To the Chicagoland Community:
Education is never only a school issue. It is an economic issue, a neighborhood issue, a workforce issue, a public safety issue, and a moral issue. National labor data continue to show that as educational attainment rises, unemployment falls and earnings rise. That is one reason thriving schools matter far beyond the classroom. In Chicago, this is especially important because Chicago Public Schools serves 316,224 students across 630 schools. When schools succeed, communities and cities are better positioned to succeed with them.
First, those who raised their voices, stood for stability, and helped encourage the official selection of Dr. Macquline King as permanent Superintendent/CEO of Chicago Public Schools deserve to be applauded and appreciated. On March 30, 2026, the Chicago Board of Education selected Dr. King after she had already been serving as interim since June 11, 2025, with her three-year contract taking effect July 1, 2026. That was an important moment for our city. It reminded us that leadership matters, that public pressure matters, and that community voice still matters.
But now Chicago faces another historic responsibility. This November election must be treated as a citywide urgency, not as a niche education matter for a small group of insiders. For the first time, voters will decide all 21 seats on the Chicago Board of Education, including the board president. That means every neighborhood, every family, every institution, and every stakeholder who claims to care about the future of this city should already be preparing for what is ahead.
This election should matter to every single person in Chicago, including those who do not currently have children in CPS. These decisions will impact our children and grandchildren, but also our neighborhoods, our property values, our local businesses, our churches, our alma maters, our community organizations, our workforce pipeline, and our long-term civic stability. When schools are stronger, communities are stronger. When schools are neglected, every part of city life eventually feels the consequences.
We must also be honest about what these seats actually represent. School board members do not hold ceremonial positions. The Board is responsible for hiring and evaluating the CEO, establishing district direction and priorities, approving policies, contracts, the district budget, the capital improvement plan, the school calendar, school actions, and more. The Board itself says the role can require more than 25 to 30 hours each month, often including evenings and weekends, and members serve without compensation. In other words, this is serious authority over one of the most important public systems in our city. We cannot afford to allow just anyone to end up in these very important seats.
And I can prove to you that this school board election is important. In the 2024 race, it is estimated that spending topped $13 million, and that was for only 10 seats because the remaining members were appointed as part of the transition to a hybrid board. Many observers now expect spending in the 2026 cycle to exceed that amount, especially because all 21 seats will be up for grabs and the board president will have to run citywide. Just imagine what that means. Just imagine how much money will be spent to influence who governs our schools. And then imagine if that same kind of money were poured into organizing community and stakeholder groups in each of the 20 districts so they could partner with, evaluate, and hold every school board member accountable once elected.
There will be those who support individuals they believe in, and they should. That is their prerogative. But the deeper question is this: where is the accountability? What organized body of stakeholders will each board member regularly answer to after the campaign is over? How do we properly assess whether each seat is filled by someone who will vote in alignment with the voices, needs, and vision of the communities they represent? And should we really expect unpaid volunteers to shoulder this much responsibility without a strong, organized, community-based accountability structure around them?
That is why every district connected to these seats should be hosting meetings, public forums, and panel discussions from now until November with every single person who says they want to serve on the Board, even if they don’t represent your district. Candidates should not be allowed to glide into these seats on name recognition, last-minute introductions, polished mailers, or carefully rehearsed talking points. Schools, parents, faith leaders, community-based organizations, business leaders, residents, and civic institutions should be collaborating right now to define clearly and unapologetically what they expect from anyone asking to hold this power. If we are proactive in our selection, we may not have to become reactive in our protest.
We cannot afford to trust sound bites. We cannot afford to be seduced by slogans. We cannot afford to confuse campaigning with character. As the old saying goes, we must trust, but verify. Too many politicians say all the right things during the race, only to do the complete opposite once in office, often because they know many of our communities are not organized enough to hold them accountable. This is precisely why disciplined, structured, community-led oversight matters so much in this moment.
And let us be especially clear: the South and West Sides of Chicago must remain intensely focused on these races. These communities know better than most what it means to be over-promised, under-resourced, and too often forced to fight for what should already be fair and equitable. This election is about making sure our schools are not treated like afterthoughts, our children are not shortchanged, and our neighborhoods receive their fair share of resources, investment, opportunity, and respect. If we are serious about educational equity, then we must be serious about organized civic engagement.
There will be money in this race. The elite will raise and donate money to the candidates they want, whether the community wants them or not. Endorsements will come early from those who have already decided, whether the community’s voice has been sought, engaged, or heard. Incumbents and those with institutional relationships will naturally have a head start. But this election cannot simply be about who is known, who is connected, or who is preferred by the powerful. This is not personal. It is about principle. It must be about the kind of compassionate, accountable, courageous, and visionary leadership our children and our city actually need.
That is why the Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council (GBCAC) will no longer prematurely endorse candidates simply because of name recognition or incumbency. We are collaboratively developing a report card for these board member seats that focuses on the role the seat of decision represents, not merely the person seeking to occupy it. Our mantra remains what it has always been: Nothing About Us, Without Us. And as Chairman of the GBCAC, I am determined to do everything in my power to make sure that mantra is not just recited, but fully lived.
This is also why I remain committed to strengthening current and creating new, fully funded and fully staffed Community Action Councils (CACs) across the city of Chicago representing each district (1-10). CACs are not about one personality, one meeting, or one election cycle. They are community-based tables designed to gather informed and intentional input from a diverse group of stakeholders with an explicit focus on community-centered school improvement and broader neighborhood well-being. In Greater Bronzeville, that vision includes principals, teachers, students, parents, families, residents, Local School Council members, community-based organizations, faith leaders, health institutions, business leaders, and elected officials working together in collective action. A strong collaborative of more than 200 organizations utilizing the collective impact model.
That kind of structure matters because community power does not come from outrage alone. It comes from organized participation, shared expectations, measurable accountability, and sustained engagement over time. The Greater Bronzeville materials already point to a working model rooted in cross-sector partnership, stakeholder voice, data, convening discipline, and a clear community-to-governance accountability loop. That is the kind of civic infrastructure Chicago needs not only before the election, but for the full four years that follow it.
So, I encourage every person reading this to visit GBCAC.com and see how our Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council is gearing up not only for the November school board election, but also to remain fully engaged long after Election Day has passed. Because voting is only the beginning. Real accountability begins after the campaign signs come down.
We are also seeking philanthropic and corporate investment from those who say they care about Chicago, our children, schools, and our future. Our CACs are not only focused on education, but on student- and school-centered wraparound supports, violence prevention, family engagement, youth development, trauma-informed care, workforce opportunity, and the broader ecosystem required for communities to thrive. If donors and interest groups can raise and spend millions to support and influence candidates, then surely civic investors can direct substantial resources toward organizing communities, strengthening stakeholder tables, supporting local schools, and holding school board members accountable. That would be a win-win for everyone, especially our young people. The powers that be should not be allowed to force ‘their’ chosen ones on us.
Let me be clear: I believe many of those who seek these seats truly do care about students and schools. Many have fought for education for years, and they deserve appreciation for that service. But caring and tenure is not enough. This election cannot be about who we know or who we like. It must be about who is prepared to govern well, to listen deeply, to stand with and represent community, and to partner with Superintendent/CEO Dr. Macquline King in a way that strengthens the district rather than stifles it. The Board must hold leadership accountable, yes, but it must not become an obstacle to responsible leadership and progress. Chicago does not need a tug-of-war at the top. Chicago needs disciplined governance that puts students first, and no board member should be allowed to cast a vote that does not represent our voice.
If we ignore this race in November, we may owe our children an apology later. When we do nothing and say nothing, we get nothing. Even as we grapple with how the CPS School Board will make a decision regarding May 1st and whether students should be in school or not, just imagine if our communities were more organized to address this issue with a unified voice.
So let us show up. Let us organize. Let us question the candidates. Let us host the forums. Let us define the standards. Let us verify the promises. Let us build the accountability structures. And let us make history not simply by electing people, but by creating the kind of organized civic infrastructure that ensures they remain accountable to the communities they were chosen to serve. Chicago’s children are watching. Let us not fail them.
Visit GBCAC.com to learn more, watch our February and March meetings. You are also invited to tune in LIVE to our April 21st 10AM (CST) monthly community partners meeting via online streaming via our Bright Star Community Outreach (BSCO) YouTube or Facebook pages. Replay will also be available. Don’t miss it!
“Doing What I Can; While I Can; With What I Have; Within HIS Will.”
Pastor Chris Harris, Sr. (PCH)
GreaterBronzevilleCAC (GBCAC) – Chairman
BrightStarChurchChicago.com (Greater Bronzeville) – Pastor
StJamesMinistriesChicago.com (West Pullman/Roseland) – Pastor
BrightStarCommunityOutreach.com – CEO
BrightStarCDC.com – CEO
TheUnityForum.com – Co-Founder
(773) 373-5220 – Church
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