On Tuesday, November 3, Chicago voters will participate in a historic election as the city continues its transition from a mayor-appointed school board to an elected one.
For decades, the mayor decided who would govern Chicago Public Schools.
Now, the people have a voice.
We vote for our children. We vote for our teachers. We vote for Chicago’s future.
Welcome to a new Chicago politic, without pay. The board president and the board members are ALL volunteers. To date, $6 million has been spent to gain a position with no paycheck.
This new political power comes with an enormous responsibility. We are not simply electing individuals who care about education. We are choosing leadership for a public institution with a budget of about $10.2 billion, 626 schools, nearly 50,000 employees, and more than 300,000 students, spread across Chicago’s 77 communities. This is big business. And it requires serious leadership.
The question is: Who is qualified to manage the business of educating Chicago’s children?
The Business of Education…
Teaching in a classroom, managing a school, and governing an entire school system are different skill sets.
The president of the Chicago Board of Education is not the superintendent. The president does not teach third grade, write lesson plans, manage a high school’s daily operations, or host PTA meetings.
The board president’s responsibility is governance. It is oversight. It is accountability. It sets policy, oversees executive leadership, and protects the public interest.
And, perhaps most importantly, it is asking the difficult questions about how billions of taxpayer dollars are spent.
Where does the money go? Who benefits? What programs work? What programs fail? Why are some schools thriving while others struggle? Why do children in different ZIP codes have vastly different educational experiences and opportunities?
These are business questions, NOT educational ones.
Managing one of America’s largest school systems requires financial mastery, independence, sound judgment, and the courage to challenge a system that has not always served its children equally. Experience matters.
The Trio…
(All Photos Courtesy of Instagram)
The contest for board president has narrowed to three candidates, each bringing a different background and perspective.
The candidates represent different experiences within Chicago’s educational and political landscape.
But one important distinction deserves attention: the difference between someone who has worked within the CPS system and someone whose professional experience comes from outside it.
Attorney Victor Henderson brings a background in trial law and accounting. His experience as a lawyer and CPA gives him a specific skill set for financial oversight, contracts, negotiations, compliance, and accountability.
That distinction matters.
A school board president must read a balance sheet, balance a budget, challenge financial assumptions, understand legal
obligations, and recognize when a proposed solution is financially unrealistic.
Good intentions are not a budget. Promises are not revenue. A phantom budget is not real.
And political slogans do not pay teachers, repair buildings, or educate children.
Who Owns the School Board?
Another issue should concern every Chicago voter.
Independence.
Powerful political organizations, labor unions, wealthy donors, and special interests have turned public education into a battleground.
Unions have every right to advocate for their members. Wealthy citizens have every right to contribute to political campaigns. Educators have every right to seek public office.
But the public also has every right to ask: Whom will the board president answer to?
Will it be the teachers’ union? The service employees’ union? The mayor? Wealthy campaign contributors?
Or will it be the children, parents, and taxpayers of Chicago?
These are not accusations. They are legitimate questions of public accountability.
Every candidate should disclose significant financial and political relationships, explain potential conflicts of interest, and make clear how they would manage conflicts.
The board will confront difficult decisions about budgets, staffing, contracts, school facilities, and educational priorities.
Those decisions must serve the entire school district, not simply the organizations that helped elect its leadership.
CPS consists of 626 schools: 426 elementary and 92 high schools. The student body is 304,687, with 45,530 employees.
The Fox and the Chicken Coop…
An old expression warns against putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop.
It is worth considering as Chicago chooses its school system leadership.
Who will negotiate labor contracts? Who will examine spending requests?
Who will challenge administrative decisions? Who will demand answers when millions of dollars are spent without measurable results?
A board president must be able to ask uncomfortable questions without fear of political retaliation or concern about disappointing campaign supporters.
Experience inside CPS can provide valuable insight. Experience outside CPS can provide an equally valuable perspective.
Neither automatically guarantees independence.
The public deserves to know how every candidate intends to exercise independent judgment and decision-making.
The Children Are Not a Special Interest…
Chicago’s children are not Democrats or Republicans. They are not red or blue. They are not members of labor unions. They do
not write campaign checks. They do not hire political consultants. They do not debate on TV.
They are children. Save the Children. Teach the children. They are not pawns to be manipulated on the political checker/chess board for convenience.
They need safe schools, qualified teachers, modern classrooms, strong academic programs, and a genuine opportunity to succeed.
A child in Englewood deserves the same quality of education as a child in Lincoln Park. A child in Austin deserves the same opportunity as a child in Beverly.
Education should not depend on neighborhood politics, an alderman’s influence, or a family’s financial circumstances.
This election should be about restoring confidence in public education, no matter the school.
Chicago has spent decades debating school closings, declining enrollment, academic performance, pensions, deficits, and political control.
Now the voters have an opportunity to demand something different.
Not more politics. Better governance.
A New Chicago Politic…
Electing a school board president is more than another name on the ballot.
It tests whether Chicago can move beyond the politics of patronage, personal attacks, and special-interest influence.
Judge the candidates on their professional qualifications, integrity, financial judgment, independence, and vision for Chicago’s children that will prepare the workforce for the future.
The public should demand answers, not insults. Facts, not rumors.
Accountability, not political theater.
Chicago is entering a new chapter in public education. The stakes are too high to turn this historic opportunity into another political circus.
We are electing people to oversee billions of dollars and help determine a generation’s future.
The school board belongs to the public and deserves forthrightness and honesty.
The money belongs to the taxpayers.
And the schools belong to the children.
So, Chicago, before you vote, ask one final question: Who is qualified to guard the chicken coop?
