Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.

Quote/Term of the Week

“For so many people in the disability community, RAP and TAP is not a luxury; it is the lifeline that connects us to the world. It is the key that unlocks our ability to work, to attend medical appointments, to pursue our education, to visit our friends and family and to participate in the labor market.”

— Larry Dean, economic justice organizer at Access Living, calling on the RTA Board to abandon proposed cuts to paratransit rideshare programs.

[Regional Transportation Authority, August 21, 2025]

Cliff hangers

Regional Transportation Authority Board members managed to postpone the looming transit funding disaster by a few months — but the move comes with drawbacks.

Transit leaders are scrambling to address a $770 million budget shortfall for Chicago-area transit, which could result in 40% cuts for transit across the city. State legislators left Springfield earlier this year without approving any new funding. Last week, board members approved the 2026‑2028 Funding Marks Ordinance, which will shift $74 million from PACE and Metra to the Chicago Transit Authority, which is projected to be the first of the major transit agencies to face a financial crisis and severe service cuts. This move is expected to delay the impending fiscal cliff by an estimated two to three months into the middle of 2026. 

Board members also authorized an ADA Paratransit 2025 Funding Amendment scaling back the Rideshare Access Program and Taxi Access Program, which covered part of the cost for rideshares for ADA-eligible riders. The programs opened transit options for riders for whom public transit was either difficult or nearly impossible to take advantage of, advocates have said.

RTA officials said they hoped the program would reduce paratransit costs since rideshares are significantly cheaper than traditional paratransit rides. Instead, the program mostly attracted new riders rather than encouraging existing riders to switch — driving up overall paratransit costs, according to a board memo. 

Chicagoans with disabilities turned out in force to urge RTA to not go forward with the cuts. That includes reducing the maximum number of rides from eight per day to 30 per month.

“A 30-ride limit, while it may seem like a minor adjustment on a spreadsheet, would be a devastating blow for people who rely on this service,” said Larry Dean, economic justice organizer for Access Living. “It would force many people in the disability community to make impossible choices: Do I go to work or see my doctor? Do I attend my class or visit my family for the holidays?

“It would shackle us and confine us to our homes, undoing years of progress in making Chicago a more accessible and inclusive city.”

In October, the Illinois General Assembly will hold its Fall Veto Session —  the final window to pass funding and reform legislation for 2026.

What you can do:

Attend a RTA Board meeting: The next RTA Board of Directors meeting will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 11 at 175 W. Jackson Blvd. Email communications@rtachicago.org by noon the day prior to comment at the meeting.

Email your legislator: Send an email to your Illinois State legislator and ask them to take action. 

Sign the petition: Fight paratransit changes and sign this petition from Progress Center for Independent Living.

To loan, or not to loan

The Chicago school board faces a critical budget vote this week, and community and board members are grappling with whether the future of CPS funding includes taking on more debt or continuing to cut programs and staffing. 

CPS must close a whopping $734 million deficit in approving a spending plan for the 2025-26 school year, which started Aug. 18. The most recent proposal includes some additional revenue sources, but excludes a contentious $175 million pension reimbursement to the city, something most board members oppose.

At last week’s budget hearings, speakers shared opposing views on borrowing in the proposed budget. Board Member Karen Zaccor said that parents she spoke with would prefer taking out a loan rather than seeing their schools cut. Board Member Emma Lozano also supported borrowing, framing it as a responsible way to ensure current students have what they need, with the loan to be paid off over time.  

Other speakers, however, strongly opposed borrowing. Members of SEIU Local 73 warned that a loan with interest would likely lead to future layoffs and salary freezes. Other community advocates argued that it is a risky and unpopular strategy that would lead to future cuts and jeopardize the district's long-term stability. CPS has one of the largest debt obligations of any school system in the United States, Chalkbeat reported.

Earlier this year, CPS launched a campaign to advocate for more evidence-based formula funding from the state, before later moving to lay off 161 employees in June.

The board of education must pass a balanced budget by Friday. Members are scheduled to vote on the spending plan at Thursday’s meeting.

What you can do:

Attend a CPS Board meeting: The next CPS Board meeting will take place 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 at the CPS Loop Office (42 W. Madison St.). Click here to register to speak at a board meeting.

A version of this story was first published in the August 27, 2025 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.