Prairie State Wire

A Republican gubernatorial candidate said that teachers "leery" about in-person instruction should be "fired."

Business owner and GOP donor Gary Rabine's comments came during an interview with Public Affairs.

"Get your butt in here," Rabine said. "They can wear a mask. They can social distance. This is your job. This is what we need. I mean, we're losing kids through suicide."

Rabine, a Bull Valley businessman, who plans to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2022, said the answer for those still holding out in the face of such stark realities seems simple.

"They don't come in, fire them," he said. "If you have the authority or you go to the mayor, and you go to the super. And of CPS to say, look, this is what I recommend, fire those, get yourself some people who want to work."

While saying safety has to come first, Rabine said the COVID-19 learning environment could not continue with many students learning remotely or on a limited in-person basis.

"After understanding the science in a short period of time, we understand that kids below 13 aren't contagious," he said. "Kids below 22 don't die from this as often as the flu. I'm sorry, if we protect you like we should as teachers and we protect the students as we should, the odds are very low that this is going to be a contagious thing in schools. We need to get back to work and get back to school now. And we should never shut down our schools."

Rabine also claimed he would work with the Illinois General Assembly more effectively than former Gov. Bruce Rauner or current Gov. J.B. Pritzker, also businessmen who had no previous political experience before ascending to the governor's mansion.