Chance the Rapper has donated $1 million to Chicago’s public school system, stoking a long-running debate about the city’s education system and how it is funded.
On Monday, the performer, a Chicago native, announced that the sum would support the arts and after-school programming. In a news conference at Westcott Elementary School blocks away from where he grew up, he called the donation a “call to action.”
“I’m honored to make this donation to Chicago Public Schools Foundation and help cultivate Chicago creative minds,” he said, adding, “I’m committed to helping Chicago’s children have quality learning experiences that include the arts.”
His gift comes at a moment when the city is grappling with a crisis over funding its schools. The rapper, who was educated in the Chicago’s public schools, had been a vocal advocate for fixing the budget issues confronting the school system, which is the nation’s third largest, serving over 400,000 students. It is facing a budget deficit that could bring an early end to the school year.
Chance met on Friday with Bruce Rauner, Illinois’s Republican governor, to discuss the city’s schools.
