Chicago Teachers Union rallies for special Illinois legislative session for school funding

The Chicago Teachers Union rallied Thursday, calling for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to call a special session to discuss school funding.

The union joined school support staff represented by UNITE HERE Local 1 outside the picket line at Chicago Public Schools headquarters Thursday morning.

The district is facing a $733 million budget shortfall next fall.

The CTU said Illinois state lawmakers in Springfield must find new sources of revenue, or there will be drastic cuts.

"They believe they may have to cancel two weeks of school this year — two full weeks of school — or lay off 1,700 additional people on top of the nearly 1,000 case managers, special education teachers, athletic directors, tech coordinators, and classroom educators that they've already cut," said Chicago Teachers Union vice president Jackson Potter. "This is unsustainable."

CPS said it is not considering shortening the school year.

Pritzker so far has not said whether he will call a special session.

He noted that Illinois has actually increased education spending by $3 billion in the most recent budget.

CPS has until Aug. 29 to pass a budget.