CPS announces layoffs, says it will delay budget proposal to give state more time to act on funding

Chicago Public Schools on Monday moved ahead with plans to lay off about 950 teachers and staff members but delayed the planned unveiling of its operational budget, citing a need to wait for state action on school funding.

A proposed budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 had been expected on Monday, two weeks after principals received spending plans that anticipated state lawmakers would send an extra $300 million to CPS.

The state's education funding picture remains murky after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto on a plan approved by the General Assembly.

Rauner's amended version would reduce the amount of money going to CPS, though a district-by-district analysis of the proposal by the Illinois State Board of Education wasn't yet available. At a news conference in Chicago on Monday, Rauner elaborated on his school funding proposal and also repeated a frequent contention that CPS has been financially mismanaged for years.

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