The Chicago Public School system has long been in a state of decline, with poor student scores and massive budget deficits. Teacher pensions in Chicago have threatened to bankrupt the state after politicians yielded to demands from the powerful teachers’ union. Despite the budget crisis, however, school administrators are burning through money on woke programs and resulting litigation. The latest example is the over $2.6 million in damages that will be paid to students who were forced to participate in a Transcendental Meditation program during classes. Teachers ignored the religious objections to the Hindu-based program, and the school subsequently litigated the case, incurring even greater costs to the system.
U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly approved the settlement with the Chicago Board of Education and the New York-based David Lynch Foundation to pay $100,000 to the lead plaintiff and between $3,000 and $9,500 to each of the other students in the lawsuit.
Attorney John Mauck, partner at Mauck & Baker, said that students were coerced to go through a Hindu initiation ceremony with offerings to a guru and were told to repeat mantras with the names of Hindu deities.
He further recounted how “[one] student was told, ‘If you don’t kneel before the picture of the guru during your initiation ceremony, it could affect your eligibility on the girls basketball team.’” Mauck claimed that students were instructed not to tell their parents, especially if the parents were religious.
In the litigation, counsel was able to confirm 773 of the students who were required to participate in the program. More than 200 filed claims for damages.
Chicago is now facing bankruptcy and the unpopular mayor Brandon Johnson is calling for massive “progressive tax” hikes to keep the city solvent. Yet, the Chicago school system (which has contributed significantly to the budget crisis) prefers to spend money on these programs and then litigate ill-conceived cases.
The state must come up with $154.3 billion to pay its retired educators. It is $86.3 billion short of that amount. Illinois is ranked as having “the lowest funding ratio for state pensions in the nation at 52%. The Teachers Retirement System is even lower, funded at 45.8%, making it the second-worst funded state teacher retirement system in the nation. Only New Jersey is worse.”
Illinois leaders like Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Johnson are closely aligned with the teachers’ union and have signed generous contracts with crippling pension allotments. The political benefits of such contracts are obvious, but there comes a point when you cannot continue to kick the financial can down the road on the costs.
What is clear from this case is that, despite the financial crisis, school officials are still spending time and money on unnecessary programs. In the meantime, fewer than one in three school kids in Chicago read at applicable proficiency levels.
I have been a strong supporter of public schools throughout my life. While my parents could afford private schools, they helped form a group to keep white families in the public school system in Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s. They wanted their kids to be part of a diverse school environment. I also sent my kids to public schools for the same reason. I view our public schools as important parts of our society as we shape future citizens.
Teachers and boards are killing the institution of public education by treating children and parents more like captives than consumers. They are force-feeding social and political priorities, including passes for engaging in approved protests.
As public schools continue to produce abysmal scores, particularly for minority students, board and union officials have called for lowering or suspending proficiency standards or declared meritocracy to be a form of “white supremacy.” Gifted and talented programs are being eliminated in the name of “equity.”
The school administrators in Chicago would prefer to spend time on eliminating high-achieving programs to erase the gap between students.
It is crushing to see the continued failure of Chicago schools, particularly for poor and minority kids who are locked into cycles of poverty. This case simply highlights the disastrous sense of priorities for school officials in Chicago.
Guess who’s running ‘Fund Me’ Ads on YouTube:
Letitia James
Attorney General of New York
LOL.. not much support when it comes to cash. I’m guessing she knows her goose is cooked
Re: Atty. Abbe Lowell of Lowell & Associates (Frm. Ptr. @ Winston & Strawn LLP)
NY AG’s office hires Hunter Biden’s lawyer to defend Letitia James against mortgage fraud accusations
“… The DC-based lawyer reportedly “charges a rate of $855 per billable hour,” a figure that was cited by an attorney for Lunden Roberts …”
By Victor Nava ~ April 24, 2025
https://nypost.com/2025/04/24/us-news/ny-ags-office-hires-hunter-bidens-lawyer-to-defend-letitia-james-against-mortgage-fraud-accusations/
Top Washington lawyer creates new firm to defend officials targeted by Trump
By Sara Merken and Mike Scarcella ~ May 2, 2025
[Link] reuters.com/world/us/top-washington-lawyer-creates-new-firm-defend-officials-targeted-by-trump-2025-05-02/
How much does Hunter Biden’s lawyer charge?
Jun 26, 2025 — (Hunter) Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell billed $1,510 an hour for his services, according to a December 2022 contract, opens new tab that was disclosed on Friday as part of a lawsuit Winston filed against Biden, opens new tab in D.C. Superior Court. The billing document said other Winston & Strawn (W&S) partners at that time charged an hourly rate ranging from $890 to $1,945. By: By David Thomas and Mike Scarcella ~ June 26, 2025
https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/how-much-does-hunter-bidens-lawyer-charge-2025-06-26/
IMO: He’s charging upward of $1400 per Billable Hour now that he’s head of his own Firm.
It’s obvious that She knowingly produced this help ‘Fund Me’ video, but directed it to an Actblue.com account.
It’s ironic that the New York State Attorney General (an Elected Official), has to form a Legal Defense Fund, yet knowingly does not do it separately from Her campaign Funder (Actblue.com), just to pay Abby Lowell’s billable fees for her defense.
It’s Obvious,
It’s Ironic,
It’s Sad.
My-oh-My lol
Is this even Legal to do, She still hold Office and not campaigning?
It’s just to pay off legal fees She herself incurred.
Why would it not be legal to solicit donations? Who cares what the cause is? It’s legal to solicit donations for anything (except Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations I guess).
I thought GoFundME didn’t allow raising money for criminal cases??
[To Clarify] I appears to lead to a (her?) ‘actblue.com’ account.
That which appears as an Campaign website.
None the less, it still begs the question, is it Legal?
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Letitia James
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Attorney General for the state of New York. Fighting for the change that New Yorkers deserve.
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Letitia James had been raising money since at least April 22nd 2025 according to this article:
Letitia James launches fundraiser seeking donations up to $18K-per-person in wake of alleged mortgage fraud: ‘Fighting for our rights’
Embattled New York Attorney General Letitia James is hitting up supporters for big bucks just days after the Trump administration accused her of alleged fraud involving several homes she owns.
The money bid is in the form of an invitation to an event on Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.(~ April 22nd, 2025) calling for contributions starting at $500 and climbing to an eye-popping $18,000, the maximum allowed by New York law, in support of her 2026 re-election bid.
By Carl Campanile and Chris Nesi ~ April 17, 2025
https://nypost.com/2025/04/17/us-news/letitia-james-launches-swanky-fundraiser-in-wake-of-alleged-mortgage-fraud/
Schiff forms legal defense fund amid Trump attacks
” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has created a legal defense fund as he prepares to fight an investigation into his Maryland home sparked by the Trump administration.
… Schiff has tapped Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney under former President Obama, to represent him in the matter. …”
By: Rebecca Beitsch ~ 08/20/25
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5461370-schiff-trump-legal-defense/
Again, why would it not be legal?
1. Yes, it does allow it. If I recall correctly it was forced to change its policy after the backlash at it for blocking Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense fund.
2. In any event she’s not using that platform, she’s using ActBlue.
The Very Face Of Affirmative Action And Financial Public Assistance
There is only one-way out of this (mess).
We must all Astral Project.
Astral Projection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection
When you look out, don’t see in.
*. A well orchestrated robbery of public coffers while destroying the system . The third prong of the scheme of robbery, destruction is the product. The product is generations of non-educated insane Americans, hopefully white.
Bravo! Excellent work. Of course back on planet earth public coffers cannot be raided by lawsuits and the robbers would be imprisoned as the product. Congrats Hindus! You did not pass muster. 😂.
Eliminate the government unions that push billions into to the coffers of brainwashed politicians and bureaucrats.
Which is more appropriate: The blind leading the blind or the inmates running the assylum?
Until we break the source of progressive funding, none of this will end because those receiving this largesse to promote and agenda will want to keep the gravy train running. And this applies to so much more than education, but education is the topic of today.
Even FDR said public unions were untenable.
Unions must have been struck down by the Supreme Court at their inception and every step of their evolution.
Just government unions, not private ones.
I have worked for both non-union and union shops where only women were the workers and the bosses were men. I was even a shop steward then VP of a local IUE but the union for females was essential in those days. We were told that if we wanted healthcare, we should marry a man who could provide it. That sort of stuff is why unions in the private sector do good work until they become so powerful that the corruption overwhelms them.
Government unions just run with the idea that raises and other demands can be met by raising taxes, there is no balance of profit/loss to make an agreement possible. government unions just fund those politicians who give them what they want; and there in lies the conflict of interest and the reason government unions should be declared unconstitutional.
Of course the idiot who thought this was a good idea, or the one who threatened the student with the loss of place on the basketball team, wont be fired as they should. Once again, another example of what happens when a city has been ruled by Democrats. More failed Democrat policies. The people of Chicago and the students of the Chicago public education system are the real victims.
I’m beginning to think that we must refrain from calling these thugs democrats.
These are socialist/progressive ideologue or just their totally brainwashed toadies.
There have been some good democrats in our past and I wouldn’t want to bundle the likes of Sen Moynihan with this ignorant racist from chicago and all his ilk placed in positions of power by the monies from the likes of soros and other elite idiots who don’t deserve to live under the protection of a constitution that they despise.
We’ve had the “Know Nothing” party before; how about the “We are the ignorant socialist” party this time around.
Upstate, imagine if a Zionist forced a Muslim student to wear a Yarmulke and recite the Torah. The world would end, riots would ensue, flags would be at half-staff and cnn (notice no caps) would be doing 24/7 on it
They are not only the real victims, they repeatedly vote for “leaders” who will continue to victimize them, and expect a different result. Unbelievable.
I wonder what a course correction looks like. Illinois is financially sick. Chicago is financially sick. Chicago can take a Chapter 9 bankruptcy. There is no Chapter 9 for Illinois. We are in the middle of Gerrymandorama headed to midterms. I have to believe that Chief Justice Roberts and all of his Article lll colleagues are looking at how well they are staffed up, as they ponder “Well, there goes Sunday”.
Trans/cendental
Transphobic?
Don’t minimize what you’re describing by calling it “meditation”. It’s nothing less than idolatrous worship. The amount of the award is not even close to being commensurate with the serious nature of the act, nor is it enough to function as a deterrent.
What “serious nature”? It’s a violation of the establishment clause, and the coercion violated the free exercise clause, but other than that what harm was done? I think the damages awarded are commensurate with the offense.
Remember that any religious objection you have to idolatry is irrelevant here, since a court can’t consider Hinduism as worse or less valid than your religion or mine.
The soft bigotry of low expectations has stunted 2/3 of American youth. That bigotry has a strong racist element. Great educators do the opposite – givingee very hard challenges, while providing encouragement. And they ignore race ethnicity as inconsequential.
Bigotry?
The law was “free white person(s)” concluding with compassionate repatriation per the Naturalization Act of 1802.
They’re not supposed to be here, by law.
The Founders established a nation, its laws, and its population, by law.
“I have been a strong supporter of public schools throughout my life…I view our public schools as important parts of our society as we shape future citizens.
Professor, maybe it’s time to rethink your support. Read again what you just wrote. I’m Hispanic, and when asked, I tell my fellow Hispanics to do what it takes to get their kids out of public schools.
You think it’s bad in Chicago. You should see what WA state Teachers union have done.
By law they can’t strike, yet every year. They strike, and the lib Governor say OK here is the cash.
Yet or kids are failing.
Not a single student can read at grade level in 30 Illinois schools.
https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1961522352564421115
Close your eyes. Mentally wall off your surroundings. Lift your arms upward with palms extended to absorb the energy of the universe. Bring your mind into focus to contemplate the question: ‘What is DEI’? …………..from a great distance (somewhere near Harvard) a voice (that sounds amazingly similar to Lori Lightfoot’s) says: ‘a tool of the Democratic Party to put stooges in power and put people on-the-dole in order to ruin society in order to control it. Think Chicago, New York, LA’
Unfortunately, the voters that are responsible for the decay of Chicago will move somewhere else and repeat, unaware that they are the problem.
Hence the reason why I call their (the demwits) ideology a plagued idiotology.
Where’s Al Capone when you need him, even Richard J. Daley?
There is no democrat party!
They’re still in power. Democrats are the same corrupt scumbags they always were. They like to talk socialism but they don’t live in the ghetto’s they represent, they don’t send their kids to public school. They’re not worried about crime in their neighborhoods. Communists and fascists have always been little more than gangsters.
“There is no democrat party!”
Your lips to God’s ears!
As a Chicago native, this destruction of your city must break tour heart.
So glad I live in the state of Indiana and we can sit apart from Illinois. We are far from perfect but you can send your your children to public schools and they can get a reasonable education. We had a Democratic Governor, by executive order, allow unions in schools. Luckily he went off to Washington D.C. and rapidly turned even more progressive and became unelectable. The following Republican governors ended the executive order and unions in schools. As a result we have escaped much of this. That may be the best way to remove the chaos in schools.
As far as transcendental meditation is concerned is concerned I see no way it will aid you in math, the Kreb’s cycle, the clotting cascade, proper English, English literature, general science. Education requires study and application of thought. You can achieve peace later after you have first learned to think and become educated.
Ignorant foot soldiers are easier to lead for violent movements.
Pence huh? Always thought there was something funny about you GEB.
Here we have a black led city, with a huge number of blacks students. Simple logic tells us they would do everything possible to help black students achieve in the important school subjects like reading and writing, to get excellent teachers, and to make school a fun place to attend. But no, Chicago’s schools delve into obscure programs, such as TM and threaten students not complying with them. This beyond stupidity and (my) understanding.
Maybe working to ensure that one’s children’s competitors do not succeed is by subconscious design.
Agree with everything you wrote except making “school a fun place to attend.” School should be, first and foremost, a safe place to attend. While we want children to be happy at school, that doesn’t mean having fun–fun and happiness are two different things, and we need to stop using the terms interchangeably as too many (most?) kids now seem to think that they’re being treated unfairly if they are not constantly “having fun”. Learning is one of the main sources of happiness, especially for kids, as their achievements are a source of pride–that’s why it is so common for grandparents to be greeted with “Look what I can do!” “Look what I made!” “I got all As!”, etc. Learning is not always fun, and that’s okay–kids don’t need non-stop fun to be happy, but they do need the pride and self-confidence that comes from accomplishments. Achievement and competence should be the focus of education, not “fun”.
As we’ve seen from the declassified Russia, Russia, Russia, Democrats and the Main Stream will Lie, cheat, steal, blame someone else, deny, deny, deny, and repeat!!!
Everything the Democrats touch turns to crap…
Democrat Motto: We’re not happy ‘till you’re not happy…
The Words Democrat and Hypocrite are Interchangeable…
Democrats Believe that ALL Americans are stupid…
Democrats and the Main Stream Media have consistently failed to meet the low standards that they set for themselves and replaced common sense with DRAMA.
The Democrats and the Main Stream Media are acting like a bunch of Court Jesters, rather than leaders who know how to govern with common sense ideas.
Instead, Democrats use Soul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” a Communist How to Book to overthrow the U. S. Government.
Why do intelligent Americans vote for these Democrat pukes?
Emotions. Simple answer
The dems lost the vote and they still can’t believe it.
Especially the popular vote in last year’s presidential election. It went from “when was the last time a republican president won the popular vote” to “just because Trump won the popular vote, it doesn’t mean he have a mandate.” While the dems had lost it when Trump won the 2016 Presidential Election, they hadn’t lost it completely, IMO. But now, with Trump being back in the White House for a second time, the dems are simply too far gone. There’s no way for them to ever come back to the land of sanity. Trump really did break something in the brains of these demwits that it could never be repair.
“Democrats Believe that ALL Americans are stupid” and their antics to avoid actually teaching students all but guarantee this outcome – the very definition of self-fulfilling prophecy.
“The Democrats and the Main Stream Media are acting like a bunch of Court Jesters, rather than leaders who know how to govern with common sense ideas” – but, with the exception of a few moderates, their goal is neither to lead or to govern, but to have as much power as possible for as long as possible.
Responsibility for your children.
It’s almost like the school boards in Chicago want their students to remain functionally illiterate and unable to perform such basic functions as balancing what we once called our checkbooks, or even making change. Is this because ignorant people are easier to manipulate? Or maybe because it’s easier for teachers, who themselves aren’t competent to teach the subject matter? Whatever the reason, the outcome will be a generation of people who are unable to earn a living and contribute to society. And the crime problem in Chicago will continue to spiral out of control.
The goal is to keep people dependent upon the state. “They” don’t really care whether they remain illiterate, that’s just one part of the puzzle. Why would DA’s want to be soft on crime? How does that help the community? Why would a state push for cashless bail? Why would public officials adopt policies that push their states toward bankruptcy? Why fight so hard to keep illegal immigrants in a city where they are draining limited resources from social programs and who have practically no pathway to success? Why are they in favor of a gun confiscation program, why not just get tougher on crime? Is there any democrat policy that makes any sense right now? Is there a single inner city that isn’t crime and drug ridden? And in spite of all of this, there is not democrat that I can see out there that isn’t vulnerable to a primary attack from their left.
Even FDR didn’t think public employees should have a union in the conventional sense:
“All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters.
Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees. Upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the Government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable. …” (letter to Luther C. Steward, President of the National Federation of Federal Employees, of August 16, 1937).
I think it is time to return to that approach.