The Chicago Teachers Union has given McHenry’s County Rep. Jack Franks $16,050 over his career.
Will he support the powerful union's call to shift school money to Chicago, away from downstate districts?
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If the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is going to achieve its goal of $1.6 billion more in spending by Chicago Public Schools, it will need more than just another large property tax hike on Chicago homeowners.
It will require more money from non-Chicago taxpayers -- living in the Chicago suburbs and downstate -- and more support from their non-Chicago representatives in Springfield.
Increasing state spending to the Chicago Public Schools means decreasing it to suburban and downstate districts, the overwhelming majority of whom already receive a lower state subsidy than Chicago.
Are there suburban or downstate legislators who might back a Chicago schools bailout, costing their own schools in the process?
A McHenry Times analysis of Chicago Teachers Union Political Action Committee (CTU PAC) campaign finance reports found that in 2015, it made $28,500 in donations to 29 state legislators whose districts don’t include any Chicagoans.
All 29 legislators receiving CTU PAC donations were Democrats; 19 represent the Chicago suburbs and 10 downstate.
CTU has seen state funding to Chicago Public Schools grow significantly over the past decade -- from $1.4 billion in 2005 to $1.8 billion in 2014 -- an increase of 29 percent.
Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) didn’t receive any CTU contributions in 2015, but received $16,050 between 2000 and 2012.
The rich get richer?
Chicago schools already receive more money from state and federal taxpayers than all 18 school districts in McHenry County.
| School District | Non-Local Funding (Per Pupil) |
| Chicago Public Schools | $7,515 |
| Harrison SD 36/Wonder Park | $3,091 |
| Woodstock CUSD 200 | $3,062 |
| Marengo-Union 165 | $2,516 |
| Alden Hebron 19 | $2,301 |
| Consolidated 158/Algonquin | $2,255 |
| McHenry CCSD 15 | $2,245 |
| Marengo CHSD 154 | $2,187 |
| CHSD 155/Crystal Lake | $2,134 |
| Johnsburg CUSD 12 | $2,053 |
| McHenry CHSD 156 | $1,927 |
| Richmond-Burton 157 | $1,830 |
| Fox River Grove Consolidated 3 | $1,723 |
| Cary CCSD 26 | $1,661 |
| Riley CCSD 18 | $1,600 |
| Crystal Lake CCSD 47 | $1,581 |
| Prairie Grove 46/Crystal Lake | $1,528 |
| Nippersink 2/Richmond | $1,479 |
| Harvard CUSD 50 | $1,165 |
Chicago Teachers Union Pets
Which state legislators received the biggest donations from CTU in 2015?
| Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch | (D-Maywood) | $7,500 |
| Rep. John Bradley | (D-Marion) | $1,500 |
| Rep. Al Riley | (D-Hazel Crest) | $1,500 |
| Rep. Jay Hoffman | (D-Collinsville) | $1,000 |
| Sen. Jehan Gordon | (D-Peoria) | $1,000 |
| Sen. Jennifer Bertino Tarrant | (D-Plainfield) | $1,000 |
| Rep. Robyn Gabel | (D-Evanston) | $1,000 |
| Rep. Rita Mayfield | (D- Waukegan) | $1,000 |
| Rep. Emily Klunk-McAsey | (D-Lockport) | $1,000 |
| Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia | (D-Aurora) | $1,000 |
| Sen. Michael Noland | (D-Elgin) | $1,000 |
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