"Please remember: the Bears are a private company that wants the best deal for themselves. And that's good," Rowe said at his first school board meeting Thursday night."But we are a public school system, and we want a fair deal for our students, schools and taxpayers."
"Like Mr. Warren, I believe we need to act with a sense of urgency to craft our path forward," Rowe said."That being said, we cannot do so in haste, and we, the school districts, will insist that any outcome is made with the best interest of our students and the communities we serve at the forefront of any agreement made."
Under tax increment financing -- in which money otherwise going to schools and other taxing bodies is diverted to economic development projects -- the revenue freeze can last as much as 35 years.