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Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handpicked School Board stunned the city earlier this month by resigning en masse rather than carry out Johnson’s directive to fire the Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) CEO and approve a $300 million “payday loan” to cover a new teacher’s contract. This removed any remaining doubt that the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is calling the shots and Mayor Johnson is but a figurehead.
This latest incident throws into stark relief the vital importance of the upcoming CPS School Board Elections, which appear on the November 5th presidential election ballot. Whether you are a parent of a CPS student, a taxpayer, or a concerned citizen wanting Chicago to have a strong and promising future, the School Board elections are something you should care about.
Mayor Johnson and his CTU allies see the School Board elections as an opportunity to expand their power. Specifically, they are looking to pack the Board with their allies who will allow the CTU to effectively run the schools and negotiate with itself in any new labor contract. Most obviously, the increased property taxes that will arise from such an arrangement will be paid by us taxpayers, including those of us owning multifamily properties. Of course we all see the value of strong schools. But we need a school board consisting of responsible stewards of funds, which receives an alarmingly high percentage of property taxes we pay to the City. (The Cook County Clerk’s office said 55.4% of a Chicagoan’s property tax bill goes to Chicago Public Schools.)
Strong schools are essential for strong neighborhoods, and many of us in the RPBG believe that a truly independent School Board that builds a centrist “common sense” agenda for our schools is essential to the health and stability of our city.
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