State Rep. Chris Welch (D-Maywood) with Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
State Rep. Chris Welch (D-Maywood) with Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
State Rep. Chris Welch (D-Maywood) received more donations from the Chicago Teachers Union than any other legislator in 2015.
Will he support the power union's call to shift state school money to Chicago, away from west suburban districts he represents?
---
If the Chicago Teachers Union 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 West Cook News 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.
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Maywood) received more CTU PAC funds than any other state legislator -- $7,500 in 2015, or more than a quarter of the total donated by the union.
Welch has accepted $10,850 in donations from CTU PAC over his career.
State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) received $1,500 and State Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park) $500 in contributions from the Chicago Teachers Union last year. Both districts include a small sliver of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.
The rich get richer?
Chicago schools already receive more from state and federal taxpayers than all but one west suburban school district
| School District | Non-Local Funding (Per Pupil) |
| Berwyn North 98 | $7,833 |
| Chicago Public Schools | $7,515 |
| Cicero 99 | $7,396 |
| Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview 89 | $6,629 |
| Berwyn South 100 | $6,264 |
| Morton 201 | $5,884 |
| Bellwood 88 | $5,754 |
| Pleasantdale 107/Burr Ridge | $5,214 |
| Riverside-Brookfield Township 208 | $4,982 |
| Berkeley 87 | $3,708 |
| Rhodes 84-5/River Grove | $3,607 |
| Proviso 209 | $3,502 |
| Lyons 103 | $2,841 |
| Oak Park 97 | $2,800 |
| Forest Park 91 | $2,746 |
| River Grove 85-5 | $2,645 |
| Franklin Park 84 | $2,601 |
| Mannheim 83/Franklin Park | $2,548 |
| Lindop 92/Broadview | $2,196 |
| Ridgewood 234 | $2,183 |
| Union Ridge 86 | $2,086 |
| Leyden 212/Franklin Park | $1,962 |
| La Grange 102 | $1,845 |
| La Grange South 105 | $1,759 |
| Oak Park-River Forest 200 | $1,730 |
| Norridge 80 | $1,582 |
| Pennoyer 79/Norridge | $1,574 |
| Westchester 92-5 | $1,552 |
| Hillside 93 | $1,537 |
| Komarek 94/Riverside | $1,376 |
| Riverside 96 | $1,352 |
| River Forest 90 | $1,284 |
| La Grange Highlands 106 | $1,271 |
| Lyons Township 204 | $1,239 |
| Brookfield LaGrange Park 95 | $1,093 |
| Western Springs 101 | $778 |
| Non-local funding includes state and federal funds. |
Chicago Teachers Union Pets
Which state legislators received the biggest donations from CTU in 2015?
| 1 | Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch | (D-Maywood) | $7,500 |
| 2 | Rep. John Bradley | (D-Marion) | $1,500 |
| 3 | Rep. Al Riley | (D-Hazel Crest) | $1,500 |
| 4 | Rep. Jay Hoffman | (D-Collinsville) | $1,000 |
| 5 | Sen. Jehan Gordon | (D-Peoria) | $1,000 |
| 6 | Sen. Jennifer Bertino Tarrant | (D-Plainfield) | $1,000 |
| 7 | Rep. Robyn Gabel | (D-Evanston) | $1,000 |
| 8 | Rep. Rita Mayfield | (D- Waukegan) | $1,000 |
| 9 | Rep. Emily Klunk-McAsey | (D-Lockport) | $1,000 |
| 10 | Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia | (D-Aurora) | $1,000 |
| 10 | Sen. Michael Noland | (D-Elgin) | $1,000 |
Alerts Sign-up