to play Pro Baseball Wt VW.

Morgan highs in gas.

First off tonight, it's been a long dramatic and passionate day at the Chicago Board of Education meeting.

>> Where board members are considering voting on a budget proposed by Chicago Public Schools.

Superintendent Macklin King for the coming school year.

Our Nic Lumber joins us now with the latest.

Nic.

>> Brandis, it has been a long day indeed.

And will they or won't they is still up in the air.

We got started a little after 10, 30 this morning and the board is still in there.

I had to step out so I could talk with you.

Fine folks, but they are still going back and forth over the budget as proposed by CPI, CPS Superintendent Macklin King and her staff.

The day started off with King making an impassioned plea to board members saying it is urgent that the budget passes today, CPS is facing a cash crunch.

And if they don't pass this budget and agree to some short-term loans, they're worried they may miss the first check of the school year.

So she said it is time to get this done.

Let's take a listen to Dr King.

>> If we pass a budget today, finance team expects that they will have funds will have the funds we need to make payroll by September.

2nd, just 2 days before the deadline.

The blame the budget would be a catastrophic district.

It would be a de facto shut down right when students are returning to school.

We cannot let that happen.

>> So after some 30 public speakers followed by a handful of politicians as well.

The board voted to take a 2 hour recess after coming back from that recess.

We heard from some top budget officials going through in more detail the budget that King is proposing, but they are facing some sharp questions from board members.

There's been some talk of an amendment to change this budget and assume that some state revenue is going to come through.

There's some hope about that, which we'll get to later.

But it's no guarantee.

So there's a lot of questions about why are we assuming that we're gonna get a certain amount in tips surplus from the city, but not assume that we're going to get certain amount in additional funding from the state.

There's questions about whether passing a budget that some call unbalanced with that amendment would violate the school code would violate state law of this budget, of course, has been a tough one with the more than 700 million dollar gap.

There's a proposal for that 1600 layoffs.

You know, teachers, support staff, a few assistant principals, but King says the goal here is to keep things the way as best as possible from affecting the classroom.

And Nic, there's also been a lot of discussion about during his budget budget cycle about more state funding, as you said, for CPS to help close budget gap, including.

>> Advocating for a special session in Springfield.

Did they mention that during those discussions today?

>> They've mentioned little else.

It feels like, you know, King acknowledged the calls for a special session.

She says that district leaders are committed to working to advocate funding.

You know that the CPS is do more under the state's own evidence based formula.

But she said it's a mistake to pass a budget to assume more state funding that might not materialize.

She recalled when that happened back in 2017 and there were mid-year layoffs and furloughs and cuts as well as debt.

That CPS is still saddled with.

can you can.

>> We know and we will continue.

To advocate at all levels of government.

Where the funding that our students.

I don't but they buy fully deserved.

And we also need to learn from our mistakes instead of repeating them.

Passing this budget does not include us from advocating for additional funding from the state.

I am there with you in the fight for more revenue.

>> But a lot of folks say that doesn't go far enough, including plenty of the folks who are still debating the budget in the board room behind me right now.

We also heard from Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis.

Gates at a rally before today's board meeting even got started.

Like we said, it's been a long day.

Davis Gates says it all comes down to dollars and cents.

>> Governor Pritzker.

billionaire governor.

>> And Davis Gates said she doesn't understand how there can be layoffs and slate changes to the student teacher ratio without increasing class sizes.

She also pointed out, too comments from state House Speaker Chris Welch yesterday who told the state Board of Education that he would lead the fight for more CPS funding in the fall veto session.

But he stopped short of proposing a special session saying there wasn't necessarily the appetite.

Their Welsh, of course, currently facing his own firestorm over harassment allegations against former State Rep Sherry Benton as well as questions about his own conduct toward women.

And the speaker said, you know, he might add again, he's going to advocate this for this in the fall, but there is no guarantee.

So that's why there's so much pushback right now.

So much back and forth right now over the question of whether they should amend this budget to assume state revenue that isn't guaranteed.

The debate is not over yet.

Brandis.

It could be a long evening ahead of here.

>> A lot going on.

A lot to figure out.

Nick, thanks for your reporting.

>> Up next, we ever secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood.