From: Chicago Teachers Union

Number of children accessing pre-K has fallen by 18% since Emanuel took office – more than twice the rate of decline of student enrollment in CPS.

CHICAGO, IL — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel promised today to guarantee early childhood education for Chicago children – a day after damning news that the CPS Inspector General found a wave of contract steering at Chicago Public Schools. Emanuel has repeatedly promised to expand early childhood programming since he took office – even though participation has declined by almost 20%.

Emanuel’s campaign promise comes on the heels of a report a week ago that busted CPS for giving families in the city’s richest neighborhood special priority access to free, all-day preschool services, locking out the children of poorer families from the coveted Montessori program.

“For seven years, Emanuel has issued a stream of misleading press releases about early childhood programs,” said CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey. ”The real facts are that early childhood education has been in decline since Emanuel took control of CPS – and the remaining programs have been grossly under-resourced.”

In 2014, in the midst of a heated re-election campaign, Emanuel announced a $17 million “social impact” bond program to fund early childhood education, a move that was widely criticized for potentially doubling the return to investors – and the program costs to taxpayers. Loan investors included Goldman Sachs and the Pritzker Family Foundation.

“We need preschool access for ALL of our children – from the earliest ages,” said Sharkey. “But Emanuel has consistently failed to deliver on his endless promises. Instead, under his rule, the number of children receiving pre-school services has nosedived, from almost 24,000 when he took office to fewer than 20,000 today. That drop is more than twice as high as the drop in our overall student body for the same period.”

In 2011, 8,157 three-year-olds and 15,548 four-year-olds were enrolled in pre-k services in CPS. This year, that number fell to 6,670 three-year-olds and 12,771 four-year-olds – with the decline accelerating in the wake of Emanuel’s mass closings of schools in 2013. Many of those closed schools hosted pre-k programs. Overall, the number of children receiving pre-k services has fallen by 18% since Emanuel took office, while the number of students enrolled in CPS schools overall has fallen by 8% during the same time period.

Emanuel has also been criticized by parents and advocates for creating an ‘enrollment’ process that is cumbersome, difficult to navigate and poorly organized, often thwarting parents with older children in a school from registering their little ones in early childhood programs at that same school. Last summer, Emanuel’s CPS administrators moved to lay off almost 40 school workers who helped parents enroll their children in early childhood programs. While over half of those workers have been hired back, many did not return to their responsibilities to facilitate pre-k enrollment.

While CPS has won over $1 billion in new funds since 2015, mayor continues to bilk taxpayers and deny vital resources to classrooms, students.

CHICAGO, IL—The Illinois legislature passed a new state budget – with CPS scheduled to receive a significant portion of the additional education funding in the bill.

“We’re demanding that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel put those funds into classrooms and educational needs,” said CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey. “Those funds must go to support special education and staffing to reduce classroom sizes, CPS’ contractually promised sustainable community schools pilot project that Emanuel has been dragging his heels on implementing, and other critical front-line educational needs. Anything less is a betrayal of our students, their parents and our city.”

CPS has received more than $1 billion in additional annual revenue since the 2015-16 school year. It would cost CPS $10 million – a tiny fraction of its annual budget – to fund the Sustainable Community Schools pilot project it agreed to deploy in its most recent CTU contract, yet Emanuel’s school officials continue to slow-walk implementation. The project is designed to provide under-resourced school communities with trauma supports, wrap-around services, educational programming and community engagement that builds rich learning environments and a pathway to lifelong success for students.

Emanuel’s hand-picked CPS officials said earlier this year that they would provide $60 million to hold schools harmless on budget cuts related to enrollment declines for the coming school year. But schools began reporting big cuts to budgets and staff after CPS issued budgets last month. Emanuel’s school officials have also continued to ignore the very needs that the new state funding formula is designed to remedy – including a dire shortage of counselors, social workers and support for wrap-around services for low-income students, who make up the bulk of Chicago’s public school population.

Emanuel has touted his support for early childhood education since he was elected, and has expanded free, full-day pre-K in the city’s wealthiest neighborhood. But Wednesday, he said it would take 3-4 years to implement his newly announced expansion of early childhood education, which will only serve 4-year-olds. While Emanuel promised to provide $175 million to support that pre-K expansion, he’s failed to identify new revenue to fund his promise. Last month, CPS forked over a $1.1 million payment to Goldman Sachs and its fellow ‘social impact bond’ investors, part of the repayment of a $17 million bond that was supposed to expand early childhood education – particularly for low-income children. The bond could potentially double the return to investors – at taxpayer expense.

But enrollment in pre-K programs has fallen by 18% since Emanuel took office, including a sharp drop in enrollment in the last two years.

Emanuel has closed more than 60 schools, but failed to provide evidence of savings from the closures, while students impacted by those closures suffer from worse educational outcomes. Emanuel has refused to support progressive revenue sources, denied funds for trauma-related services and class size reduction, and purged thousands of veteran Black educators from CPS.

“For seven years, Emanuel has spent precious public education dollars on whatever he wants – including hundreds of millions on private contracts and insider deals that have failed our students and bilked taxpayers,” said Sharkey. “This mayor has consistently rejected the appeals of parents, educators and neighborhood residents for desperately needed support for our students and our schools. Instead, he’s eagerly chased headlines with his endless failed promises, and ignored the harm that his education policies have had on our children. He’s exacerbated education inequality for our schoolchildren, and his failed control of our schools must end. We demand that he put these new funds into our classrooms and our students’ futures. And we demand that he end his obstruction of state legislation that would allow Chicagoans to elect their own school board – a representative school board that can provide our schools with the accountability, transparency and ethical governance that we deserve.”

AFSCME People Committee Endorses Pritzker for Governor

The AFSCME PEOPLE Committee voted unanimously to endorse J.B. Pritzker for governor and Juliana Stratton for lieutenant governor. The PEOPLE Committee, comprised of rank-and-file union members from every part of the state, met April 27 to follow up on a resolution unanimously adopted at AFSCME Council 31’s biennial convention last October which committed our organization to work to defeat Bruce Rauner.

“Bruce Rauner has caused conflict, refused to compromise and can’t be trusted. Working families are unquestionably worse off now than when he took office,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said.

“Repairing the damage done by Rauner is a big job. Illinois needs leaders like J.B. and Juliana who will bring people together and who care about working families,” Lynch said. “They’ve taken the time to travel the state and to listen to working people. They know the importance of public services and they value the women and men who provide those services in our communities every day. We look forward to working with J.B. and Juliana to rebuild our state.”

“I’m honored to have the support of AFSCME and the tens of thousands of workers it represents in Illinois,” Pritzker said. “While Bruce Rauner undercuts our workers and attacks their families at every chance, I will restore the respect our public service workers deserve. I will defend collective bargaining rights for our unions and protect hard earned pensions. With the support of AFSCME members throughout Illinois, we will build on our statewide, grassroots campaign that is ready to put Springfield back on the side of working families and get our state back on track.”

Union members on the committee shared their views on the endorsement of Pritzker and Stratton.

“Everybody who works for a living has been harmed by Bruce Rauner. We need someone who will sit down with everyone and come up with solutions that are fair,” said Garry Cacciapaglia, a water plant operator in Rockford. “J.B. has already gone out and built bonds with many different groups all over the state. We’re excited to stand together to beat Bruce Rauner.”

“For working people tired of the last three-plus years of Bruce Rauner attacking us and never being on our side, J.B. Pritzker will bring dramatic and welcome change. For state employees, I believe J.B. will be someone who’s open and willing to work together and treat us fairly,” said Stephen Mittons, a child protective investigator in Chicago. “J.B. has a progressive platform to raise the revenue Illinois needs from those who can afford it.”

“Bruce Rauner starved universities, doing incalculable damage to university employees and the students we serve. We need a governor who will prioritize higher education,” said Ellen Larrimore, an archivist at Northeastern Illinois University. “I know that J.B. Pritzker believes in funding public higher education and understands the important role it plays in our state.”

“Under Rauner we’ve had to fight just to get a living wage. He doesn’t understand the work we do and never walked in our shoes,” said Yolanda Woods, a caregiver for children with disabilities in Springfield. “We need someone like J.B. Pritzker who’s compassionate enough to take the time and understand a single mother who works two jobs and still can’t make ends meet. We need someone who’s willing to stand up for what’s right and get the job done.”

SPRINGFIELD, IL – With more than 13 million children nationwide living in food insecure homes, a measure supported by state Rep. Mary E. Flowers, D-Chicago, and state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, aims to end childhood hunger in schools throughout the state of Illinois.

“Children are the innocent ones in these situations, so none of them deserve to go through their days hungry because their parents are struggling to afford lunch at school,” said Flowers. “If a child were in a home and were hungry from not eating adequately, the parents would immediately be arrested and have the children taken from them. This measure holds both parents and schools accountable for keeping children nourished. It ensures that children have the nutrition needed at school to take on their day, grow and develop to their best selves.”

Harper and Flowers are a chief co-sponsor and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2428, respectively. The measure creates the “Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights Act.” Under the act, meals are required to be given to children regardless of their ability to pay. This will ensure that children have the nutrition to be successful and focused. The act also prevents food shaming of students who cannot afford lunch to ensure they aren’t alienated.

“No child across Illinois should go to school on an empty stomach,” said Harper. “If our children are our future, then they deserve to be well-nourished and taken care of by their parents, teachers and schools to reach their full potential. Providing them with school meals they need will make students more productive and focused on doing the best they can each day.”

Flowers represents the 31st District, which includes portions of the Auburn-Gresham community in Chicago, Oak Lawn, Chicago Ridge, Countryside and others. For more information, please contact Rep. Flowers’ constituent service office at 773-471-5200 or email her at maryeflowers@ilga.gov.

By Jesse Sharkey
Vice President, Chicago Teachers Union

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his deep pocketed allies are sinking big bucks into a public relations campaign that attempts to rewrite the awful truth about his failed leadership of Chicago’s public schools. We’ve countered with a video of our own, #SameOldRahm, as part of our campaign to set the record straight on Emanuel’s deplorable education record. Check it out, share it and help get out the word that Rahm can’t run from his disgraceful record.

Emanuel also promised Tuesday to guarantee early childhood education for Chicago children – a day after damning news dropped about contract steering and corruption at CPS. Pre-K participation has actually nosedived by almost 20% since Rahm took office, and remaining programs have been grossly under-resourced — so we’ve taken aim at him for his pre-K double-talk, as well — including his new registration system that undermined parents’ attempts to enroll their kids.

Emanuel’s pre-K spin comes on the heels of a report that busted CPS for giving families in the city’s richest neighborhood special priority access to free, all-day preschool services, locking out children of poorer families. And he handed out over $1.1 million last month alone to Goldman Sacks and the other investors in his 2014 “social impact” bond deal to fund early childhood education, a move that could more than double investors’ dollars – and the costs to taxpayers.

To be blunt, we have a very bad boss. Yet we’ve held the line on his school privatization schemes, joined with allies and reporters to expose his fiscal and policy crimes, effectively challenged his despicable special education cuts, and are mounting strong contract actions and fightbacks across CPS. That’s a testament to our collective hard work, tireless advocacy and unity. Together, we can strengthen our fight to win the working conditions and the schools that our students and our members deserve — especially as we gear up for a contract fight this summer.

Jesse Sharkey
Vice President, Chicago Teachers Union

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois State Rep. Sonya M. Harper, D-Chicago, is seeking to foster greater communication and understanding between students and school resource officers in neighborhood schools through training courses.

“Students should feel safe when they go to school, and parents should also have a sense of relief when their students are there. School resource officers can be a tremendous tool in fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and young people,” said Harper. “It’s time for local school resource officers to receive uniform training to best equip them to address restorative justice techniques, de-escalation best practices, crisis intervention, implicit bias and other techniques to help them best address the needs of every student who walks through those doors.”

Harper’s Senate Bill 2925 holds hold school resource officers to higher standards and requires the Enforcement Training Standard Board develop training courses for resources officers to better treat students with mental health issues, child abuse, adolescent developmental issues and more.

“Students face numerous struggles, especially those students who face the threats of school closures and may not live in healthy home environments,” said Harper. “The adults at school, at a minimum, need to be trained to be better caretakers and offer constructive guidance as students navigate personal and social challenges at a young age.”

Harper represents the 6th District, which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, New City, West Englewood, and Marquette Park. To stay up to date with upcoming events, legislation and neighborhood news, please contact Rep. Harper’s office at repsonyaharper@gmail.com.

2018 Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment (MOBE) Symposium Connected Major Brands to the Nearly $1.2 Trillion Dollar Buying Power of the African American Consumer

Newark, NJ (BlackNews.com) — More than 250 entrepreneurs, marketing and advertising executives attended the 2018 Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment (MOBE) Symposium recently held at Kiyo Sakaguchi Hall in the Prudential Tower, Newark, New Jersey. The event was sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc and co-sponsored by P&G.

Welcome remarks were presented by host Dorinda Walker, vice president of Cultural Insights and Activation, Brand Marketing and Advertising, at Prudential. She was joined by Yvette Moyo, Co-founder of MOBE and Real Men Cook; Curtis Symonds, Conference Chairman and CEO & Founder of HBCUX Network; and Lela Coffey, Brand Director, Beauty – Multicultural of P&G, the Symposium’s co-sponsor.

“Prudential was honored to host the 2018 MOBE Symposium in our hometown of Newark, NJ! We understand MOBE’s mission – the importance of bringing together entrepreneurs and large corporations to cultivate strategic business alliances – and value being a part of efforts that support the economic progress of the black community,” said Walker.

Legendary cable executive Leo Hindery of InterMedia Partners, Alfred Edmond Jr, SVP of Black Enterprise and Louis Carr, President, Sales at BET presented keynote addresses. Panelists included senior executives from BET Her, Essence, Morgan Stanley, iOne Digital/Hello Beautiful, American Heart Association, BlackDoctor.org, NBA Players Association, WNBA, NFL, NASCAR and the Newark Office of Film and Television.

The inaugural MOBE Awards recognized veteran advertising and marketing executives. Each award recipient was presented with a piece of framed artwork donated by the Harlem Fine Arts Show. The distinguished honorees included:

* Pepper Miller, President of The Hunter Miller Group and Ken Smikle, President & Founder of Target Market News received The Spirit Of D. Parke Gibson Award.

* Chuck Morrison, former executive of UniWorld Group, Burrell Advertising and Coca-Cola USA and Carol H. Williams, President of Carol H. Williams Advertising received the MOBE Legends Award.

* Long-time MOBE supporter Clyde Allen, President & Founder of Allen & Partners, received the MOBE Corporate Pioneer Award.

MOBE Symposium Founder, Yvette Moyo stated, “Sharing information, acknowledging our brilliance and that we drive the tone and tenor of this country in entertainment, fashion, and sports; this is the MOBE Way. Understand that our power to work together, to recognize and leverage our buying power, to celebrate and do business with each other and those who respect our value will be the key to our financial survival.”

The next MOBE Symposium will be held in April 2019 and smaller events are being planned during the year. Updated information can be found on their website, www.mobesymposium.com

About MOBE:
MOBE (Pronounced “moe-bee”) delivers business building, education and mentoring resources to African-American marketing, technology, sports & entertainment professionals with growing businesses. The MOBE Symposium provides a place to initiate strategic alliances with larger corporations.

MOBE is where Marketing, Technology, Sports & Entertainment professionals converge with early-stage/growing businesses, business professionals and corporations. Since 1992, the MOBE series has delivered business building, education and mentoring resources for African-American professionals; sports, entertainment and other entrepreneurs. The organization has facilitated deals between young companies and large corporations to grow their businesses. MOBE’s registrants have directly influenced the spending power and impacted a vastly larger urban consumer base. An estimated $200 million in business was generated to African-American companies as a direct result of associations conceived at MOBE symposiums.

About Prudential:
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of March 31, 2018, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.

Media contact: Robin Beaman, 312-751-9689, rbeaman@beamaninc.com
Symposium contact: Pat Shields, 310-568-9091, mobesymposium@gmail.com

Photo Caption: (Left to Right): Dion Clarke, Harlem Fine Arts Show; Yvette Moyo, Founder, MOBE & Real Men Cook; Dorinda Walker, Prudential; Lela Coffey, P&G; Curtis Symonds, Chairperson, MOBE Symposium

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With a focus on inclusion of historically underserved and ousted business owners, Illinois State Rep. Mary E. Flowers, D-Chicago, is co-sponsoring a measure that would promote greater cooperation between the State of Illinois and minority contractors.

“The tax base in the State of Illinois is full of all kinds of diverse people from different backgrounds, so it only makes sense that the businesses we contract with reflect that diversity,” said Flowers. “This bill will close the communication gap between small minority-owned businesses and the state when it comes to the qualifications and availability of opportunities to do quality business and create jobs in underserved communities.”

Flowers is the co-sponsor of Senate Bill 3106, a measure that establishes the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative. This initiative would require the Business Enterprise Council and each Chief Procurement Officer to provide information related to minority-owned, women-owned, person-with-disabilities owned and small businesses. This information would include outreach to these businesses, education on state contracting and procurement and notification to these businesses about State contracting opportunities. Additionally, the Comptroller will maintain an updated online database of State contracts with these businesses.

“It is time we bring transparency to the State contract bidding and procurement process,” said Flowers. “When we level the playing field for businesses who have constantly been at a disadvantage, we will see these benefits shape change, not only on the job-site, but back home in the community where we are bringing good-paying jobs and opportunity.”

Senate Bill 3106 recently passed out of the Senate unanimously and is expected to be heard for consideration in the House State Government Administration Committee in the near future.

Flowers represents the 31^st district, which includes portions of the Auburn-Gresham community in Chicago, Oak Lawn, Chicago Ridge, Countryside and others. For more information, please contact Rep. Flowers’ constituent service office at 773-471-5200 or email her at maryeflowers@ilga.gov.