For months leading up to the vote on the now-approved $16.6B Chicago Budget, POWER-PAC IL parent leaders advocated hard for the things parents want to see funded and supported. Parent leaders met with their alderpeople, participated in town hall meetings, and publicly advocated for support. Here are some of the highlights:
- Parent leaders met with 9 alders about increased funding for mental health centers, non-police crisis response, redirection of police vacancies to other sources, youth jobs, and childcare, all of which have been addressed in the city budget. Shoutout to newer leaders Reyna (Northwest Branch) for meeting with Ald. Gregory Mitchell (7th Ward), Charnell (Southside Branch) with Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd Ward), and Gabriela (Southwest Branch) with Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd Ward)!
- When the budget passed, permanent funding was secured for non-police crisis response and public mental health center funding was protected, thanks in large part to the work of our Chicago parent leaders! In addition to meeting with their alderpeople, Southside leaders co-hosted a Public Health & Safety Town Hall, (which mayor Brandon Johnson attended), with: the Big Hommies, Big Bros’, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), Access Living, Chicago Black Voter Project, and United Working Families organizations. Parent leader Cye Cye introduced the budget proposal and facilitated the Q&A, while Katrina made the ask for Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) to support the proposed budget.
- Additionally, as founding members of the Childcare 4 All! Campaign, parents advocated for (with coalition partners) and won a $7 million investment of general fund revenue in childcare, for the second year in a row!
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