Kankakee Times

Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson) is wondering if maybe too much is being made out of the ongoing debate over the number of nurses assigned to a pilot program now being proposed for the Chicago Board of Education.

“I really appreciate what you’re doing but I’m struggling with part of this because isn’t this typically part of the negotiations between CPS and CTU?” Bennett asked members of the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee during a recent hearing on House Bill 70.

“I think I saw somewhere that we have 450 nurses employed today and a contract agreed to hire 250 more nurses over five years or something like that,” he added. “I don’t mean to get in the middle of negotiations. I understand the health and welfare for sure.”

During the hearing, veteran state Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) openly wondered why the bill is written so narrowly that it presently only applies to about one in five of the lowest performing schools, prompting chief sponsor of the bill Rep. Mary E. Flowers (D-Chicago) to assure all that “if we start there, we can always expand.”

Flowers also took time to stress to Bennett his inquiries would not be a drag on talks in any way.

As currently proposed, the legislation to amend the overall Chicago District Article of School Code would start with the 2022-23 school year. The bill is now in the Elementary & Secondary Education committee.