Submitted by arlenegloria on Sun, 05/23/2010 - 14:23

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CORE Files Lawsuit to Force CPS to “Open the Books”

Excerpted from Trib story by Azam Ahmed

The Caucus of Rank and File Educators filed a lawsuit May 20 in the Circuit Court of Cook County alleging that the district has not complied with formal requests in late March and April seeking documents and communication relating to next year’s district budget.

A projected $600 million shortfall has prompted the school district to threaten teacher layoffs and increased class sizes. That, in turn, has brought recriminations from teacher groups who say the district’s fiscal house is not in order.

Several of the union slates have said they doubt schools CEO Ron Huberman’s budget deficit claims, and are seeking to evaluate the figures for themselves.

The lawsuit states that the district is in violation of the Freedom of Information Act law, which requires public agencies to respond to requests for information within five days of receiving them.

The district said the request was unduly burdensome, and is seeking a review from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office on how to proceed.

Please visit the Chicago Tribune to see full story: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-20/news/ct-met-cps-information-lawsuit-20100520_1_chicago-teachers-union-election-foia-information-act