Chicago Mayor: Influx of Federal, State Money Needed For Schools

The city of Chicago and its teachers union have reached a tentative deal for students to return to in-person classes, but an influx of federal and state money is needed to help them catch up after being out of school for so long, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday, while blaming the Trump administration for not having the funds available. 

"The president of the union and I sat down over a series of conversations, and I think we both wanted to get to the same place, but I think we had different pathways to get there," the Democrat mayor told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "This was a very tough series of negotiations, very unlike anything else that I have been in. It was about health safety issues in the middle of a pandemic and really dealing with a very real fear that's out there."

The agreement that was reached addresses several issues the teachers have, including being able to be vaccinated before returning to work, and the first groups of students are expected to return to classes this Thursday, reports The Chicago Tribune.

Lightfoot said Monday the argument over "scarce resources" was a "lasting legacy of the Trump administration."

"No city, no mayor, no teachers union should have to go through this," said Lightfoot. "We need the federal government and the Congress, in particular, to step up and support President Biden's plan. We don't need some skinny stimulus. We need a full, robust stimulus that represents the need of states ... we're fighting because we don't have enough vaccine and people are scared and frightened. And the need is real."

There has also been some confusion from the new administration about opening schools safely, she conceded, but at the same time, "the Biden administration obviously inherited an absolute mess."

"The Trump administration left the cupboard bare when it comes to the vaccine, so given that, my conversations with folks in the Biden administration have been very robust," but when there is talk about economic recovery, there must also be discussions about the nation's children, Lightfoot added. 

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