaker declares. Cuts to support staff are cuts to the classroom as they directly hurt students, the speaker concludes.

100

Next up is a speaker wearing the purple SEIU shirt. She asks the Board to demand more money for our schools in Springfield.

100

A virtual speaker joins sharing her background as a teacher, alum, and parent at CPS. She frames the budget issue as a tax issue where the rich have the opportunity to fund the next generation.

100

Next speaking, a woman who identifies as a CPS alum and parent, decries chronic disinvestment across CPS. "Hope cannot exist without resources."

100

Our third speaker, a teacher at DePriest Elementary, shares that she was an Illinois Public School alum. She shares that further educator cuts threaten to sever relations with those teachers who remain.

100

The second public speaker frames the budget issue as a political issue. He infers a direct connection between city decay and educational decay. He proposes a financial transaction tax.

100

Shifting to public speakers. Our first speaker independently speaks on the budget. He asks that the Board gets the budget passed in any way possible.

100

Trumaine Reeves, SEIU Local 73 speaks next. SEIU sent a letter to the Board as soon as the Board filled the interim role of CEO of the Board in March. Mr. Reeves heavily rejects the idea of taking out a loan. Taking out a loan will likely require wage freezes and furlough days, Mr. Reeves warns.

100

The CTU Charter Chair, Jen Conant, speaks next. She reminds the Board of the Charter closures last year. Hot school lunches and crossing guards are the biggest demands for funding.

100

Mr. Potter asks for a renegotiation of debt to aid the city budget. He highlights uncertainty as a central issue given federal funding freezes. Acknowledging the difficult position the Board is in, he asks for some contingency planning to ensure stability this year and avoid layoffs midyear.

100