"Why? Because they have the same agenda as the mayor," Mayle said. "He'd rather close the schools than resource them."

"If the school is closed, it will be against the wishes of the parents, the students, and the stakeholders of our community," said Dawn Dawson, current Overton teacher and a CPS educator for 27 years. "Our students and our teachers are being asked to sacrifice to help fix Chicago Public Schools' budget."

The Walton family, the richest family in America and heirs to the Walmart fortune, have given millions of dollars to initiatives which strip money from public schools, including nearly half a million dollars in support of Chicago Public Schools’ proposed school closures. Meanwhile, in 2012, the family spent $3.8 million—more money than they spent in any other city—opening new charter schools. The vast majority of the schools closing in Chicago serve low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, leaving many of these areas without neighborhood schools.

Walmart has eight stores in Chicago and two more under construction. Walmart workers earn low wages and benefits and often lack access to affordable, quality healthcare. Meanwhile, warehouse workers who supply Walmart goods have called on Walmart to safe workplaces and fair treatment. In addition, the company is notorious for finding ways to finance its operations on the backs of taxpayers; to help build new stores in Chicago, Walmart is leaning on a tax scheme that diverts money to developers and away from schools and other critical services.

"Walmart does not belong in Chicago helping close schools," Hurley said. "Walmart needs to do a far sight better by its workers before it starts telling people how to run their schools and their city."