Rahm's great TIF school rip-off

David Orr

The city should send any extra development funds to the public schools, says Cook County Clerk David Orr.

"How do we explain to school kids that gym, music and art classes are canceled while profitable businesses are tapping into the city’s tax base?" Orr said Thursday in an annual report on Tax Increment Finance districts. -- DNAInfo

CPS Liar-In-Chief Becky Carroll jumps into the fray.

 "No combination of one-time fixes is going to address a structural financial deficit at CPS that has built up over decades and currently stands at $1 billion, including $400 million from increasing pension payments," said CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll. "We have made more than $600 million in cuts to the central office while doing everything we can to protect critical classroom investments. 

So Wendy Katten  calls her on it -- what $600 million in cuts?

“It just makes me laugh,” says Wendy Katten, who runs the parent advocacy group Raise Your Hand. “If [the savings] are true, they should show us the line items.” 

L-I-C Carroll responds -- um, errr.

 CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll admits it would be impossible to find evidence of the reductions in the official budget book. “It is not the way it works,” she says... In other cases, the district saved money in one area, but paid more for something else-- and therefore, Carroll says, the reduction is not reflected in a line item. -- -- Catalyst

And she does all this with a straight face.