Federal Bill to Save 5,000 Illinois Education Jobs

FOX Chicago
August 11, 2010
Chicago - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Mayor Richard Daley spoke at a South Side high school Wednesday to announce the jobs bill signed by President Obama on Tuesday will help save teachers’ jobs in Illinois.

Some planned layoffs will be cancelled and teachers who did receive pink slips will be rehired.

The $26 billion bill protects 130,000 teachers, police and health care worker jobs around the country.

It's estimated 5,000 education jobs will be saved in the state.

Chicago Public Schools expect to be able to keep class sizes manageable after 2,000 jobs were eliminated in the CPS system.

The Chicago Teachers Union praised the bill and promised to talk to CPS Chief Ron Huberman about how to apply the funding.

“We got a bill to avoid layoffs. That’s the purpose of it, they’ve been very clear about that, and we want to make sure it’s used that way,” CTU President Karen Lewis said.

Republicans who opposed the bill say it will force some kind of tax increase as a result.