Chicago Public Schools is in trouble.
Chicago has two major newspapers, one for-profit and another not-for-profit. The Chicago Tribune recently described CPS as facing “the most severe challenges, arguably, of any school district in America.” The district is dealing with a financial crisis, low academic performance, declining enrollment, questions about school closures and safety, and the enormous challenge of preparing children for a world being transformed by artificial intelligence.
On Sunday, September 27, Chicago saw a tale of two newspapers.
The Tribune endorsed Jessica Biggs for Chicago School Board President.
The Sun-Times printed a 3-page article, “Biggs Faces Scrutiny Over Past CPS Firing.” The story appeared online on September 23rd. What a difference a paper makes.
The Tribune is the most powerful newspaper to endorse candidates. The Sun-Times is prohibited.
Four candidates now run for president of the Chicago Board of Education: current board member and former CPS principal Jessica Biggs, former Chicago Teachers Union political director Hilario Dominguez, attorney and former CPA Victor Henderson and former board member Sendhil Revuluri.
This is an historic election. For the first time, Chicago voters will choose 21 people to govern the school system rather than having the mayor appoint the board.
Who is Prepared to Govern CPS — and What Record Should Voters Examine?
We should therefore be asking a simple question:
Who is Prepared to Govern CPS — and What Record Should Voters Examine?
Recent reporting about Jessica Biggs deserves that scrutiny.
WBEZ and Chalkbeat, in the Sun-Times article, reported that Biggs was fired from her position as principal of Burke Elementary, a Black school on the south side, after an investigation by the district’s inspector general.
The investigation found that students who arrived substantially late were marked tardy rather than absent for half a day, and that staff was instructed to pick up some students and bring them to school. Burke recorded more than 10,000 tardies in both 2016 and 2017, while reporting fewer than a dozen half-day absences. She was clearly trying to raise her school’s attendance record to improve its score. The Biggs case is one of “educational malpractice.”
CPS placed Biggs on its “do not hire” list after her firing. WBEZ reported that she was later removed from that list after an outside attorney reviewed the case at the CEO’s request. The paperwork does not state the reason for the reinstatement, which an outside lawyer provided to the human resources department or the superintendent of CPS rather.
No candidate’s record should be hidden.
That is why the media’s treatment of this campaign deserves careful consideration.
The Media’s Treatment of this Campaign Deserves Careful Consideration…
When allegations from Victor Henderson‘s divorce proceedings more than 15 years ago surfaced, the story became a significant part of the public conversation. NBC Chicago reported on allegations contained in 2011 family court filings; Henderson denied abusing his children and emphasized that there were no criminal charges, arrests or court findings establishing the allegations as fact.
WBEZ later reported extensively on the matter, including Henderson’s response and the fact that his children eventually resumed overnight, unsupervised parenting time. WGN Political Editor Tahman Bradley, host of The Point questioned Henderson exclusively, as he also did with Biggs, on her misdoings. And then there is the case of Hilario Dominguez in arrears regarding taxes. The only missing person for “investigation” is Sendhi Revulari, former Vice President of the Board.
The public has a right to know questionable character stories. And then there is the story of, but the question is whether the same standard of scrutiny is being applied to every candidate. Family history, past work performance, and taxes matter. That is a legitimate question.
Is race part of the equation?
Chicago has a long history of seeing Black political candidates examined through a different lens. That history makes the question impossible to ignore.
If Henderson wants to lead CPS, examine his record. Examine his legal career. Examine his financial experience. Examine his record on education. Examine his positions on school closures, academic accountability, student safety and technology.
Examine everybody.
Henderson is different from the other presidential candidates in a significant way. He has not worked for CPS ever and is not a current or former CPS principal or board president. He is an attorney, former CPA, and CPS parent. His campaign emphasizes fiscal accountability, measurable academic outcomes, and student safety. He is not an educator, as are others. He is a fresh face from the business community.
In Tribune language, “he would not be anyone’s patsy.” That outsider status can be viewed in different ways. Not being a patsy is a good thing; it means he would stand up and stand for.
Some may see a lack of traditional education-system experience.
Others may see independence from the bureaucracy and the unions.
That is for voters to decide; the polls indicate that 45% of the public are undecided about this brand-new race.
But independence should not be treated as a political crime.
Neither should experience inside the system automatically be treated as a qualification beyond examination. The Tribune endorsement logic is to forgive and forget Bigg’s errors and that “Henderson and Revuluri do not have a chance against the CTU machine.” Well now, what about John Q Public, the voter? Ultimately the voters decide.
CPS Needs Results…
CPS does not need another political exercise disguised as educational governance. It needs results.
Look at the problems.
Only 42% of CPS students in grades three through eight are proficient in reading, according to the Tribune’s recent editorial, while only 27% are proficient in math.
The district faces serious financial challenges. A new board’s main focus will be to address the real financial deficit, not a phantom one. Two of the candidates have been board members and may be part of the problem rather than the solution. Henderson is the best man to bring about significant solutions given his legal and accounting background. Other candidates have not addressed this.
Enrollment is declining.
Schools are being reconsidered and, in some cases, closed. Henderson has said that before closing schools, he will consider the community at large to participate in the decision-making. Studies from the University of Chicago and John Hopkins conclude that when schools close, crime increases.
Student and teacher safety remains a concern. Kids are killing kids to and from school. What do we do about it?
AI is Here!
And Artificial Intelligence is already changing the classroom.
The question isn’t whether AI is coming.
AI is here.
How should teachers use it? How should students use it?
How do we prevent cheating while teaching technological literacy?
How do we make sure children from Chicago’s South and West sides aren’t left behind in a technological revolution?
And what happens to school buildings when the number of students declines?
Can empty or underused buildings become workforce centers, technology hubs, arts centers, trade schools, or community institutions?
These are the questions that deserve the oxygen in this election.
Chicago parents should also demand accountability for every dollar spent.
Taxpayers should demand transparency.
Teachers should demand resources that actually improve instruction.
Students and parents should demand safe schools.
No Nancy Factor…
And candidates should be required to explain, specifically, how they intend to deliver those things.
There should be no Nancy factor — no paternalistic politics in which powerful interests decide what is best for Black and Latino children while parents are expected to accept the decision with no query.
There should be no plantation politics.
There should be no billionaire politics. What dark-money evils are in this election? The hidden hands should come forth in real time. Where is the hidden hand behind organizations that might support candidates? There should be no union politics because the union is a real first. Henderson has said children first.
Money can buy advertising. It cannot buy educational results. It cannot buy votes.
We need a school system that works. Children need to be taught scientifically, not through robotic learning. They need reading. They need mathematics. They need science. They need technology. They need real teachers. They need arts. They need trades. They need safety. They need teachers who are supported. They need buildings that are useful. They need adults who will tell the truth about what is working — and what isn’t. They need real attendance records. Most of all, they need a school board that understands the gravity of the moment.
So let the candidates be questioned. Let public debates loom heavily so people can make their own judgment. Let the parents and students raise their concerns. Let their records be examined. Let the media investigate. Let the unions make their case. Let the business community make its case.
But let the voters see the whole picture. Don’t play with education.
The future of Chicago’s children is too important to freeze the conversation before it even begins.
The children cannot afford it, and neither can the city. It is about our future.
In full disclosure. I am working on the Victor Henderson campaign.
