Fact-checking Darren Bailey's claim that Chicago is a "city in decline" - Axios ChicagoLog InLog InAxios Chicago is an Axios company.

Fact-checking Darren Bailey' s city in decline

Darren Bailey celebrates with supporters on primary election night. Photo: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey penned an in yesterday's Tribune saying, "Chicago is still a great city, but it is a city in decline." Why it matters: As longtime Chicagoans, it rankles us to hear outsiders — especially downstate outsiders who to separate Chicago from the rest of Illinois — come in and criticize our city.We engage in plenty of criticism ourselves, so we're less bothered by that than the inaccuracy of his statements. Reality check: Bailey wrote that "defunding the police" has made it difficult for officers to do their jobs. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot's 2022 budget actually boosted police funding by $189 million, from . The other side: Bailey spokesperson Joe DeBose says Bailey supports the claim of defunding the police by using old budget data from 2020 to 2021 — when spending fell by $59 million — rather than the latest figures. What's more: Bailey's assertion that CPS spent almost $23,000 per student in 2021 doesn't jibe with district calculations of $14,782 per student and is "not based on any facts provided by Chicago Public Schools," district officials tell Axios.And while the latest shows that CPS' per-pupil instructional spending is slightly higher than average in the state, that's not unusual in a district with high costs of living and high-need students. State officials say that CPS has of the funding it needs. Yes, but: Bailey's camp says it arrived at its figure by dividing the number of students in the district by the total 2021 CPS budget, which includes legacy debt payments and capital funding — not just money that goes to schools. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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