Even before he was governor, Rauner was a strong critic of the Chicago Teachers Union, and the legislation his top allies in the General Assembly proposed took aim at the labor group. The proposal would allow the governor's hand-picked State Board of Education chief to replace the mayor's appointed school board until the district's finances were deemed fixed. The state panel would have the power to negotiate a new teachers' contract if none is reached in current talks, or oversee a union contract that could be broken if the district filed for bankruptcy.